Artikel

Grensoverschrijdende vermogenscriminaliteit aan de Belgisch-Franse grens

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Abstract

Border crossing property criminality near the Belgian-French border - In the past ten years the South-west of Flanders, and especially the Belgian border zone with France, has been the victim of hundreds of crimes, which have been called border crossing property crimes. In this article we try to give a picture of the nature of those crimes, the causes and the reactions of political and juridical authorities. All crimes that fall under the description of border crossing property crimes are marked by a violent but effective course of action, a particular group of offenders and victims, and are committed in the border towns and other towns of West Flanders having a large number of shops. During our study we found that most offenders were young, unemployed drug addicts, whose ancestors came from North Africa as migrant workers for the industry in the North of France after WW II. Not only unemployment causes criminality. Their political and social isolation, together with the problems of unemployment and drug abuse, leaves them no alternative but criminal actions. The great contrast between the poor North of France and the rich West of Flanders, the disappearance of border controls, coinciding with the free passage of persons due to the Schengen Agreement, has led to border crossing property criminality. Although the Schengen Agreement tries to prevent property criminality by providing the police forces with border crossing observations, pursuits, ways of assistance, exchange of liaison officers and new forms of registration, the contrary has been proved. Belgium and France have concluded a new Agreement to fight crimes, but it is not yet operational. The Belgian authorities have financed scientific research, installed a juridical investigation team and contracted a security plan with the local authorities. We find the only solution to the problem of border crossing property crimes is an integrated way of dealing with problems of unemployment, education, drug abuse and marginalisation of ethnic minorities.

How to Cite:

Camerlynck, D., (1997) “Grensoverschrijdende vermogenscriminaliteit aan de Belgisch-Franse grens”, Tijdschrift voor Sociale Wetenschappen 42(2), 171–190. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/tvsw.95268