Brussels, the capital of Belgium, is facing a wave of organised crime which is increasingly taking the form of a gang war. In fresh days, there have been respective serious incidents, including shootings, which have caused city dwellers to live in fear. The Belgian Public Prosecutor's Office believes that all of this is simply a consequence of drug trafficking, which has already reached immense size in Brussels.
On Thursday morning, in the Brussels territory of Anderlecht, another shooting occurred, resulting in 1 injured person. The incidental occurred around Clemenceau Metro Station, precisely the same place where a akin shooting had occurred the day before. According to the Brussels lawyer General, Julien Moinil, 2 suspects are inactive at large in the case of the wanted ones. The police are trying to find them, but so far, their identities have not been established.
The gang war over drug control in Brussels is an increasingly pressing problem. According to the Belgian authorities,-the drug trade has already reached specified size that gangs are able to break out wars over control of this act. According to the largest Belgian paper "Le Soir", the prosecution links all fresh incidents with the drug trafficking issue.
Attorney General Julien Moinil reported that he had already called on Brussels police territory chiefs to prepare analyses to find which gangs are liable for the expanding crime in the city. The Belgian authorities believe that it is only through the effective fight against drug trafficking that the wave of organised crime in Brussels will be halted.
It is worth recalling that Belgium is 1 of the largest drug producers in the European Union. According to Europol Police Agency data, in 2020, over 100 tonnes of cocaine were requisitioned in Belgium, which accounted for over 40% of all the drugs seized in the European Union. Moreover, according to the Belgian Statistical Office, more than 10,000 drug crime cases were reported in the country in 2020.
In 2022, according to the Police Headquarters, more than 500 drug trafficking cases were reported in Brussels, an increase of over 20% compared to the erstwhile year. Moreover, according to the Brussels Public Prosecutor's Office, last year more than 100 shootings were reported in the city, many of which were related to gang fights over drug control.
Brussels residents are increasingly expressing their concerns about the situation in the city. As they say, organised crime is becoming an increasingly pressing problem, and authorities should take more decisive steps to curb this wave. The Belgian authorities guarantee that they do everything possible to guarantee the safety of the city's residents, but so far no spectacular successes have been achieved in the fight against organised crime.
It is worth adding that the Belgian Government adopted in 2020 a peculiar plan to combat drug crime, which assumes increased police and judicial efforts to fight drug trafficking more effectively. This plan besides provides training for police and another services to better deal with organised crime.
