By Martin Banks - 20th September 2010
Crime-related incidents in the area are on the increase
Denis Ducarme
Three Belgian Liberal MPs have called for "significantly" increased security around the European quarter in Brussels.
They say feelings of "insecurity" in the area have reached such a scale that higher-profile policing is "vitally" necessary.
One of the parliamentarians, Denis Ducarme, said many people who live and work in the area, roughly stretching from Place Luxembourg to Schuman, had complained about a lack of police presence and a "feeling of insecurity".
He said many of the problems reported to police related to relatively minor incidents, such as pick pocketing and car crime but there had also been cases of muggings and threats of violence.
He said that if Belgium wants to keep the EU institutions, including parliament, and other related bodies in the city "it must provide adequate security".
The three MR politicians specifically want a police station to be opened in the European quarter, saying it should be operational 24 hours a day.
"Crime-related incidents in the area are on the increase. It is not an exaggeration to describe the area as dangerous," said Ducarme.
However, Jacques Deveaux, the senior Belgian police officer who is responsible for policing the area, insisted that current measures were adequate.
He said that crime in the European quarter was "no worse" than in other parts of the city and questioned whether a police station in the area was necessary.
Meanwhile, Dutch MEP Wim van de Camp has criticised security arrangements at parliament, saying more staff are needed to deal with the increasing number of visitors.
He was speaking at an event in parliament on motorcycling where, he said, several participants had experienced "difficulties" gaining access to the Altiero Spinelli buiding.
He said, "For some, getting into the building is quite a job. I was an MP in the Netherlands for a long time but people said they never encountered the difficulties in gaining access to the Dutch parliament as they do here.
"For our guests, there was an awful lot of congestion at the entrance and it took an inordinate length of time for them to get into the building, up to 30 minutes in some cases which is ridiculous. Some only just made it on time for our event."
Paul Janssens, vice-president of the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme, who attended the event, said, "The security is very intense, similar to an airport."
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