Government adopts national security plan

31 March 2004

BRUSSELS – The Belgian government on Wednesday adopted a national security plan designed to help the country tackle threats such as organised crime and terrorism.

The new strategy was approved during a two-day brainstorming session at Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt’s official residence at Lambermont in Brussels.

The main aim of the plan is to better co-ordinate the activities of Belgium’s justice and law enforcement agencies.

Recent high profile criminal cases including the ongoing trial of suspected child murder Marc Dutroux and the investigation into the murder of former socialist politician Andre Cools have seen Belgium’s police and investigating magistrates lambasted again and again for incompetence and shoddy working methods.

The new national security plan places special emphasis on what the government sees as some of the biggest criminal problems facing Belgium today.

These issues include terrorism, the fight against criminal gangs, online crime, people trafficking and environmental crime.

Subject: Belgian news