Brussels has recorded 57 shootings so far in 2025, including 20 since the start of summer, Brussels public prosecutor Julien Moinil said at a press conference on Tuesday, August 12th. Last year, around 92 shooting incidents were reported in Brussels, killing nine people and injuring 48, according to police data. Moinil said that so far this year, 6,211 adult suspects and 874 minor suspects, including 1,25 suspected of drug crimes, have been charged by the public prosecutor’s office. These numbers represent a 300 per cent increase compared to 2024. The public prosecutor also said that efforts were underway to arrest all those involved in shootings and other crimes. He added that the murder clearance rate in Brussels remains exceptionally high. Waiting until the innocent are killed? “One should not think that justice is not doing its job, but 10 or 20 years of laxity is not fixed in one day,” he said. Moinil also demanded a robust health policy to address drug abuse in the city and said security in prisons must be improved so that drug dealers cannot simply keep conducting their illicit business from behind bars with mobile phones. “Are we going to wait until innocent civilians are killed before we get the necessary resources?” he asked. While the prosecutor’s office has increased the number of magistrates, Moinil said he would not thank the government “for simply complying with the law by filling our legal framework.” He noted that the Brussels federal judicial police continue to face a significant staff shortage. Moinil also called for a comprehensive health policy to address drug abuse in the capital. Security in prisons must be tightened so that leaders of criminal organisations cannot continue directing their networks from behind bars, he said, adding that foreign nationals without residence permits who are arrested for crimes should be deported immediately.