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🇧🇪 Belgium /Crime & Justice

Sint-Niklaas police open safety point at station with emergency call box

From VRT NWS · () Dutch

Translated from Dutch, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified New plan
  • Sint-Niklaas police have opened a new safety point at the train station, bringing together various services like De Lijn controllers and railway police.
  • The facility aims to improve rapid response to issues in the station area and includes a video wall displaying surveillance camera feeds.
  • An emergency call box, inspired by a Dutch model, allows direct 24/7 communication with police by pressing a red button.

Sint-Niklaas police have launched a new safety point at the train station, fostering collaboration among various services to enhance response times to local issues. The initiative brings together police, De Lijn transport controllers, railway police, community guards, and local beat officers.

It is a kind of operational base.

— Lieven DehandschutterMayor Lieven Dehandschutter (N-VA) explaining the purpose of the safety point.

This safety point is not a traditional police station but rather a hub designed for efficient problem-solving in the station's vicinity. Mayor Lieven Dehandschutter highlighted its function as an "operational base," noting that beat officers will hold regular office hours there twice a month. The city is also bolstering its police force, adding over 30 officers to the existing 247 and doubling the capacity of the neighborhood police.

So the beat officers will also hold a sitting day there twice a month.

— Lieven DehandschutterMayor Lieven Dehandschutter (N-VA) detailing the accessibility of the safety point.

A key feature of the new facility is a video wall displaying feeds from all surveillance cameras across Sint-Niklaas. Additionally, a prominent emergency call box, a concept adopted from the Netherlands, stands outside. This device, described as a video intercom with a clear red button, enables individuals to speak directly with the police 24/7 if they feel unsafe.

In the building, there are a number of rooms where the police can search people.

— Jo De GeestPolice Chief Jo De Geest describing the facilities within the safety point.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by VRT NWS in Dutch. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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