From January to October 2022, there were more than 1,200 reports of drug use on the STIB network. This is an increase of seventy percent compared to the same period in 2021. “The problem has worsened since the corona crisis.”
In the Brussels Parliament, Aurélie Czekalski (MR) Minister of Mobility Elke Van den Brandt (Green) often questions the situation regarding drug use in the Brussels metro stations. She also asked a question on Tuesday, in response to complaints she received from travelers at the Yser and Ribaucourt stations. “MIVB travelers are confronted daily and at any time of the day with drug addicts who are visibly using. The travelers are afraid and fear for their safety during their journeys. If we ask the inhabitants of Brussels to make more use of public transport, they must always be able to feel safe,” says Czekalski.
The drug problem in the STIB stations, especially in Yser and Ribaucourt, is certainly not new, but the feeling that the use is increasing and is becoming more and more visible is not only felt by travelers, but also by STIB itself. He sounded the alarm at the end of last year and asked the Brussels government for more help. “The impression is indeed that drug use is increasing,” said a STIB spokeswoman at the time.
The number of reports of drug users on the STIB network has been rising for several years. There was another sharp increase last year, according to the answer from State Secretary Barbara Trachte (Ecolo), who has temporarily taken over Van den Brandt’s powers. “The number of reports about the presence of drug users at the STIB dispatch center increased by 69.4% from January to October 2022 on the entire network compared to the same period in 2021,” Trachte said. Last year there were 1,204 reports. “Those figures are only indicative, as not all drug users are reported and a user can be reported more than once.”
‘Global Approach’
“The dramatic situation of drug addicts is structural and exceeds the competences of STIB, but the problem has worsened since the corona crisis,” said Trachte. “This requires a global approach, together with the police, the judiciary and aid organizations. We are looking for solutions, but the answer must be human.”
The Brussels government will soon have to set up a task force to deal with the problem. The police and non-profit organizations specializing in the counseling of drug addicts will be involved in this. Cooperation with both the railway police and the local police zones has been strengthened since the second half of last year.
Trachte: “Since September, various joint missions have been launched. STIB security officers are not responsible for infringements, but they do facilitate the work of the police because they know the area better. The purpose of these joint missions is to escort drug users to the user area, offer them assistance and ensure that dealers can no longer appropriate the stations, so that the sense of security of travelers improves.”
User Space
The City of Brussels opened a user space in the summer of last year. People with drug addiction can use hard drugs in a controlled manner. This should reduce nuisance in the public space, although it is not yet clear whether the center is already having an effect. “It is too early for that. The center has only been open for half a year,” says Bruno Valkeneers of Transit, the non-profit organization that specializes in counseling drug addicts and who operates the user area in the center.
However, Valkeneers has reasons to think that the space helps to keep drug use out of the streets. “There are days when there are more than a hundred passages in our user room. We receive a lot of people there who live on the street, usually people who use public space. Nine out of ten users who visit us have also indicated that they would use their drugs in public space if the user space were not there.”
In order to measure the effect of the user space, an impact study will be carried out in collaboration with a university in the longer term. The call for projects for this has yet to be launched. Valkeneers does not see a bright future. He also points to the corona crisis for the increase in drug use. “There is more uncertainty, and those who are more vulnerable are more likely to fall prey to drugs. At the same time, the supply is increasing, just look at the record cocaine catch in Antwerp. Those are not positive factors.”
This article is originally published on bruzz.be
