Ghent Police Deploy Cameras to Tackle Fireworks Vandalism Following 24 Arrests

Ghent (Eurotoday): Ghent police will install temporary cameras at five locations from December 27 to January 2 to deter fireworks vandalism, following 24 arrests last New Year’s Eve, as concerns rise.

In Ghent, the police will set up temporary cameras at five locations from December 27 to January 2 to monitor the area and address issues with fireworks vandalism, which has been a problem during the end-of-year celebrations. Last year, a car was burned, and several bus shelters were damaged, leading to 24 arrests on New Year’s Eve to prevent further trouble. Police chief Filip Rasschaert expressed concerns about potential vandalism, violence, and harassment of emergency services, and he has called for stricter rules on fireworks sales.

Will Ghent’s temporary cameras effectively deter fireworks vandalism after 24 arrests?

Cameras will be installed in areas where problems have occurred in the past to help identify offenders. They can zoom in on faces and license plates, and those could face fines of up to 350 euros or legal action. The cameras will be placed in Bloemekenswik, Ledeberg, and Meulestede, with a new one on Tolhuislaan. A nuisance camera in Rabot will stay until January 15, but there won’t be a camera in Nieuw Gent this year.

The city needs to approve the police’s request for cameras, but that’s just a formality. In Ghent, fireworks are banned from October to January, except for New Year’s Eve from midnight to 1 a.m. with permission. Bombs and wish balloons are always banned. Some people still use fireworks, so Ghent made a film to show the dangers and held training for 350 young people. They also visited 13 homes to warn past offenders.


Comments

4 responses to “Ghent Police Deploy Cameras to Tackle Fireworks Vandalism Following 24 Arrests”

  1. Lady In Red Avatar
    Lady In Red

    Ah, the Ghent Police have wisely turned to the wonders of modern technology to combat the age-old tradition of fireworks vandalism—because nothing says “We trust you” quite like a camera in your face while you’re trying to enjoy a bit of mischief. Perhaps next, they’ll consider deploying a time machine to send those 24 arrested back to the moment they thought it was a brilliant idea to turn the night sky into a mini war zone—what a proper waste of a good evening!

  2. Jack Cassidy Avatar
    Jack Cassidy

    Ah, the Ghent Police have finally cracked the case of the rogue firework enthusiasts with their state-of-the-art spy cameras — because clearly, nothing says “we trust our citizens” quite like a good old-fashioned surveillance state. Let’s just hope the fireworks show doesn’t turn into an episode of “Cops: Belgian Edition”! With 24 arrests already under their belt, it seems the only thing bursting around here is their sense of humor.

  3. Spellbinder Avatar
    Spellbinder

    Ah, the Ghent Police – deploying cameras to tackle fireworks vandalism because who needs a good old-fashioned chat about civility when you can just throw up a few lenses? Clearly, nothing says “Happy New Year” quite like being surveilled while you bombard your neighbors with aerial pyrotechnics. But hey, at least they’re catching more than the usual “pint of lager” crowd, right?

  4. Zorkle Sporkle Avatar
    Zorkle Sporkle

    Well, it seems the Ghent Police have finally decided that a few strategically placed cameras will solve the age-old dilemma of unruly fireworks enthusiasts—because who needs a good chat over a pint about respect for public property when you can just watch them on a screen, right? With 24 arrests already in the bag, one can only assume the fireworks display is now officially a spectator sport—grab your popcorn, folks!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Last News

MCC Brussels at Three: A Contested Voice in Europe’s Political Debate

MCC Brussels at Three: A Contested Voice in Europe’s Political Debate

Three years after opening its doors in Brussels, MCC Brussels has established itself as a visible and sometimes controversial participant in the political and intellectual debate surrounding the European Union.
The Brussels-based institution is part of the wider Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC), a Hungarian educational and research organisation. Since its establishment in Brussels, it has sought

Read More

NATO Approves €27 Billion Overhaul of Cold War-Era Fuel Network

NATO Approves €27 Billion Overhaul of Cold War-Era Fuel Network

The military alliance has agreed to increase its common funding budget to “up to EUR 6.5 billion” for the coming year and has approved its investment priorities for the next five years. By 2026, allies settled on a budget of €5.3 billion.
Countries have been negotiating for months on the overhaul of the alliance’s 10,000-kilometer Cold War-era pipeline network, intended to connect NATO

Read More

UK Joins Ukraine Loan Framework

UK Joins Ukraine Loan Framework

EU Approves UK’s Role in Ukraine Loan, Linking Security Cooperation to Oversight
EU countries have agreed to the UK’s involvement in the €90 billion Ukraine Support Loan, expanding Kyiv’s financial resources and supplier access for maintaining public services and civilian protection through 2026 and 2027. This move, announced in Brussels, is part of rebuilding EU-UK security ties centered on Ukr

Read More

Bologna Seeks Answers After Fakir’s Death

Bologna Seeks Answers After Fakir’s Death

The death of Abderrahim Fakir, a Moroccan man, during a police intervention in Bologna has stirred a national debate in Italy about restraint, accountability, and minority rights. Fakir, 42, died in the Pilastro district, prompting prosecutors to review bodycam footage and witness videos. His family is seeking truth and justice amid public scrutiny and demonstrations that turned tense. The incide

Read More

Greece Disrupts EU’s Russia Sanctions Strategy

Greece Disrupts EU’s Russia Sanctions Strategy

Ambassadors are set to hold an additional round of negotiations on Thursday morning to salvage the package, confirmed by an EU diplomat.
Ireland, currently holding the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU, proposed on Wednesday that European gas tankers be allowed to export Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) to third countries until January 2029. The proposal, which was reviewed by POLITI

Read More

France Records 5,764 Excess Deaths During June-July Heatwaves

France Records 5,764 Excess Deaths During June-July Heatwaves

Paris, July 22 Eurotoday Newspaper — France excess deaths reached 5,764 during the June and July heatwaves, according to a report released by Santé publique France. The health agency said prolonged periods of extreme heat led to thousands of additional deaths above normal seasonal levels, underlining the continued public health risks posed by increasingly intense summer temperatures.

Heatwave

Read More

A Plea for the Release of 95-Year-Old Chairman Lee from Pretrial Detention in South Korea

A Plea for the Release of 95-Year-Old Chairman Lee from Pretrial Detention in South Korea

An instance of unfair detention based on presumed guilt. Human Rights Without Frontiers calls for Seoul to free him.
For a month, Chairman Lee (Lee Man Hee, born in 1931), the founder and spiritual head of the Shincheonji Church, has been in pretrial detention since his arrest on June 24, 2026, making him possibly the oldest prisoner in the world, despite not being found guilty of any crime.
This

Read More

Offener Widerstand gegen Alice Weidel

Offener Widerstand gegen Alice Weidel

In Nordrhein-Westfalen, dem größten AfD-Landesverband, herrscht ein offener Machtkampf, der der Bundesspitze zunehmend entgleitet. Pauline von Pezold und Frederik Schindler analysieren, wie das radikale Helferich-Lager die Listenwahl sabotieren wollte. Sie besprechen, warum Landeschef Martin Vincentz sich juristisch gegen Alice Weidel wehren wollte und wie das Tabu des Widerstands gebrochen ist.
Z

Read More

Britain’s Leadership Crisis: A Symptom, Not the Disease

Britain’s Leadership Crisis: A Symptom, Not the Disease

Andy Burnham’s rise to Downing Street No. 10 may buy the Labour Party time. But Britain’s political crisis runs far deeper than personalities, campaign skills or messaging strategies.
The question of whether Andy Burnham would make a better prime minister than Keir Starmer misses the point entirely. Britain’s political crisis runs far deeper than personalities, campaign skills or messaging strate

Read More

Zelenskyy Appoints New Head of Ukraine’s Army

Zelenskyy Appoints New Head of Ukraine’s Army

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has declared that Mykhailo Drapatyi will become the new commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, succeeding Oleksandr Syrskyi in a significant wartime leadership transition since Russia’s full-scale invasion. The decision, revealed late Tuesday, arrives as Ukraine grapples with maintaining military operations and addressing public concerns about

Read More