Special forces to get 15 million extra
Special intervention units of the federal police are receiving 15 million euros extra to invest in new material, weapons and premises. At the same time, 50 new people will be hired, Prime Minister Charles Michel (Francophone liberal) and Interior Minister Jan Jambon (Flemish nationalists) announced after visiting the special troops.
The special units are concerned with a number of special tasks, such as anti-terror operations. The anti-terrorist operation in Verviers in January sparked a debate on whether more cash should be spent on these units, as it turned out they had succeeded in preventing an attack that was imminent and in times of lifted terror alerts (in order to carry out the house raids in Verviers and other places, the Belgians had to borrow special material from French colleagues, red.)
Exceptions should be made amid spending cuts, it was agreed. The government has now announced concrete figures. The cash had already been earmarked on the occasion of the recent budget review talks.