The Power Context of Police Reform in Belgium—The Brussels Case: A Shift in the Style of Policing after the Terrorist Attacks

Abstract

Abstract After the Paris and Brussels terrorist attacks, the political debate on the organization of the Brussels police force exploded again. The mayor acquired greater discretion to formulate local policy responses in this field. Brussels holds a very complex situation, with 19 Mayors steering 19 different Brussels Dutch-speaking and French-speaking municipalities that are divided in 6 local police ‘zones’. The divided police organization leads to fragmentation, malfunctioning, limited information sharing and political conflicts. In this article we seek for an answer to the central question “How do politics matter?” (Clegg, 1989) in shaping answers to problems of security?” more specificly after the Brussels terroristic attacks.