2023-08-27 12:16:00
Following the letter sent by the CEO of SNCB, Sophie Dutordoir, to the federal authorities, the government finally seems to have decided to agree to try to improve the situation which has become out of control in the Gare du Midi district.
Proof of this will, a large “punch” operation was organized during the day on Saturday, from 10 am until early evening. Hundreds of policemen occupied the field. Around 60 people were arrested, mainly people residing illegally. This operation should not be renewed for the moment.
What happened at Brussels-Midi station on Saturday? “I have never seen such a massive police deployment” (PHOTOS)
For his part, Nour Eddine Layachi, president of the association of merchants in the Lemonnier district, would like to believe in the good intentions of the federal government but is skeptical.
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“Suddenly, everyone seems to be concerned about a situation that we have been deploring for at least seven years”, he criticizes. “In my opinion, the federal government will contribute to aggravating the situation. for one or two weeks but it will then continue to deteriorate. The situation can be compared to that of the jungle of Calais in France. The politicians boast of having made it disappear but it is not true, it is still there, she just moved.”
Cars with foreign license plates are systematically vandalized
This resident of the Midi district has already had five bicycles stolen. He knows the concealment circuits by heart. “The stolen bicycles or watches are resold a few streets away. It is necessary to attack the concealment circuits at the source, and not the guy who sells. These traffics are known but the criminals nevertheless continue to act as they see fit. When I have a bike stolen, I know that I can find it at a receiver, for example near Clemenceau in Cureghem”, he continues. “The concern is that a certain public that is causing trouble is not visible because they come off the radar. They are passing through Brussels before continuing their journey elsewhere.”
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Despite the numerous meetings organized with the City of Brussels, nothing has changed and the situation is hopeless. “We started alerting Yvan Mayeur and then Philippe Close. We have had a lot of meetings in which we denounce the facts of pickpockets, assaults, thefts. On the Avenue de Stalingrad side, any car registered abroad that spends the night outside is systematically vandalized. The poor tourist who leaves the station at 6am gets robbed. That’s the reality and it’s amazing that politicians don’t understand it”, continues Nour Eddine Layachi. “The situation is such that a wild car park is organized on the Place de l’Europe to allow motorists to park their cars safely thanks to local residents with yellow vests who charge them 2 euros.”
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Finally, according to him, the police station in the rue de l’Hectolitre should never have been closed. “It’s a serious decision because it was located right next to the Gare du Midi. From now on, the district concentrates a whole series of problematic profiles and the management is catastrophic. For example, they installed a shoot room in the rue de Woeringen but people take drugs in the street, that says a lot about the inability of politicians to bring order”, concludes Nour Eddine Layachi.
“Dramatic” situation at Gare du Midi: SNCB urges the authorities to strengthen security and cleanliness
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