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{{articleissues|disputed=March 2008|POV=March 2008}}
{{articleissues|disputed=March 2008|POV=March 2008}}
{{Citecheck|date=December 2006}}
{{Citecheck|date=December 2006}}
According to the [[United States Department of State]], '''[[Belgium]]''' is a relatively safe country compared to its neighbouring countries, but other sources show otherwise. According to [[Urban Audit]], an organization which reports a range of statistics for cities in the [[EU]], in 2001, [[Brussels]] had the fourth highest number of recorded crimes of [[European Union|European]] capitals (behind [[Stockholm]], [[Amsterdam]], and [[Berlin]], and virtually on a par with [[Helsinki]]). According to the same source, Brussels had a rate of 10 murders or violent deaths per 100.000 citizens, which is five times higher than [[Paris]] (2 per 100.000) (but only two times higher than in Inner London, and the overall crime rate is similar to that of Paris). Belgium's second largest city, [[Antwerp]], saw crime rates about 20 % below those of Brussels. [[Liège]] and [[Charleroi]], industrial cities with high unemployment rates in Wallonia, saw more elevated crime rates than the less industrialized cities of [[Ghent]] and [[Bruges]], in Flanders.
'''[[Belgium]]''' is considered a relatively safe country <ref name="US_state">http://www.state.gov</ref> compared to its neighbouring countries. According to [[Urban Audit]], in 2001, [[Brussels]] had the fourth highest number of recorded crimes of [[European Union|European]] capitals (behind [[Stockholm]], [[Amsterdam]], and [[Berlin]], and virtually on a par with [[Helsinki]]). According to the same source, Brussels had a rate of 10 murders or violent deaths per 100.000 citizens. Belgium's second largest city, [[Antwerp]], saw crime rates about 20 % below those of Brussels. [[Liège]] and [[Charleroi]], industrial cities with high unemployment rates, saw more elevated crime rates than the less industrialized cities of [[Ghent]] and [[Bruges]]. The rural areas are generally extremely safe.


In the last decades, attacks on money transit vans were perpetrated, often killing the security agents in charge, and the country was hit by several large-scale crime scandals, such as those of the Brabant Wallon killers, the hormone-mafia and the [[Marc Dutroux|Dutroux]] case, presumably associated with police and political class corruption.{{Fact|date=June 2008}} Crime rates and urban violence are higher in poorer cities such as Liège and Charleroi.{{Fact|date=June 2008}} In addition, petty crimes such as street thefts, purse snatchings, and pickpocketing are common.{{Fact|date=June 2008}} Car theft also occurs frequently.{{Fact|date=June 2008}} Despite the fact that, on a daily basis and at first sight, Belgium can appear as a comparatively peaceful and quiet country, recent developments generate tensions in the social system.{{Fact|date=June 2008}}
In the 1990s and early 2000s, attacks on money transit vans were perpetrated, often killing the security agents in charge, and the country was hit by several large-scale crime scandals, such as those of the Brabant Wallon killers, the hormone-mafia and the [[Marc Dutroux|Dutroux]] case.{{Fact|date=June 2008}} More recently, some scandals have emerged regarding coruption and misuse of public ressources (such as [[ICDI affair]]). In addition, petty crimes such as street thefts, purse snatchings, and pickpocketing can be found in the main city centers, but remain limited in scale.{{Fact|date=June 2008}} Car theft used to occur frequently, but is in strong diminution in the last decade <ref name="Federal_Police">http://www.polfed-fedpol.be/crim/crim_statistieken/2008_sem01/rapports/rapports_2000_2008S1_national.pdf pp. 12 'Vol de voitures'</ref>.


== Crime and racial tension ==
== Crime and racial tension ==
A study based on data from 1999 concluded that minors of non-European nationality were overrepresented in crime statistics. While 4.4% of the Belgian population has a non-European nationality, 19% of all prosecuted cases, and 24% of cases presented in youth court involved non-European nationals. When foreign descent, instead of nationality, was used as a criterion, these numbers rose to 28% and 44% respectively. How much of the population would be classified as being of foreign descent according this criterion is unclear, which makes global conclusions based on the latter percentages rather speculative.
A study based on data from 1999 concluded that minors of non-European nationality were overrepresented in crime statistics{{Fact|date=March 2009}}. While 4.4% of the Belgian population has a non-European nationality, 19% of all prosecuted cases, and 24% of cases presented in youth court involved non-European nationals.


Usually, serious safety issues in Brussels are mostly limited to residential boroughs with a low income population, mainly composed of North African immigrants.{{Fact|date=June 2008}} These include notably Sint-Jans-Molenbeek, Schaarbeek, Anderlecht, and Vorst. Recently, violent muggings (in several cases resulting in death) and cases of women no longer being able to wear revealing clothes because of violence committed by radical Muslims against them, have also been reported in other parts of the city.{{Fact|date=June 2008}}
Usually, serious safety issues in Brussels are mostly limited to residential boroughs with a low income population.{{Fact|date=June 2008}} These include notably [[Sint-Jans-Molenbeek]], [[Schaarbeek]], [[Anderlecht]], and [[Forest, Belgium|Forest/Vorst]].


In November 2005, Brussels was very minorly affected by the spread of the French riots. Another recent development is a steep increase in violent armed robberies carried out by minors.{{Fact|date=June 2008}}
In November 2005, Brussels was very minorly affected by the spread of the French riots. Another recent development is a steep increase in violent armed robberies carried out by minors.{{Fact|date=June 2008}}

However, as official statistics show <ref name="Federal_Police_b">http://www.polfed-fedpol.be/crim/crim_statistieken/2008_sem01/rapports/rapports_2000_2008S1_national.pdf pp. 12-19</ref> the trend for violent crime is strongly downward, murder rate is stable, around 1.8 per 100.000 inhabitants<ref name="Federal_Police_c">http://www.polfed-fedpol.be/crim/crim_statistieken/2008_sem01/rapports/rapports_2000_2008S1_national.pdf pp. 38-39: 25 'Assassinats' + 142 'Meurtres' (actually leading to death) in 2007</ref>, while [[Computer crime|Cybercrime]] related issues are very steeply on the rise.


=== Terrorism and crime ===
=== Terrorism and crime ===
Besides general safety issues in some boroughs, Brussels reportedly serves as a hub for terrorists, as reported by various sources such as [[Interpol]], and local newspapers called Het Nieuwsblad and Het Volk. In the same boroughs that pose safety problems (e.g. Sint-Jans-Molenbeek, Schaarbeek, ...) there is radicalisation and active recruitment by terrorist organizations such as al-Qaeda.{{Fact|date=June 2008}} As stated by Hind Fraihi of Het Nieuwsblad, the recruitment is done in mosques, with the actual training done in Afghanistan. Recently a female suicide bomber in Iraq, Muriel Degauque, became the first Western suicide bomber in modern terrorism (although she was not trained in Brussels but in Charleroi, one of the cities with the highest crime rates in Belgium).
Besides general safety issues in some boroughs, Brussels reportedly serves as a hub for terrorists, as reported by various sources such as [[Interpol]], and local newspapers such as Het Nieuwsblad and Het Volk. In the same boroughs that pose safety problems (e.g. Sint-Jans-Molenbeek, Schaarbeek, ...) there is radicalisation and active recruitment by terrorist organizations such as al-Qaeda.{{Fact|date=June 2008}}. This remains however very limited in scale, the occurence of Belgian nationals directly linked to international terrorism hovering around 0.1-1 per million inhabitants for the last decade <ref name="POV"> Slightly similar to the proportion of people eating Greenlandish dried grass fried in Malawian oil on a worldwide basis, which fact - while totally unrelated to crime, and quite imaginary - hopefully helps putting back things in perspective</ref>.


The two Tunisian nationals who assassinated Commander Massoud in Afghanistan had fake Belgian passports, and the [[Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group]] (Groupe Islamique Combattant Marocain, or GICM) has links in Belgium too - there were arrests in Brussels and Antwerp of individuals involved in the Madrid bombing.
The two Tunisian nationals who assassinated Commander Massoud in Afghanistan had fake Belgian passports, and the [[Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group]] (Groupe Islamique Combattant Marocain, or GICM) has links in Belgium too - there were arrests in Brussels and Antwerp of individuals involved in the Madrid bombing. As a result, stringent measures were taken against passport and other official documents forging.


Belgium has also seen "hate crimes" against visible minorities recently, including the [[Hans Van Themsche]] case, the Patrick Mombaerts case or other acts of racist violence highlighting Belgium's race anxiety.{{Fact|date=June 2008}}
Belgium has also seen "hate crimes" against visible minorities recently, including the [[Hans Van Themsche]] case, the Patrick Mombaerts case or other acts of racist violence.{{Fact|date=June 2008}}


==References==
==References==
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* Belgium, USA Department of State. [http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1044.html Belgium].
* Belgium, USA Department of State. [http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1044.html Belgium].
* Urban Audit: How cities rank, [http://www.urbanaudit.org/rank.aspx Urban Audit: How cities rank], UrbanAudit.org.
* Urban Audit: How cities rank, [http://www.urbanaudit.org/rank.aspx Urban Audit: How cities rank], UrbanAudit.org.
* {Dutch} [http://www.hln.be/hlns/cache/det/art_226650.html Abnormaal veel minderjarige allochtonen in criminaliteitscijfers], Het Laatste Nieuws.
* {{nl icon}} [http://www.hln.be/hlns/cache/det/art_226650.html Abnormaal veel minderjarige allochtonen in criminaliteitscijfers], Het Laatste Nieuws.
* Belgian 'suicide bomber' is named], BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4488642.stm. *
* Belgian 'suicide bomber' is named, BBC News. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4488642.stm]. *
* Belgian Federal Police [http://www.polfed-fedpol.be/org/org_en.php] (See {{nl icon}} and {{fr icon}} versions for the most detailed statistics).


== See also==
== See also==

Revision as of 20:37, 30 March 2009

Belgium is considered a relatively safe country [1] compared to its neighbouring countries. According to Urban Audit, in 2001, Brussels had the fourth highest number of recorded crimes of European capitals (behind Stockholm, Amsterdam, and Berlin, and virtually on a par with Helsinki). According to the same source, Brussels had a rate of 10 murders or violent deaths per 100.000 citizens. Belgium's second largest city, Antwerp, saw crime rates about 20 % below those of Brussels. Liège and Charleroi, industrial cities with high unemployment rates, saw more elevated crime rates than the less industrialized cities of Ghent and Bruges. The rural areas are generally extremely safe.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, attacks on money transit vans were perpetrated, often killing the security agents in charge, and the country was hit by several large-scale crime scandals, such as those of the Brabant Wallon killers, the hormone-mafia and the Dutroux case.[citation needed] More recently, some scandals have emerged regarding coruption and misuse of public ressources (such as ICDI affair). In addition, petty crimes such as street thefts, purse snatchings, and pickpocketing can be found in the main city centers, but remain limited in scale.[citation needed] Car theft used to occur frequently, but is in strong diminution in the last decade [2].

Crime and racial tension

A study based on data from 1999 concluded that minors of non-European nationality were overrepresented in crime statistics[citation needed]. While 4.4% of the Belgian population has a non-European nationality, 19% of all prosecuted cases, and 24% of cases presented in youth court involved non-European nationals.

Usually, serious safety issues in Brussels are mostly limited to residential boroughs with a low income population.[citation needed] These include notably Sint-Jans-Molenbeek, Schaarbeek, Anderlecht, and Forest/Vorst.

In November 2005, Brussels was very minorly affected by the spread of the French riots. Another recent development is a steep increase in violent armed robberies carried out by minors.[citation needed]

However, as official statistics show [3] the trend for violent crime is strongly downward, murder rate is stable, around 1.8 per 100.000 inhabitants[4], while Cybercrime related issues are very steeply on the rise.

Terrorism and crime

Besides general safety issues in some boroughs, Brussels reportedly serves as a hub for terrorists, as reported by various sources such as Interpol, and local newspapers such as Het Nieuwsblad and Het Volk. In the same boroughs that pose safety problems (e.g. Sint-Jans-Molenbeek, Schaarbeek, ...) there is radicalisation and active recruitment by terrorist organizations such as al-Qaeda.[citation needed]. This remains however very limited in scale, the occurence of Belgian nationals directly linked to international terrorism hovering around 0.1-1 per million inhabitants for the last decade [5].

The two Tunisian nationals who assassinated Commander Massoud in Afghanistan had fake Belgian passports, and the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group (Groupe Islamique Combattant Marocain, or GICM) has links in Belgium too - there were arrests in Brussels and Antwerp of individuals involved in the Madrid bombing. As a result, stringent measures were taken against passport and other official documents forging.

Belgium has also seen "hate crimes" against visible minorities recently, including the Hans Van Themsche case, the Patrick Mombaerts case or other acts of racist violence.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ http://www.state.gov
  2. ^ http://www.polfed-fedpol.be/crim/crim_statistieken/2008_sem01/rapports/rapports_2000_2008S1_national.pdf pp. 12 'Vol de voitures'
  3. ^ http://www.polfed-fedpol.be/crim/crim_statistieken/2008_sem01/rapports/rapports_2000_2008S1_national.pdf pp. 12-19
  4. ^ http://www.polfed-fedpol.be/crim/crim_statistieken/2008_sem01/rapports/rapports_2000_2008S1_national.pdf pp. 38-39: 25 'Assassinats' + 142 'Meurtres' (actually leading to death) in 2007
  5. ^ Slightly similar to the proportion of people eating Greenlandish dried grass fried in Malawian oil on a worldwide basis, which fact - while totally unrelated to crime, and quite imaginary - hopefully helps putting back things in perspective

See also

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