Terrorism Impacts on Policing in Belgium Proposal

Background

Literature Review

While having a strong economy and stable support from the European Union for political decisions made, Belgium has the status of one of the calmest and safest countries for life. In 2020, in the ranking made by the Institute of Economics and Peace (2020), the country was in 17th place among the states in which the level of security is assessed as very high. In this regard, terrorist attacks in Belgium have always been extremely rare, and the most notorious terrorist crime was the attack on a synagogue in Antwerp in 1981 when three people were killed, and more than 100 were injured (United Nations Human Rights, no date). Nevertheless, when studying the world experience of countries facing the threat of high extremist activity and falling victim to attacks by militant fanatics at the beginning of the 21st century, the Belgian government has strengthened its anti-terrorist measures by increasing the number of police patrols and ensuring increased surveillance on the streets of cities. However, by 2015, the situation had worsened significantly. As a result, a series of terrorist attacks in the country forced the government to take tougher measures and tighten control.

The Belgian government stepped up its counterterrorism measures by following the events in Paris in January and November 2015. At that time, according to Vasilopoulos and Brouard (2019), more than 140 people were killed at the hands of Islamists. In January, as Bureš (2016) states, Europol warned of possible new terrorist attacks in several European countries. Among the most likely targets, the board identified Belgium, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom (Bureš, 2016). Since that time, the Belgian special services have been carrying out operations to capture terrorists. Devroe and Ponsaers (2018) note that, on January 15, 2015, the criminal network that existed in Brussels and Verviers was liquidated. According to Belgian media reports, in 2015 alone, over 270 criminal cases were initiated in Belgium against terrorist suspects (Devroe and Ponsaers, 2018). Thus, more active work started to counter threats from radical extremists. The religious context, in turn, was dominant and determined the direction of work to identify criminals.

After the terrorist attacks in Paris, the question arose of creating the necessary conditions to protect Belgium from the real threat of extremists. In this regard, the 2005 anti-radicalization plan was updated (Kingdom of Belgium, 2016). In particular, efforts were made to counteract the spread of the ideas of Salafism in mosques in Belgium, which was seen as one of the reasons for the emergence of extremist sentiments among young people. According to Monaghan and Molnar (2016, p. 393), the theory of radicalization “has become the dominant trope for Western discussions of counterterrorism policing.” This concept includes findings from various disciplines, for instance, criminology, political science, sociology, and several others, and involves correlating existing legal frameworks with the concepts of extremism and violence in their criminal manifestations (Monaghan and Molnar, 2016). The Belgian government adopted a set of new measures to counter terrorism. One of the key solutions was to increase the number of police patrols and limit public events. The authorities also decided to allow police officers, subject to a warrant, to conduct searches at any time of the day in the places of alleged terrorists’ residences.

The spread of radical Islam in Belgium, as one of the main risk factors for extremism and terrorist acts in the country, is facilitated by the fragmentation of the Muslim diaspora. According to Rondelez et al. (2016), it consists of many groups, and among them, there are disagreements on a number of issues. This makes it difficult for the government to work with community leaders and complicates the control of violent extremists. In addition, due to the complex structural organization of the police, this is difficult to exchange information with the special services. Based on the communication theory discussed by Pelletier (2018), interpersonal interaction in public places is one of the factors reflecting the country’s readiness for possible threats. The example of the terrorist attacks in Brussels in 2016 emphasizes the relevance of assessing how measures of control and identification of extremists can affect mass security and how effective the preparedness of citizens for a possible threat is.

With regard to methods of struggle and counteraction, Belgium adheres to a strategy that involves assessing a number of factors, and one of them is the forcible detention of hostages by terrorists. As Brisard and Jackson (2016) note, when choosing a course of action, the key principle is to proceed from the nationality of hostages. If they are citizens of the country on whose territory the seizure takes place, the operation to release them is started immediately. If the hostages are foreigners, the actions of the local authorities should be coordinated with the governments of those countries whose citizens these hostages are, and the tactics of release should be based on the positions of these authorities. Crijns, Cauberghe, and Hudders (2017, p. 223) state that governments “must find a balance between creating awareness and avoiding inducing fear amongst citizens, whilst avoiding interrupting the actions of the police services”. As a result, the concept of police behavior depends not only on the internal conditions of coordination but also on external factors of inter-political ties.

At the same time, police actions regarding interaction with terrorists are not an issue that is widely disclosed. According to Morris (2016), despite the existing principles of interaction with Interpol, NATO allies, and the European Commission as the boards involved in the fight against international terrorism, the regulation of police activity is an internal matter of the country, and the task is to be implemented based on available resources and capabilities. Therefore, assessing the work of law enforcement agencies from the perspective of their involvement and communication with terrorists is a topic that deserves discussion since such an analysis can help identify the country’s unique experience and its methods of combating extremist groups.

As a result, the analysis of issues related to the fight against terrorists in the context of the factor of nationality is one of the topics to be revealed in the study. In addition, assessing the emotional burden of police officers and victims of terrorist attacks is a relevant topic to consider. Qualitative research will be conducted by analyzing the data obtained from the participants involved, and the analysis of the information received during the interviews will reveal the most severe challenges and stressors among the designated groups. A detailed evaluation of all the variables and research mechanisms engaged is a valuable framework for answering the question of what impact the terrorist attacks in Belgium have had on police work in the country.

State of the Research

To date, numerous studies on radicalization and communication theories involving Belgian law enforcement agencies have focused on identifying and countering radical extremists. Van San (2018) proposes to evaluate the parenting context as one of the factors influencing the perpetuation of misconceptions among Belgian youth on the problem of terrorism. Van Damme (2017) argues that the theory of communication, which involves the interaction of the police with the population, depends on procedural justice essentially. Specifically, according to the study, Belgian citizens value police officers’ compliance with legal norms and regulations more than work efficiency, which reflects the high demands on law enforcement (Van Damme, 2017). Finally, Frounfelker et al. (2019) argue that the interaction of the population with the police can be considered at the level of triggers affecting trust and the quality of communication, and religious aspects shape a greater perception of the legitimacy and effectiveness of law enforcement agencies’ work. Thus, the theories of radicalization and communication are revealed through public opinion and views on the quality of measures to counter extremism.

With regard to the emotional state of police officers involved in operational work to identify terrorist threats and address the consequences of extremist attacks, few studies touch on the Belgian context. For instance, Easton and Laureys (2020) consider the experiences of law enforcement officers in Belgium and evaluate their coping strategies. Behavioral, emotional, and other consequences of participation in anti-terrorist operations are assessed based on the data obtained from interviews. To complement these findings, the list of questions may be expanded so that involved participants could identify individual strategies for dealing with stress and express personal views on the changes in police work since the attacks in Brussels.

Limitations

When considering the limitations of the topics covered, one should pay attention to the insufficient disclosure of performance. For instance, Ponsaers and Devroe (2016) draw attention to the costs and resources used by the Belgian police to fight radical extremists but do not describe the nature of the interaction with terrorists and the emotional aspect of resistance. Lefebvre (2017) emphasizes the budget and staffing of Belgian law enforcement, but cooperation with European and international organizations is not discussed thoroughly to compare past and current practices. In the progress reports, this aspect is touched upon, but the focus is on the collectivization of efforts rather than on individual measures taken by Belgium in comparison with other countries (Kingdom of Belgium, 2016). Therefore, the real changes after the terrorist attacks in 2015 should be assessed, including the factors of resource and emotional preparedness of the local police.

Statement of the Problem

The evaluation of the proposed findings and limitations allows highlighting the main topics to consider and study within the framework of the planned research. In particular, the nature of police investigations from the standpoint of the preparedness of the Belgian law enforcement agencies should be assessed in the context of the emotional aspect. The fight against extremist radicalization through cooperation at the national level needs to be assessed by taking into account the workload and changes since the terrorist attacks in 2015. Security and organizational aspects should be considered by obtaining the most objective data from the target audience to understand the real changes and their implications on security in Belgium.

The Research Question and Hypothesis

While taking into account the designated range of research and the topics that need to be disclosed, the research question can be as follows: what are the impacts the recent waves of terrorism have had on policing and its organization in Belgium? Qualitative analysis tools will allow answering it and highlighting the main findings based on the assessment of police work. In addition, the key hypothesis is as follows: the increase in the number of police forces involved in national security and countering extremism is the result of the recent waves of terrorism in Belgium.

Variables of Interest

To determine the scope of research from the perspective of evaluating specific phenomena, the variables of interest are to be highlighted. With regard to the planned study, the impact of the recent terrorist attacks in Belgium is seen as a potential driver of change in the work of the local police and their involvement in anti-terrorist operations. Accordingly, extremism manifested in the form of terrorist acts, usually on a religious basis, is an independent variable. Changes in the police after the 2015 terrorist attacks are a dependent variable that, in turn, can be divided into several levels. They relate to the number of units, the emotional state of officers and victims of extremists, as well as the order of work based on the requirements imposed in accordance with the rules of national security. These variables will help answer the research question and consider the problem comprehensively.

Aims of the Study

The aims of the research are to determine what changes have occurred in the work of the Belgian police after the terrorist attacks of 2015 and highlight the implications on the emotional state of officers and victims, the mode of operation, and the total number of units called upon to carry out national security. The study will examine the characteristics of local law enforcement and highlight the differences between the current workload and that of 2015. In addition, one of the aims is to determine the interaction among the units in relation to the detention of extremists.

Objectives of the Study

The objectives of the study are to:

• To examine how safety for the police and society is achieved.
• To identify new laws and measures taken since 2015.
• To determine how efficient the cooperation between local policing/European policing and international policing is in dealing with terrorism.
• To highlight how organized criminal investigations are, as well as their limitations in terms of terrorism.
• To review how organized the detention of a terrorist is.
• To determine how anti-terrorist units deal with the emotional overload of police officers.

Methodology

Type of Research

For the planned research, a qualitative method will be applied. The data will be collected through interviews with police officers and those involved in anti-terrorist units. To complement the comprehensive picture, questionnaires will be provided to the target audience in order to find out their satisfaction with the workload and to determine the impact of work on emotional states. The behavior of the sample in specific situations will be considered, which corresponds to the stated theme. The study is exploratory since the relevant findings are designed to reflect the general characteristics of the target audience and to identify the characteristic results based on the given lens through qualitative methods of work. As a result, the research will have a phenomenological character, as the experience of police officers and those involved in anti-terrorist units will be taken into account.

Justification of the Choice of the Approach

The chosen approach to the study is an objective form of assessment and search for an answer to the research question posed. In addition, the phenomenological principle, which is part of this qualitative analysis, helps bring out the unique experiences of police officers in the context of the topic under consideration. According to Bailey (2018, p. 1), officers’ “continuous exposure to work-related stress can lead to burnout syndrome, which affects performance”. To expand the knowledge about the topic, target audience’s personal views on the proposed problems are needed to obtain a comprehensive picture of the situation and draw conclusions regarding the relevance of the findings. In addition, interviews and questionnaires are convenient tools to get relevant data from the participants involved directly rather than through related studies. Thus, this research framework is a sound design to apply.

Methodology

The research will be conducted within a single professional group involving law enforcement officers through qualitative analytical methods, such as interviews and questionnaires. Gaining the personal experience of the involved participants in relation to the proposed topics of analysis is the main goal of the study and requires creating a unified assessment algorithm based on the initially prepared questions. The interviews will be conducted personally with each participant and will include questions presented in the objectives of the study. Preliminary, the questionnaires will be provided to the sample to fill out to eliminate bias and give officers and representatives of anti-terrorist units an opportunity to give answers to the questions posed before the interview. This will ensure that their responses are honest and interview topics are not tied to subsequent individual answers.

Measurement Scale

To evaluate the results of the research objectively and offer target participants an adequate frame for answering the questionnaires, a special measurement scale should be used. Logan, Ligon, and Derrick (2020, p. 929) discuss the topic of police officers’ involvement in counterterrorism operations and offer “a 5-point Likert scale with identifiable benchmark examples”. This scale allows setting clear limits and calculating responses based on the given parameters. In addition, this scale helps determine the psychometric properties of the sample, in particular, exposure to stress and satisfaction with the existing working conditions and workload. As Murphy, Madon, and Cherney (2017) argue, the simplest expression of such a scale is the degree of agreement with the proposed answer options. Therefore, by using a preliminarily compiled list of questions, this tool may be utilized as a convenient measurement algorithm.

Other Materials

To record all the necessary data received from the participants and save them for later evaluation and measurement, special devices are needed. In particular, the questionnaires will be offered in a digital form, and the responses of the target group members will be recorded in the computer memory. An individual database should be prepared to store the collected information and return to it at any time to copy and process. For later convenience, simple software can be utilized to analyze the responses received based on the given scale. During the interviews, audio recording devices may be applied with the permission of the participants. Video equipment is optional since the emphasis is on responses rather than reactions. Digital programs for compiling assessment outcomes can be useful as tools for comparing data and obtaining corresponding results.

Sample Description

The population to explore includes police officers and anti-terrorism officers who have served in law enforcement for over six years. This factor is necessary to compare the positions of the engaged sample on the working situation before the terrorist attacks in Belgium in 2015 and after them. The gender criterion is not important, and both male and female officers can be included in the study. The participants will be recruited through interaction with heads of local police departments and communication with the administrators of counterterrorism units. The goals and objectives of the study will be communicated to the target group to identify the scope of the research and the area of ​​interest. The study does not imply financial compensation for the participants since the aims have no commercial value and involve employees of the budgetary organization. The category of sampling implies non-probability; according to Kohler, Kreuter, and Stuart (2019), this definition means that not every citizen can participate due to limited selective factors. However, every member who meets the minimum recruiting criteria can be sampled.

Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria

As the inclusion criteria, the aforementioned characteristics of employment and working hours will be taken into account. One of the main objectives of the study is to answer the question of how the waves of terrorism in Belgium have affected the local police force, their workload, and officers’ perception of the changes that occurred. Thus, the age of the participants should be considered an additional aspect. To meet the stated selection criteria, the age of members should not be less than 30 since this figure reflects the fact that at the time of the terrorist attacks in Belgium, these participants had already been working in the police. Accordingly, the exclusion criteria relate to the same factors: age is less than 30, which correlates with a term of service in law enforcement and is less than six years. Failure to participate in operational work to identify terrorist threats is also an exclusion factor because these officers cannot assess their experience in such conditions objectively. As a result, few aspects need to be considered, but all of them are of great importance for the credibility of the study.

Total Number of Participants

To conduct a valid study and obtain sufficient data for measurements, at least 50 participants need to be involved. Initially, when interacting with heads of police departments, more members can be invited. However, this is critical to take into account potential sampling fluctuations and possible inconsistencies with the stated selection criteria, for instance, low age or the lack of operational work in anti-terrorist units. The interaction needs to be carried out only with the departments of Brussels since all recent attacks by extremists have taken place in the capital. 50 participants may be enough to obtain the necessary outcomes, but if possible, up to one hundred members may be involved, which will increase the accuracy of the outcomes and enhance the credibility of the research.

Sensitivity

The planned research touches on some ethical aspects and includes sensitive topics to discuss. During their work in the police since the terrorist attacks in Brussels, officers might have faced unpleasant situations and extremists’ violent actions, which are difficult to talk about and discuss openly. Moreover, there is a possibility that some facts may be confidential and inadmissible to disclosure. Excessive emotional sensitivity is an additional factor to take into account. According to Easton and Laureys (2020), the traumatic incidents that the attacks in Belgium were associated with correlate with severe stress directly, and some employees may have symptoms similar to those of post-traumatic stress disorder. The mental state of the police officers who were engaged in the elimination of the consequences of the terrorist attacks and continued to serve in the police may be worsened due to disturbing memories. Therefore, the planned research should not include questions that require the members of the study to vividly recall and discuss the situations that caused them fear or acute negative emotions.

Ethical Issues Identified

The ethical standards of conducting the research process will be respected and, when taking into account the aforementioned sensitivity aspects, relevant conclusions will be drawn. Informed consent will be obtained from all participants, and they will be made aware that the data received from them will be processed and presented in the general research. Confidentiality will be met because respect for privacy is a prerequisite for such studies involving phenomenological assessment criteria. No moral harm will be delivered to the members, and any wishes regarding anonymity or potentially unpleasant topics will be taken into account. In addition, consent for subordinate participation will be obtained from heads of the police units so that the law enforcement administration could be aware of the research conducted and its objectives.

Reference List

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