Belgium: Brussels,the Capital of Crime | European Journal
  • 14 years ago
Brussels is not just the capital of the European Union -- it's also a center for crime. Officials and members of parliament alike have been robbed and beaten in the middle of the city's European quarter. Criminals know that many people here carry a laptop,a pricey cell-phone and a full wallet. Often,the lawbreakers hail from the city's immigrant neighborhoods,home to 40 percent of the population in Brussels. One out of every two young people here is unemployed. The police here are poorly equipped and poorly paid -- and feel they're fighting a losing battle.