Brussels Convenes Security Council After Drug Violence Surge

Brussels Minister-President Boris Dilliès has convened the Regional Security Council (CORES) to address an alarming surge in drug-related violence that has seen six shootings across the Belgian capital in a single week, four of them in the municipality of Sint-Gillis. The emergency meeting, scheduled for Wednesday evening at Safe.brussels, brings together federal Interior Minister Bernard Quintin, Brussels Chief Prosecutor Julien Moinil, National Drugs Commissioner Ine Van Wymersch, and mayors from the affected police zones, as VRT NWS reported.

Dilliès, who cut short a language immersion week in Spa to return to the capital, said the goal is to “strengthen both human and material resources on the ground and achieve a long-term approach.” He emphasized that this is not a one-off operation: “We want to shut down the entire system. We will not leave any neighborhood behind and Brussels will not be abandoned,” he said, according to BRUZZ.

A Week of Escalating Violence

The crisis erupted over the weekend of August 22-23, when gunmen opened fire on a police commissariat in Anderlecht with a Kalashnikov-type weapon, leaving 12 bullet impacts in the building’s door. Two suspects fled on an electric step, and Chief Prosecutor Moinil described the attack as evidence of an “intention to destabilize the authorities.” The violence then moved to Sint-Gillis, where shootings occurred on three consecutive days. On Monday evening, gunmen opened fire with an automatic weapon near a pizzeria at the Place des Deux Bancs, forcing customers — including children — to take cover. Mayor Jean Spinette said the shooters “have crossed all boundaries” and called for a major joint action by the municipality, the Brussels Region, and the federal government, as BRUZZ documented.

Coordinated Response

The Regional Security Council meeting builds on measures already announced by the Brussels government. A Brussels drugs commissioner will be appointed by the end of September to coordinate an integrated regional strategy. The government has also allocated €68 million to security and prevention in 2026, and will ban shared electric e-steps from January 1, 2027, as they are frequently used as escape vehicles in criminal acts.

Federal Interior Minister Quintin called the situation “a national urgency,” stating that “everyone must take their responsibility.” He described the shootings as a “sign that we must resolutely continue our fight against drug crime,” according to VRT NWS.

A joint parliamentary committee on Justice and Interior will also be convened, announced Ismaël Nuino, chair of the Justice Committee. “The population needs a strong and rapid response,” Nuino said. “We have seen enough politicians in recent days blaming each other while shots are fired in the streets of Brussels. That spectacle has protected no one.”

Political Tensions and Community Response

The crisis has exposed deep political fractures. The brief “sacred union” between the MR and PS parties over the shootings collapsed on Tuesday, with MR president Georges-Louis Bouchez making a strong statement against the PS, as La Libre reported.

Meanwhile, residents of Sint-Gillis are organizing a neighborhood gathering for Sunday against organized crime. Local community gardeners at the Oaseplein — a square that has become a known drug dealing location — have been transforming the space into a community garden as an act of resistance. “I often garden here next to the dealers,” said resident Thomas Matei. “It is a way to claim this place. I also have no intention of giving way.”

Structural Challenges Ahead

Criminologist Jelle Janssens of Ghent University cautioned that more police alone is not the solution. He noted that Brussels will have a single unified police zone from January 1, 2028, which should help coordinate efforts, but warned that the city’s security architecture remains fragmented with 19 mayors and multiple layers of government, as VRT NWS reported.

Dilliès has also proposed deploying drones to track criminals in the streets, a plan that has drawn privacy concerns. “The day Big Brother arrives in Brussels, I will be on the other side of the barricades,” said Mayor Spinette. Privacy researcher Ruben De Smet of VUB questioned whether drones would be effective, noting that “for every arrested dealer, two others appear ten minutes later.”

As the Regional Security Council convenes, the key question remains whether the coordinated response can match the scale of the challenge. With a drugs commissioner set to take office by the end of September and a unified police zone planned for 2028, Brussels is betting on long-term structural reform — but residents are demanding results now. “We are no longer safe,” said Sint-Gillis resident Joëlle Vandooren. “One of these days someone will die, because with a stray bullet it happens quickly.”