Bart De Wever: How a Belgian Politician Significantly Reduced Crime In Antwerp And Survived Years of Unopposed As Mayor

Even though Antwerp is well-known for its manufacturing of chocolate and beer, as well as for its extensive collection of diamonds and thriving seaport, in the early 2000s, the city was exceedingly rough and unsafe for both visitors and locals. During this time, Flemish social-democratic party members and former mayor of Antwerp Leona Detiége of Belgium made every effort to address the issues that were harming the city's standing as a major tourist destination.

She immediately took action, concentrating on the notorious locations, such as De Conincksplein, a district that housed all criminal activities, including drug dealing, prostitution, bag snatching, pickpockets, pimps, etc., and De Falconplein, another notorious district that served as a red light district for prostitutes, pimps, and drug couriers. Her initiatives weren't just a bluff; they made the prostitute business unviable.

The pimp industry fell apart as a result of the widespread arrest and deportation of prostitutes to their home nations. In a letter given to the Antwerp police, an unknown group calling itself the "Nigerian Mafia" threatened and declared that they would beat the police to death if they took their prostitutes off the streets. All the criminal activity and offenses stopped after Leona positioned a mobile police van in the middle of Conincksplein for 24 hours every day. In addition, Leona caused landlords who stole from renters to feel nervous.

The Mayor of Antwerp, Bart De Wever, with the writer, Joel Savage

It was a time when dishonest landlords, known as "huismelkers," made large sums of money from tenants. They take the three months guarantee that tenants have paid, just like a farmer milking his cow. They promise tenants that if they keep the place tidy, they would receive their money back when they move out, but regardless of how well you keep the place tidy, they will steal it. Since they are aware that many foreigners are too afraid of the police to report a crime, criminality in Antwerp dramatically increased.

Even though Patrick Janssens, a member of SP.a, took over as mayor of Antwerp after Leona Detiége’s success in eradicating the threat and crime that had taken over Antwerp, it was regrettable that all of her hard work had been naught. Patrick Janssens thought that being friendly to everyone, especially, foreigners, was the greatest way to serve Antwerp. It was during his time that drug dealing, which Leona had struggled to control, became substantially more prevalent.

Moroccans in Antwerp once believed or imagined that the city was for them. When driving, they could stop, while drivers are waiting behind them, to chat with pals, and woe unto you, if you blow your car horn. Who speaks out, you can’t? If the cops are not there, you will be brutally beaten while being encircled. Unable to find the street he was looking for; a Belgian driver stops in the Antwerp district of Schijnpoort and asks a Moroccan for assistance.

Right in front of me, as soon as his window descended, the Moroccan spit onto the driver's face after gathering a lot of saliva in his mouth. The Belgian driver wipes his face with tissue paper and then drove his car. As I watched this event, my heart ached.

The situation in Antwerp deteriorated worse under Patrick Janssens' leadership. More drug trafficking at foreigner-owned coffee shops. It was already too late when he decided to act immediately. Antwerp's citizens are sick of the status quo and desperate for change.

I will always be grateful to Patrick Janssens for protecting Antwerp's residents from the proliferation of dog waste. During that time, a dog’s feces was always brought home because it was left all over the Antwerp when owners go walking with their dogs. Mr. Janssen was the one who proposed the requirement that you pay a fine if you don’t collect your dog’s shit, and his strategy proved successful. Dog owners then start carrying plastic bags with them to take away the dog’s feces. That is how Antwerp residents were able to stop stepping on dog poops.

The coming of Bart De Wever as the Mayor of Antwerp after Patrick Janssens

Many people were shocked when Bart De Wever, the N-VA party's leader, was elected mayor of Antwerp. Many Belgians dislike him because he is a politician who aspires to establish an independent state for the province of Antwerp, but that didn't stop him from becoming the city of Antwerp's mayor. The quiet gentleman is despised by many foreigners and accused of being racist. I had a different impression of him; he was a rigorous individual on a mission to halt the crimes committed by immigrants in Antwerp.

Bart De Wever is aware that becoming mayor is not the most essential thing; achievement and dedication to the community are. Without fully knowing his plans, no one is aware that he is going to go down in the history of Belgium as one of the best mayors. De Wever has accomplished a lot since taking office in a shorter time than many previous mayors could. Antwerp is currently a safe city at any time of day or night in terms of security and safety. Conincksplein, formerly a dangerous area in Antwerp, is now one most f the most beautiful squares in Antwerp and this is how he did it.

1. He constructed a cutting-edge library to advance education in the region, which had previously served as a gathering place for all immoral activities.

• He did signposts identifying the drinking establishments as "alcohol banned zones" and warning of severe fines for violators. This ended the long-running prostitution and crime at Conincksplein altogether.

• Bart de Wever significantly curtailed the city of Antwerp's cocaine or drug trade by seizing high-end luxury cars from locals and foreigners to look into the sources of those vehicles' acquisition. Many were arrested as drug couriers and the vehicles were impounded.

• Considering the city's congestion, parking in Antwerp can occasionally be a challenge. He rapidly implemented bicycle rentals across the city to make travel fun, quick, and easy without spending a lot of time in traffic.

• Bart de Wever has installed parking tariff machines across the city so that customers can pay before parking because many car owners park carelessly. When you pay, the police can promptly see it on the main computer system and can fine drivers of vehicles that fail to make the payment right away. As a result, Antwerp annually generates thousands of Euros in tax revenue for city development.

The mayor of Antwerp has been the best among all Antwerp mayors, remaining in office for more than ten years without opposition thanks to his rapid improvements, which have included the construction of relaxation places for pensioners, recreation facilities, and maintaining safety across the city.

Like me, many people in Belgium detest voting; there is no such thing as breaking the eighth cycle, and nobody bothers about choosing a candidate or political party because everyone lives as human beings. I go to the polling place and cast my ballot for any political party or representatives of the communities I don't even know and haven't met before because refusing to vote is now considered an offense and punishable by a fine.

I hope any politician in Ghana will take something from this post since politics should be about serving the people, not about accumulating fortune. Despite the continent’s riches, Africa remains poor because of corruption with impunity.