Local or federal police? Since 2001, Belgium has had two police forces with no chain of command between them, and 176 police zones in early 2026. Tasks, funding, the Brussels merger: who decides what.
A neutral comparison of the 10 main Belgian parties' positions on drug trafficking in 2026: zero tolerance, port security, financial flows, cannabis regulation, harm reduction. Pros and cons, public sources.
A neutral comparison of the 10 main Belgian parties' positions on prison overcrowding in 2026: the Verlinden law, electronic tagging, 1,300 places, expulsion of foreign inmates. Pros and cons, public sources.
A neutral comparison of the 10 main Belgian parties' positions on security and justice in 2026: sentences, prisons, drugs, rehabilitation. Pros and cons, public sources.
Belgium faces record prison overcrowding (over 12,000 inmates for roughly 10,400 places in early 2024) and intense drug trafficking through the ports of Antwerp and Brussels. A judicial backlog and police staffing shortages add pressure. Two poles compete: prevention, reintegration and tackling social root causes on one side; firmness, effective enforcement of sentences and tougher repression on the other.
