Dilliès convenes Brussels security council after renewed drug violence
Brussels Minister-President Boris Dilliès has called the Regional Security Council together on Wednesday evening after several days of shootings across the capital, seeking additional personnel, equipment and sustained coordination against drug-related violence.
The shootings affect residents, businesses, public-space users and frontline officers, while testing whether Belgium's fragmented security architecture can produce a sustained response. A council meeting can improve coordination, but public confidence will depend on identifiable resources, responsibilities and deadlines.
Minister-President convened the for Wednesday evening, 26 August, after several days of shootings across the capital. His office said the emergency meeting would seek more personnel and equipment on the ground and stronger long-term coordination among regional, local and federal authorities. No new operational package had been announced by the time the meeting was called, and its proposed 18:00 start time and venue were still subject to confirmation.
Federal Interior Minister Bernard Quintin, public prosecutor Julien Moinil, National Drugs Commissioner Ine Van Wymersch and representatives of the affected police zones were due to participate, according to BX1 and . All 19 Brussels mayors were invited. That broad attendance matters because no single Brussels institution commands the entire response: the Region coordinates prevention and security policy, the mayors and six local police zones manage much of the policing on the streets, while criminal investigation, prosecution, prisons, customs and important parts of police funding fall under federal responsibility.
Dilliès, a member of the liberal MR party, said the authorities must attack trafficking at its roots rather than conduct a one-off operation. His office presented the council as an attempt to reinforce measures already taken in recent weeks. These include the release of €68 million for security and prevention in 2026 and the recruitment of a regional drugs commissioner, who is expected to begin work at the end of September and coordinate a comprehensive strategy. The government has also decided to end shared electric-scooter services from 1 January 2027, citing their reported use as getaway vehicles among its reasons.
The immediate pressure comes from a concentrated sequence of gun incidents. reported that six shootings had occurred in the since Friday, 21 August, including incidents in , and . One attack targeted a police station in Anderlecht, prompting Dilliès to describe the violence as an escalation and warn against allowing organised crime to take control of parts of the city. Judicial investigations must still establish the circumstances and any drug-market connection in each individual case; the political response should not be read as a finding that every shooting had the same cause.
The latest violence sits within a longer and measurable deterioration. figures reported by recorded 57 shootings in during the first seven months of 2026, leaving two people dead and 21 injured. There were 101 shootings in the whole of 2025, with eight deaths and 43 injuries. Those totals cover firearms incidents more broadly, and suspected links to drug trafficking are not judicially established in every case, but they explain why another emergency council is politically significant rather than merely symbolic.
has tried this coordination model before. Under Dilliès's predecessor, Rudi Vervoort, the approved a strategy in early 2024 built around security, prevention and neighbourhood life. Fifteen priority hotspots were initially identified through police analysis and local consultation, including Clemenceau, Peterbos, the North and South stations, Porte de Hal and several canal-area locations. Measures included more intensive checks and locally applicable restrictions on alcohol, nitrous oxide and objects associated with drug use. The persistence and displacement of violence have nevertheless raised questions about implementation, staffing and whether short-term hotspot enforcement can dismantle the criminal organisations behind retail markets.
The institutional difficulty is structural. The Sixth State Reform gave the Region greater responsibility for coordinating prevention and security through , but the Region did not acquire control over prosecutors, prisons, customs, the federal judicial police or the six local police zones. Safe.brussels can prepare the regional security plan, monitor crime patterns, coordinate prevention and supervise police-zone budgets, yet investigations and prosecutions remain judicial and federal functions. The council can align those actors and assign follow-up work; it cannot replace their separate legal powers.
Two political frames are now competing within that shared system. Dilliès and the federal government emphasise additional enforcement capacity, administrative action and coordination across institutional boundaries. Federal Justice Minister argued in an official statement on 23 August that police, prosecutors and security services need sustained investment, while also insisting that there is no simple solution to adaptable, cross-border criminal networks. She paired repression with action on housing, education, school dropout and youth opportunities.
The mayors of , and Forest have put greater emphasis on federal responsibility. They called for a national action plan, including stronger customs controls at the Port of Antwerp, better-resourced police and justice services and measures preventing imprisoned crime bosses from directing violence from their cells. The federal opposition PS separately requested meetings of the Chamber's Justice and Interior committees. Although the PS also participates in the coalition, this frame argues that municipal and regional tools cannot compensate for weaknesses higher up the enforcement chain.
A further debate concerns technology. Dilliès has advocated equipping the most exposed police services with drones, and reported that the regional government and are working towards possible deployment at major drug hotspots by the end of 2027. Mayor Jean Spinette and other opponents have warned against creating indiscriminate surveillance of residents. That dispute is not a choice between security and inaction: it concerns the legal basis, necessity, targeting and oversight of any airborne monitoring.
The council's credibility will therefore depend on what follows the meeting. Residents and frontline officers will look for concrete staffing commitments, clearer responsibility for hotspot operations and a timetable for the regional drugs commissioner. Parliament will scrutinise whether the €68 million represents genuinely additional capacity and how it is divided between prevention and enforcement. The central unknown is whether the participating governments can move from recurring crisis consultations to a durable command and accountability structure without blurring the legal division between regional coordination, local policing and federal justice.
Impact
Regional — The response could alter policing, prevention work and surveillance in affected Brussels neighbourhoods, particularly in Saint-Gilles, Anderlecht, Molenbeek and established drug hotspots. All 19 mayors were invited because enforcement in one municipality can displace activity into another.
Local — Residents and businesses in Saint-Gilles, Anderlecht, Molenbeek and other established drug hotspots may see changes in patrols, prevention work or surveillance following the council meeting. Frontline officers could receive additional personnel or equipment if the participating authorities reach concrete agreements. Because all 19 Brussels mayors were invited, measures may extend beyond the communes where recent shootings occurred. That city-wide approach is intended to limit the displacement of dealing and violence from one municipality or police area into another.
What it means for you
Brussels residents should watch for decisions announced after the 26 August council meeting, especially any named neighbourhood operations, additional patrols, surveillance measures or changes affecting access to public spaces. People living or working in Saint-Gilles, Anderlecht, Molenbeek and known drug hotspots may notice the earliest operational changes. No new cost, legal duty or application process for residents has been announced in the article. The next concrete date is the end of September 2026, when the regional drugs commissioner is expected to begin coordinating the strategy. Emergency incidents should still be reported through existing police channels.
Opposing perspectives
- Dilliès and the federal governing coalition
The regional minister-president and federal ministers frame the response around stronger operational capacity, administrative enforcement and coordination. Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden also argues that repression must be paired with housing, education, integration and youth policy because police and courts intervene after underlying problems have developed.
- Mayors of Saint-Gilles, Anderlecht and Forest
The three mayors place greater weight on federal action, calling for a national plan, reinforced customs controls at the Port of Antwerp, properly funded police and justice services, and measures preventing imprisoned crime bosses from directing violence. Their frame is that municipalities cannot dismantle national and international trafficking chains alone.
- PS representatives seeking parliamentary scrutiny
The federal opposition PS wants the Chamber's Justice and Interior committees to examine the shootings and the wider enforcement chain. Although the party also belongs to the Brussels coalition, this position presses federal ministers to account publicly for police, customs, prison and judicial capacity.
- Jean Spinette and privacy-focused opponents of drones
Saint-Gilles Mayor Jean Spinette and other opponents of broad drone deployment question whether the technology could lead to disproportionate surveillance of residents. Their concern centres on legal authority, targeting, necessity and oversight, rather than rejecting policing at identified violence hotspots.
Who, where and what
Key people, places and terms in this story
Federal Justice Minister whose office provided a source concerning the recent shootings and continuing drug violence.
Belgian capital and region affected by the shootings and covered by the coordinated security response.
Country whose regional, federal, judicial and police authorities share responsibility for the response.
Brussels commune identified among areas potentially affected by policing and prevention measures.
Brussels commune identified among areas potentially affected by the security response.
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Federal Justice Minister whose office provided a source concerning the recent shootings and continuing drug violence.
Brussels Minister-President who convened the Regional Security Council after renewed shootings.
Belgian capital and region affected by the shootings and covered by the coordinated security response.
Country whose regional, federal, judicial and police authorities share responsibility for the response.
Brussels commune identified among areas potentially affected by policing and prevention measures.
Brussels commune identified among areas potentially affected by the security response.
Brussels commune identified among areas potentially affected by policing and prevention measures.
Regional authority that says €68 million was released for security and prevention in 2026.
Coordination forum bringing together regional, municipal, police and judicial authorities.
French abbreviation used for the Regional Security Council.
Dutch name for the Regional Security Council.
Brussels regional body supporting prevention and security coordination.
Police service whose figures recorded 57 Brussels shootings in the first seven months of 2026.
Belgian public-service news outlet cited for the council meeting and earlier reporting on drug hotspots.
Brussels news outlet reporting the council meeting and Federal Police shooting figures.
Sources & evidence
- View sourceVRT NWSPrimaryprimary· vrtnws.be· 26 August 2026Retrieved 26 August 2026· 37 days ago· Dated
- View sourceBRUZZprimary· bruzz.be· 26 August 2026Retrieved 26 August 2026· 37 days ago· Dated
- View sourceBX1corroborating· bx1.be· 26 August 2026Retrieved 26 August 2026· 37 days ago· Dated
- View sourceBRUZZbackground· bruzz.be· 21 August 2026Retrieved 26 August 2026· 42 days ago· Background / context
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This briefing was prepared with AI assistance and reviewed by a Belgium Impulse editor before publication. methodology.