Elections
An opinion issued by the Belgian Council of State stipulates that the appointment of the members of the Standing Commission of the Local Police via genuine elections must take place in the sense of Article 91 of the Integrated Police Act. A distribution key has been established to this end.
| Group I (*) | Group II (*) | Group III (*) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flemish Region | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| Walloon Region | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Brussels-Capital Region | 2 |
(*) Police Areas are divided into categories according to the number of staff.
- Category 1 = the number of staff members is less than 75
- Category 2 = the number of staff members is between 75 and 149
- Category 3 = the number of staff members is between 150 and 300
- Category 4 = the number of staff members is between 300 and 599
- Category 5 = the number of staff members is more than 600
Category 1 Police Areas come under Group I.
Category 2 and category 3 Police Areas come under Group II.
Category 4 and category 5 Police Areas come under Group III.
The aforementioned distribution key is used for achieving both a geographical distribution and a broad representation of all types of Local Police Areas.
It should be noted that the police chief's electoral college is also divided up according to this distribution key.
The Belgian Federal Public Service Home Affairs, and more specifically the Directorate General for Security and Prevention, is responsible for the organization and counting of votes. This Directorate hands over the result of the vote to the Permanent Secretariat of the Standing Commission of the Local Police.
From a practical point of view, arrangements have been made so that in case the chief of a police corps is unable to attend, he/she will be replaced by the next candidate ranked in order of use on the electoral list of the same group. Should he/she be prevented from attending, this person may be replaced by an officer from his/her Police Area who is however not entitled to vote.