Never two without three, as we used to say. But when it comes to negative events, this saying is rather misplaced. Just ask the mayor of Vilvoorde what he thinks. For the third time in less than a fortnight, Hans Bonte has seen one of his businesses be the victim of an armed robbery. Always the same: the Carrefour Express located in the Ensorlaan James.
For the store staff, this Saturday was another day marked by fear. Around 7:30 a.m., two thugs entered the Carrefour Express, threatening those present with a weapon. The staff had to hand over money to the burglars who then fled. A difficult moment that had already been experienced on Monday August 29th… and last Sunday!
For Hans Bonte, mayor of Vilvoorde, the anger is great. “It seems that our city is in the grip of a gang of thieves and we cannot ignore the painful conclusion that our police lack the people and resources to act more effectively and make the necessary prevention efforts,” he said. he to Belga before sending a message to the Minister of the Interior. “She needs to wake up.”
On the side of the police, we are also ringing the alarm bell on the structural lack of their services. “The scourge of robberies in Vilvoorde also shows the failure of the federal plan. The further reduction of the effects of the Canal Plan on personnel must be stopped immediately and the new federal agents must again structurally strengthen the Canal Plan. »
The mayor of Vilvoorde wants to set up a ‘Flash Team’ to better protect businesses, but due to ‘structural problems’, his police can no longer manage such a team alone. “That’s why I’m going to use my authority to requisition federal agents,” he announced.