'Pop-up' police station opens at Brussels-Midi station

After years of debate, a police station has set up in the capital’s Brussels-Midi station, but at present it is only a pilot scheme. The trial period began on 20 November with a "walk-in" project managed by the railway police. The aim is for a perman

By: xpats.com

Dec 01 2024
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'Pop-up' police station opens

After years of debate, a police station has set up in the capital’s Brussels-Midi station, but at present it is only a pilot scheme.

The trial period began on 20 November with a "walk-in" project managed by the railway police. The aim is for a permanent police station to be set up in the next few months, following numerous complaints about the growing lack of safety in and around the station.

The current office is indicated by a blue illuminated police logo and is located next to the metro’s main entrance in the station’s central hall. It is the first time there has been a police station in Brussels-Midi station for 15 years.

In September 2023, outgoing prime minister Alexander De Croo (Open VLD) announced that the police station would reopen. This followed a large-scale police operation in and around Midi station to tackle crime and disorder. The action came after several reports of problems, drug use and a general feeling of insecurity at the transport hub.

The Socialist mayors of Saint-Gilles, Jean Spinette, and Anderlecht, Fabrice Cumps, among other communes, and the Brussels regional government had called for the police station to be reinstated.

“We would have preferred to have a proper police station,” Spinette told Sudinfo. “However, the presence of police officers in this branch will help to reassure passengers, take complaints on the spot and intervene in emergencies.”

Normally, this office should have been ready for business at the end of the summer. But for reasons not yet clear, the project was delayed.

In addition to this small police station, whose opening hours are intended to be from 5.00 to 1.00 in the morning, a much bigger one will also open next year nearby.

This will be the base of local police operations and located on Rue des Deux Gares in Anderlecht, 500 metres from Belgium’s largest station.