Brussels Police Deploy Patrols To Fight Sexual Harassment Against Women - Mayor

BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th March, 2021) Plainclothes police officers will patrol public places in Brussels from Monday to crack down on sexual harassment against women, Mayor Philippe Close announced.

"From now on, plainclothes police officers will detect cases of harassment on the streets," Close wrote on Twitter.

According to Brussels police spokesman Olivier Slosse, law enforcement officers will first focus on public transport stops, where they will record cases of harassment and draw up reports against perpetrators.

"Last year, we started training employees to identify harassment on the streets, how to take care of victims of such actions, and how to draw up protocols," Slosse told Belgium's Belga news agency.

The official noted that police see a rise in harassment against women in public places.

"But this is rarely reported [to police], and when there is a report, it is difficult to identify the culprit ... Our presence is necessary to register such incidents," the spokesman added.

The Belgian prosecutor's office vows to pay special attention to the offenses and process such reports faster and more thoroughly, so that the efforts bear fruit.