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Letter to The European Voice: Security in the twilight zone
March 16, 2010 12:00 PM
I am strongly supportive of the aim of greater safety for all pedestrians walking in Brussels or any of our cities. I am equally strongly opposed to the proposal for a 'security zone' around the European Parliament or other EU institutions ("Attack leads to call for special security zone", 11-17 March). I said as much in an email I sent round the Parliament when this misconceived scheme was first mooted.
I commiserate very much with MEP colleagues who have been attacked or mugged in the vicinity of the Parliament building. But the solution lies more in the field of 'community policing' - what we call in my homeland 'bobbies on the beat' - and in good planning than in fencing MEPs off in some kind of privileged zone.
The Parliament buildings sit in a windswept empty desert, which is a magnet for muggers, especially at night. If we were embedded in a dense, lively residential shopping and entertainment area with lots of people around, the problem of lonely pedestrians being attacked would be drastically reduced.
We are not talking about the threat of terrorism, which is dealt with by security measures at the building entrances. If we MEPs seal ourselves off from the rest of the city and its residents out of fear of nasty but ordinary crime, we just reinforce the alienation between people and politicians that we all deplore. What next: body-scanners or special passes to come within the zone?
One proposal that would help: keep the Place Luxembourg exit open later so that we are not forced to leave via Rue Wiertz after 10pm and then double-back through ill-lit alleys. This is when I feel the most vulnerable.
Yours sincerely,
Sarah Ludford
(This letter was published in the European Voice on 1 April 2010.)
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