While the mayor thanked the 23 agents admitted to a well-deserved retirement, he underlined how much the recent recruitment difficulties are hampering the smooth running of front-line missions, which are essential to the quality of life of the inhabitants of Liège and those who pass through it. The Liège police force nevertheless welcomed 87 new officers this year, including four commissioners, nine principal inspectors, 71 inspectors and 3 Calog (administrative officers).
Willy Demeyer also welcomed the determined action of the federal police, whom he thanked. Belgium is, in fact, a hub of international drug trafficking with the presence, in Belgium, of violent foreign cartels, which generate settling of accounts, assassinations, kidnappings, etc. The mayor thus recalled that he was pleading for a real Federal policy of support for local authorities, whether political, police or judicial.
But the splendours of this year were above all marked by the honoring of the commanding officer, Christian Beaupère, who will retire at the end of this month of September, after 22 years at the head of the local police of Liège and a total of 46 years “in the best policing area in the universe,” as he said during his speech. The opportunity for all departments to greet him and give him many presents.
“Being the head of this police zone for 22 years has been a great privilege,” said Christian Beaupère, expressing his gratitude to each member of his staff. “My biggest regret is this growing violence against the police, with a surge of rage and madness. There is so much multi-faceted aggression,” said the head of the body, referring to the violence on social networks, or the riots that occurred in the center of the city. He, who spoke of his four successive terms at the head of the local police zone and who received the medal of Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown from the hands of the mayor, had a word about his successor. “I leave you in good hands, those of a calm and brilliant man.”
Last Monday, the municipal council decided to propose, to the king, the appointment of the divisional commissioner Jean-Marc Demelenne to the post of head of corps.