“All the mayors of Brussels are against this proposal. If the power base is opposed to it, I do not see how this merger could be effective. Currently, the executives are full in the well-off areas but in deficit in the poor neighborhoods. police officers who live in Liège have chosen to work in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert because it is more quickly accessible in terms of mobility. These officers will refuse to drive an hour longer to go to work in a district located on the opposite side.castigates a senior officer.
There is also the question of recruitment, especially since many police officers are already reluctant to come and work in the capital. A merger of police zones would lead to some uncertainty as to the precise location of assignment, risking dissuading many candidates from coming to work in Brussels. “How are we going to attract police officers to work in Brussels if they do not know in advance in which neighborhood they will intervene? Strategic decisions are made by politicians who do not know the reality in Brussels. The merging of fonts as presented is a sham that will serve no purpose“, he adds.
Merger of municipalities, CPAS and police zones, return of SmartMove and the kilometer tax: what Elke Vanden Brandt’s note contains
The question of financing
Finally, there remains the thorny question of financing the reform. “The financing model will not hold. The municipalities will try to limit their financial contribution as much as possible by recovering the buildings made available as well as rents for the buildings used by the regional police. Municipal finances are not good and the merging the zones risks causing the municipalities to preach for their chapel”indicates another interlocutor.
Going from 19 to six Brussels municipalities
A more credible solution would therefore be to consider maintaining the current six police zones by limiting the number of municipalities to 6 instead of 19.This could be a step before, possibly, considering the creation of a single police zone with a single large municipal and therefore regional entity.”
For the moment, the proposals made by the Flemish parties, led by NVA and Groen, are limited to notes of intent. Many law enforcement officials are awaiting clarification on how this single zone would be implemented. “Many gray areas remain. Who will run this area? The minister-president? A sort of prefect like in France? The merger project lacks clarity and for the moment, I don’t really see what added value this will bring.”concludes another manager.
