According to Brussels Prime Minister Rudi Vervoort (PS), there is an agreement to strengthen the federal judicial police with 88 officers by the end of the legislature. This expansion is part of the so-called ‘Canal Plan’. That plan was originally intended to combat terrorism, but is expanding to tackle organized crime.
The Canal Plan – launched after the 2015 Paris attacks, with the aim of combating terrorism – is being revived. It originally provided for increased police vigilance in some areas of Molenbeek and Anderlecht, but is now expanding to tackle drug crime in Brussels, including the recruitment of 88 additional officers.
That was what Prime Minister Rudi Vervoort (PS) said in parliament on Tuesday, after a question from Brussels MP Mathias Vanden Borre (N-VA). “We heard rumors that the Canal Plan would be abolished. That worried Brussels mayors.”
Vervoort’s answer shows that it was decided just before the Christmas holidays to continue the Canal Plan. After all, many measures from the previous plan have become part of the routine tasks of the police. The plan is also expanded to include organized crime.
Shooting Incidents in Molenbeek
“I’m glad people are taking that route,” says Vanden Borre. According to him, the drug problem transcends municipal boundaries and boundaries of the police zones. “After the drug-related shooting incidents in Molenbeek, I already suggested that the Canal Plan could also be effective in combating drug crime.”
The new Canal Plan is being drawn up in consultation with, among others, the six Brussels chiefs of police and the Brussels public prosecutor’s office. At the end of September, they discussed a first draft, in which the broad outlines and points of action were laid down. The intention is that in the short term there will also be objectives with regard to police response after drug-related violence, the targeted multidisciplinary, administrative-judicial approach, partnerships and training. In addition to the 88 agents, no additional resources are provided.
This article is originally published on bruzz.be
