“The situation is simply unsustainable”: police service that transfers detainees to courts, groans under severe staff shortages (Antwerp)
The staff shortage at the Security Directorate (DAB), the federal police service responsible for the conclusion of detainees to the courthouse, has become so rapid that the sessions are regularly delayed by detainees whose own process cannot take place. “Even though they are represented by their lawyer, this goes against their basic rights and that is not permitted in a constitutional state,” said investigating judge Wendy Verhaegen in our newspaper on Friday.
The constant understaffing is also becoming too much for the Antwerp Security Directorate (DAB). “The men who are working are doing their best to get all the transports done, but with the current system that is simply impossible. When falling behind, they have often been told that it is their fault, when they are simply victims of the understaffing,” says a source within DAB.
Social promotion
In the past, the judiciary had its own men to have detainees testify in court. Since 2018, this package has been included in the federal police. DAB’s aim was to create a directorate of 1,600 people responsible for the security of independent locations in Belgium – such as the airports – and the transports between prisons and courts. The package taken by the new service would thus reduce the workload of the army, local police and judiciary, but the number of men was never lost in Flanders.
“You don’t need a diploma to start at the Security Directorate. It is with the prospect of rapid social promotion that they try to pull again. For example, after two years you can already participate in a competitive examination for a police inspector.”
But the beautiful also needs a downside. “Since last year, we have seen aspiring inspectors leave us, while taking in new recruits is very difficult,” the source testifies.
Understaffed
In addition, the government has decided to transfer the monitoring of nuclear sites, such as the nuclear power station in Doel and the nuclear industrial estate Mol-Dessel-Geel, to DAB from January 2023. A task that previously belonged to the army. “In this way we again lose forty competent men who are obtained from the ‘Courts and tribunals’ unit.”
The unit in Antwerp currently consists of about 60 people, while in principle 125 components are needed to run all sections (Mechelen, Turnhout and the Butterfly Palace). “In our zone there are six prisons where detainees have to be picked up and have to appear before the most disparate courts in Belgium. For example, you may have a transport of three prisoners, one of whom must appear in Mechelen, one in Dendermonde and one in Ghent. Getting them all in the council chambers at 9 am is simply impossible.”
In such cases, a reserve unit consisting of 100 men is called upon. Due to the terror trial in Brussels, this entire reserve is used for internal surveillance of the NATO building where the trial is being conducted.
Tactile problem
The fact that understaffing was increasingly causing problems was strongly felt at the Antwerp court last week. “On Thursday and Friday it was clear that our service would not be able to complete the many council chambers that day. The request for reinforcements was put to the Antwerp police zone on Thursday morning, after which a few police officers from the local police DAB came to reinforce it in the late morning.
On Friday, the public prosecutor’s office itself declared to Antwerp chief of police Serge Muyters because the proceedings before the council chamber were again delayed. Six men from the mobile unit were then deployed to provide assistance to DAB Antwerp.