Counterterrorism and the limits of criminal law enforcement

In this report we examine how counterterrorism is predominantly performed by the police in Belgium, what its main counterterrorism strategy is and what the main assumptions are that govern this strategic choice. We find that while Belgium advocates holistic approaches to terrorism, its police strategy is still highly focused on criminal law enforcement. The police deploy a variety of practices to counter terrorism, but in practice much of its time and resources are spent on highly traditional forms of policing. While this approach has its merits, it entails a number of challenges that may potentially be harmful to the overall counterterrorism effort.