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.
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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 named organisations in this system have pages of their own: Police Fédérale / Federale Politie, Comité P. How this system compares with others on the five structural questions is set out in who polices what.
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 2026-09-19
The official consolidated French text on the Justel database. 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). LATER ADDITION, read on 2026-10-10: art. 102 gives the federal judicial police "la police technique et scientifique, sans préjudice des attributions de l'Institut National de Criminalistique et de Criminologie" — the forensic police function, without prejudice to the attributions of the national forensic institute. LATER ADDITION, read on 2026-10-10 for the border module: art. 3, "Les services de police sont organisés et structurés à deux niveaux : le niveau fédéral et le niveau local, lesquels assurent ensemble la fonction de police intégrée."; and art. 97, that "Pour l'accomplissement de ses missions de police administrative, la police fédérale est placée sous l'autorité du ministre de l'Intérieur", and that for its administrative-police missions "dans la mer territoriale belge, la zone économique exclusive et sur le plateau continental, sous l'autorité du gouverneur de la province de Flandre occidentale".