Belgium
Law enforcement in Belgium
One integrated police service on two levels — federal and local — created by the Law of 7 December 1998 out of the former gendarmerie, municipal and judicial police.
Facts on this page were checked against their sources on .
Belgium has one integrated police service, structured on two levels. The Law of 7 December 1998 — its official title is "Law organising an integrated police service, structured on two levels" — provides that the police are "structured on two levels: the federal level and the local level, which together provide the integrated police function". The Federal Police operate nationally; the Local Police are organised in police zones covering the municipalities.
The same idea, explained generally
- Why do societies need law enforcement?
Law enforcement exists so that rules apply to everyone rather than to whoever can be compelled. This guide explains the function, the conditions that make it legitimate, and what it cannot do.
- What is the difference between police and law enforcement?
“Police” is one kind of institution. “Law enforcement” is a function that many bodies perform. This guide explains the distinction and why it matters when comparing countries.
Sources
Sources
Belgium — Federal Public Service Justice (ejustice.just.fgov.be / Moniteur belge) · Legislation · 1998-12-07 · link verified 2026-07-26
The official consolidated French text on the Justel database, fetched and text-searched. Verbatim: the title "Loi organisant un service de police intégré, structuré à deux niveaux" (Law organising an integrated police service, structured on two levels), and the operative wording that the police are "structurés à deux niveaux : le niveau fédéral et le niveau local, lesquels assurent ensemble la fonction de police intégrée" (structured on two levels — the federal level and the local level — which together provide the integrated police function). The law also modifies the earlier law on the gendarmerie, confirming that this reform merged the former forces into the integrated service. Establishes the two-level (federal + local) integrated-police structure and its statutory basis; the internal directorates of the Federal Police were NOT verified (its own website was unreachable).