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In 2001, the Belgian police underwent a fundamental structural reform that created a completely new police system. A Belgian parliamentary report into a series of pedophile murders accused the police of negligence, amateurism and incompetence in investigating the cases. The loss of public confidence in the police was so great that the whole population deemed the reform indispensable.

The three principal police forces, the municipal police, national police (Gendarmerie/Rijkswacht) and judicial police (assigned to the offices of the public prosecutors), gave way to an integrated police service structured on two levels (federal and local). Both forces are autonomous and subordinate to different authorities, but linked in regards to reciprocal support, recruitment, mobility of manpower and common training.

Contents 1 The Federal Police 1.1 The Administrative Police (la police administrative/ De bestuurlijke politie) 1.2 The Criminal Investigation Department (police judiciaire/ gerechtelijke politie) 1.2.1 Central bureaux 1.2.2 Decentralised investigation bureaux 1.2.3 Criminal Information Centre (CIA/AIK) 1.3 Support and Administration (Direction Générale de l'appui et de la gestion / Algemene directie van de ondersteuning en het beheer- DGS) 1.3.1 Police Academies 2 The local police 2.1 Structure 2.2 Missions 3 See also 4 External links

[edit] The Federal Police

The federal police carry out specialized police and investigation missions that cover more than one region in Belgium. The federal police have approximately 12,500 personnel that provide support units for the local police and the federal police itself. The Commissioner General is in charge of three operational divisions: the Administrative Police, the Criminal Investigation Department and Operational Support Unit. His office also maintains control over the CGSU special units (SWAT and covert surveillance teams) and the national criminfo database. It is responsible for contacts with the local police, integrated police operations, coordination and external communication. The International Police Cooperation Division (CGI) is Belgium’s national central bureau for the European Police Office (Europol), Schengen Information System and International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol).

[edit] The Administrative Police (la police administrative/ De bestuurlijke politie)

The Administrative Police has five operational missions which are protection, general reserve, transport, canine support and air support.

• The Protection Detachments are responsible for protecting the Belgian Royal Family, their palaces and SHAPE headquarters which is located at Casteau north of the Belgian city of Mons.

• The General Reserve provides support to local police services by giving them personnel and specialized equipment for the maintenance of law and order. For example, it has a permanent riot police detachment available and can provide water cannon or mounted units for local law enforcement when needed. It is also responsible for close protection missions, money transport escorts and guarding Belgian embassies abroad.

• The DAC polices the Belgium’s transportation networks. The highway police has approx. 1000 officers who monitor traffic on the major highways. The river police regulates ship navigation on inland waterways and on the North Sea. The railroad police is divided into five regions and its 470 officers patrol the railroads and stations to prevent crime and damage to rail property. The airport police maintains security at Brussels International Airport and at five regional airports. Finally, the immigration and border protection police is responsible for manning border crossing points and controlling immigration.

• The Aviation Support Group offers specialized support to the police such as event management (traffic jams, plane crashes, crowds, sporting events, etc). The group’s five helicopters and two planes also search for missing people, suspects, clandestine laboratories, etc. The protection of VIPs and the transport of funds is also part of the mission.

• The Canine Support Group has 35 dog teams. Some dogs are trained to detect drugs, human remains, hormones or fire accelerants. About a third are tracker dogs trained to find or identify living people. These teams are often deployed to earthquake areas to locate people trapped in collapsed buildings. The federal police’s explosive detector dogs are attached to the special units.

[edit] The Criminal Investigation Department (police judiciaire/ gerechtelijke politie)

The Federal Criminal Investigation Department is a large organisation that operates at both the central and local levels from its headquarters in Brussels.

[edit] Central bureaux

The PJF/FGP’s seven central bureaux coordinate serious crime investigations at the national and international level:

• The Operations and Information Division (DJO) manages the use and payment of police informants. It also coordinates and supports the operations of the decentralised investigation bureaux. The DJO also manages the national center for police information management and criminal analysis. Moreover, the operations section assists in the deployment of special units.

• The Personal Crime Division (DJP) specialises in cases involving human trafficking, violence against people, missing persons, terrorism, sects and drugs.

• The Property Crime Division (DJB) specialises in cases involving armed robberies, stolen vehicles, arms smuggling, organized gangs of thieves, art and antiquities, hormones and environmental crime. It also operates the FAST (Fugitives Active Search Team) that tracks down fugitives from justice, whether they are residents of Belgium or foreigners hiding out in Belgium.

• The Economic and Financial Crime Division (DJF) fights corruption, organised economic and financial crime, computer crime (Federal Computer Crime Unit - FCCU) and forgery.

• The Organised Crime Division (DJC) combats organised crime at the strategic level as well as the operational and tactical levels. Its purview currently includes mafia, Asian, Balkan, Russian and Hells Angels crime gangs. The DJC also operates the Belgian witness protection program.

• The Forensic Science Division (DJT) operates the fingerprint identification system and maintains laboratories for forensic and scientific work, audio and video analysis, and research and development. Other sections concentrate on profiling, special interrogation techniques and polygraphs.

• The Military Crime Division (DJMM) specializes in investigations involving the armed forces. It operates both on Belgian territory and at Belgian bases abroad. The activities of the DJMM are multi-faceted but are mainly of a financial nature involving corruption, fraud, embezzlement and forgery.

[edit] Decentralised investigation bureaux

However, 85 percent of the PJF/FGP’s personnel is assigned to 27 decentralised investigation bureaux. Manpower at each district varies: small bureaux can have as few as 40 personnel whereas the large ones can exceed 200. The organisation and management of these units are entrusted to the directeur judiciaire/ gerechtelijk directeur (chief of investigations). Each decentralised bureau is made up of several sections directed towards the region’s main criminal phenomena and executes specific support or criminal investigation missions. Although organisation differs from one district to another, sections dealing with drugs, people smuggling, financial and organized crime, vehicle theft rings are the most common. In addition, the PJF/FGP provides support services for the federal and local police, such as computer crime units, technical and forensic support, criminal information, operational criminal analysis and coordination with the administrative police.

[edit] Criminal Information Centre (CIA/AIK)

Each investigative district also has a criminal information centre (CIA/AIK) manned by federal and local police officers to facilitate the coordination of investigations. Each centre processes the criminal data from the local and federal police forces to analyze recent cases and events, thus identifying trends and issuing any necessary warnings. It also correlates the connections between cases, people, vehicles, etc. and sorts information for operational and strategic purposes. Each CIA/AIK contributes to the cross-border exchange of police data and supports the managers of the police zones with data processing capabilities. Each chief of investigations has overall responsibility for a CIA/AIK but a department chief ensures the daily management of the centre.

[edit] Support and Administration (Direction Générale de l'appui et de la gestion / Algemene directie van de ondersteuning en het beheer- DGS)

The DGS performs the administrative, resource management, logistics and recruitment support for all federal police units. The department also provides the local and federal police with equipment, support and training. The communications and information technology service (DST) is developing the ASTRID digital radio network that the police and all emergency and security services (fire departments, customs, etc.) will use in due course.

The training department (DSE) is responsible for all the training programs for the complete Belgian police. It analyses training needs and drafts a global training plan for the integrated police. As a think-thank, the training department provides advice regarding the training of the involved agencies. Specific educational tools are regularly developed by the department, either upon request or at its own initiative. The DSE ensures the proper application of the various training programs by means of managerial contracts with police academies and by approving training programs. Thus it ensures the conformity of training quality and guarantees financial equity between police academies. It represents Belgium on the governing board of the European Police College (CEPOL) and pilots cross-border police training projects with France, the Netherlands and Luxemburg.

[edit] Police Academies

Belgium’s police academies provide all the basic, specialised, refresher and advanced training for all the members of the integrated police, whether from the federal or local police. There are two types of school: ministry schools and approved police academies. The three ministry schools in Brussels fall directly under the DSE. The Interior Ministry owns the federal police and national school for senior officers, and the Justice Ministry runs the national investigation school.

• The Federal Police School is responsible for specialised and refresher training. It also supports the approved schools by managing the students and providing instructors.

• The National School for Senior Officers provides career training for senior officers, as well as certain special and professional development courses.

• The National Investigation School trains new detectives, as well as middle and senior-level investigation officers. This school is also responsible for the professional development training of criminal investigation units, both local and federal.

Every province in the country except Walloon Brabant has a police training institution. These academies are either non-profit organisations or provincial or interregional institutions. There are a total of ten, one of which is bilingual for the Brussels region. A managerial contract between the Interior Minister and the school’s management is concluded annually. Even though these schools are not directly part of the police structure, they play an essential role in police training.

[edit] The local police

The local police (La police locale/ De lokale politie) is made up of 196 police forces constituted from the former communal and gendarmerie brigades. 50 police forces cover the territory of one municipality (one-city zone) and 146 cover more than one municipality (multi-city zone).

Each local police chief is responsible for the execution of local police policy and ensures the management, organization and distribution of missions in the local police force. She or he works under the authority of the mayor in one-city zones, or under a police board composed of all the mayors from the different municipalities in a multi-city police zone.

Its philosophy envisions a global and integrated approach to security based on maximum visibility focusing police activities on a limited area, which should optimize contact between the police and the population. It aims to restore public confidence in the police force and of improve the objective and subjective feeling of security in communities.

[edit] Structure

Each police force consists of an operational cadre of police and auxiliary police plus civilian personnel for administrative and logistic work. At the moment, approx. 28,000 local police and 900 civilians work in the 196 regional police forces. The numerical strength of the police is determined by the police board for multi-city zones or by the town council for one-city zones, which must match the minimal standards set by law. Also a Permanent Commission for the Local Police represents all local police services at national level and provides advice on all problems relating to the local police.

[edit] Missions

To guarantee a minimum service to the population, Belgian law provides six basic functions for the local police: Community policing, responsiveness, intervention, victim support, local criminal investigation and maintaining public order.

• Community policing consists of developing neighborhood relations and maintaining police visibility. This mission is not merely one of maintaining a physical presence but also of local dialogue, exchange of ideas and personal relationships. The norms call for at least 1 community officer per 4,000 inhabitants.

• Responsiveness means giving answers to citizens who appear in person, call by phone or write to the police. Sometimes they are directed to an internal service or a more suitable external service. Each police zone maintains a permanent point of contact. In the multi-city-zones, each city or municipality has its own police-post which, if not accessible 24 hours a day, gives citizens the opportunity to get in touch with the police.

• The intervention function consists of responding to all calls, where police intervention is needed, within an appropriate time. This response can be, depending on the case and the context (seriousness, necessity, circumstances), immediate or delayed; in this last case, the inquirer must be informed about the cause of the delay and the duration.

• The victims unit gives assistance to victims of crime. Each police officer is expected to give victim support. In serious cases, the police force may use a police officer specially trained to handle victims.

• The local criminal investigation unit supports local police in the investigation of local crime. In each local police force, about 7 to 10 percent of the force’s personnel work for the investigations division.

• Maintaining public order means protecting or, when necessary, restoring public order, security and public health. This not only means maintaining public order at large events such as demonstrations, football matches or local festivities but also environmental problems and traffic.

[edit] See also

Grand Ducal Police, Luxembourg

Policing in the Netherlands

[edit] External links

• Wikimedia Atlas of Belgium, holding maps related to Belgium.
• Belgian Police homepage
• Official site of the Belgian federal government
• History of Belgium: Primary Documents
• USC Center on Public Diplomacy Nation Profile