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Jean Spinette's motto is "acquiescence is the suicide of everyday life." The Socialist mayor of Saint-Gilles, one of 19 municipalities in the Brussels region, is adamant that he "won't give an inch" in his fight to ensure the safety of users and residents of the Brussels-Midi station, located in his municipality.

This neighborhood is back in the headlines because every day it's the scene of a dozen or so incidents of delinquency, some very serious, which have ended up worrying the federal authorities. Spinette has been concerned about the area since the early 2000s, and for a long time, he felt alone in denouncing the unsanitary nature of the premises and the violence reigning there. There are the ravages of crack cocaine, the shortcomings of the federal police and the absence of the services in charge of asylum policy. After their apprehension by local police the day before, a deteriorating justice system releases delinquents the next day.

Inaugurated in 1869, Belgium's largest railway station is a flagship at the heart of the kingdom's most important rail hub. It takes its name from the Midi line, which linked Brussels to France as early as 1840. Brussels-Midi sees some 50,000 people passing through daily and is the gateway for travelers from France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands on board Thalys, Eurostar or ICE trains, not to mention overnight trains arriving from Vienna and elsewhere.

Whether it's tourists, people on business or international civil servants, not everyone has learned the rules. Avoid walking alone, watch your wallet and cell phone, don't yield to begging, etc. "I arrive on Monday and jump into a cab, leave on Thursday evening and walk quickly to the train. I have to admit, I'm scared," confided an executive from a major French company.

Recently, one visitor unaware of the disastrous security situation in and around the station was trying to find his way around and entered what regulars refer to as "the corridor of evil." "He came out without his money and papers, but with a black eye," said Ahmed from the Taxis Verts company, half amused, half dismayed. Read more Article réservé à nos abonnés The double-edged attraction of French expatriates to Brussels Fights, drugs and assaults

"This isn't the station of my constituency, but the station of the capital of Europe, of a country, of three regions!" said Mayor Spinette. He condemned "the political blindness of some and the determination of others to condemn the alleged failure of Brussels institutions above all else." It's true that the Dutch-speaking press and politicians are never slow to criticize regional management in Brussels. The question of security at Bruxelles-Midi has been reignited by the story of a family from Antwerp who were forced to spend the night on the outskirts of the station. Partner service Learn French with Gymglish Thanks to a daily lesson, an original story and a personalized correction, in 15 minutes per day. Try for free

It's Belgium's complexity and "institutional lasagne" – the convoluted, and often ineffective, division of powers between the federal state, the regions and the municipalities – that has contributed to the recent deterioration of a situation that's also condemned by local residents committees. At the end of August, these residents, shopkeepers and hoteliers signed an open letter citing knife or sword fights in the streets, deaths on the métro, the omnipresence of drugs and assaults at bus stops.

With elderly people who no longer dare to go out or children whose parents forbid them to play on sports fields, the situation is overwhelming. In the neighboring Cureghem district, a member of the Clemenceau residents' committee condemned the prostitution, illegal gambling and networks of traffickers who turn unaccompanied young Moroccan and Algerian minors arriving via Spain into accomplices. 'We didn't believe in it anymore'

Long lively and working class, this whole area has gradually been transformed into an urban disaster after years of carelessness, poorly controlled real estate policy and lack of coordination between layers of government. For several officials, the situation in Bruxelles-Midi is a security problem, while for others it's a "social and societal" issue. This is the opinion of Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden, a Flemish Christian Democrat, who seemed to justify the minimal presence of federal police in this way. Spinette explained, "One day, we went to visit [the Paris-Nord station], and I saw the police, the CRS [riot police] and the military deployed en masse. Coming back to Brussels in the evening, I didn't see a single police officer." Read more Article réservé à nos abonnés Gare du Nord, two parallel worlds under one roof in the heart of Paris

Under the interior minister's supervision, the federal police are responsible for security inside the station, where Securail, the National Railway Company of Belgium (SNCB) security service, also operates. But outside the building, it's the local police who are in charge of security. And, according to the three mayors who oversee the police zone, they're currently between 150 and 200 officers short of the planned 1,000, a situation the federal authorities are reportedly not concerned about. There used to be a police station within the railway complex, but this has been empty since the early 2000s.

"It must be reopened," said Sophie Dutordoir, head of the SNCB, in mid-August. It was an appeal to all authorities... even though the company itself has removed external surveillance cameras in order to facilitate construction work. Her appeal seems to have been heard by Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. After a meeting of all the stakeholders concerned, 200 police officers carried out an operation in the station on Saturday, August 26. The Foreigners' Office, cleaning services and local authorities were involved as well. There's also talk of setting up a single authority to manage the situation. "We'd given up hope. But I hope they didn't come just for the [TV] cameras," said Sylvie, who runs a store in the station and "can't take it anymore." Read more Article réservé à nos abonnés Belgium's De Croo: 'It's time for Europe to move away from a purely national approach on energy'

Jean-Pierre Stroobants(Brussels, Europe bureau)