From January 2020, at the request of the mayor, the Ghent Police will make a priority of dangerous and antisocial driving behavior. The Ghent police can rely on a new circular from the prosecutor's office for East Flanders that allows for firmer and more efficient action.

In case of dangerous and repeated facts, it will be faster to revoke the driving license, confiscate the vehicle or even confiscate the vehicle. The city council strongly urges to respect road safety and liveability in the residential areas and not to display such behavior.

Thanks to the new circular from the East Flanders Public Prosecutor's Office, the Ghent police have more options for tackling street racing and other antisocial driving behavior. All police zones of the province of East Flanders signed a cooperation agreement on 27 November, whereby they agree to tackle certain forms of antisocial driving behavior together. This includes the detection and punishment of nuisance and offenses committed by drivers of vehicles moving in groups and so-called street racers.

Road safety is a priority

Road safety is one of the priorities of the city council. Residents often complain about the nuisance and insecurity that aggressive driving behavior entails. The city council therefore wants to put a stop to this. The Ghent police will soon have four vehicles equipped with ANPR cameras, including two anonymous ones. This automatic number plate recognition makes it easier to detect dangerous drivers or drivers who drive without a license or insurance.

Revocation of driving licenses and forfeiture of vehicles

The zonal safety council also included the approach to antisocial driving behavior in the Zonal Safety Plan 2020-2025. The police are therefore clearly instructed to work around this. Commissioned by the mayor, the Ghent Police have repeatedly focused on dangerous and antisocial drivers in recent months. During traffic checks and flash checks, several drivers who broke it down were put aside. Even then, driving licenses were revoked and the public prosecutor's office ordered the safekeeping of the vehicle, in some cases even for confiscation. In 2019, a vehicle was seized three times due to antisocial driving behavior or street racing.

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Increased bet

From January 2020, the police will make even more efforts to curb this reprehensible traffic behavior and there is now a clear circular that, if there is a clear file structure, will lead more quickly to the withdrawal of the driving license, seizure or even forfeiture of the vehicle. The city council therefore strongly urges to respect road safety and liveability in the residential areas and not to exhibit such behavior. The past actions mainly took place in the Sluizeken district, but are now being expanded and strengthened in several neighborhoods.

Circular letter parquet

The East Flanders Public Prosecutor's Office has issued a specific circular with clear guidelines to penalize antisocial driving behavior. In reports of such events, the police will act together to gather as many elements as possible to stop the nuisance and to point out the offenders' duties. The police forces will work together in this field, exchange information with each other and draw up a file based on images and information. In certain cases, the public prosecutor's office will immediately revoke the driving licenses of the drivers concerned and will not exclude vehicles from being detained or confiscated.

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