The merger of Kruibeke and Zwijndrecht with Beveren also has an impact on the police zone that Kruibeke and Temse share. On Monday, both mayors announced that they will not demerge, but will merge into the Waasland-Noord police zone. “Financially and organizationally that is the best solution,” says Mayor Hugo Maes (CD&V).
There are a lot of changes afoot in the Waasland. In addition to the merger of Kruibeke and Zwijndrecht near Beveren, the police zones will also look completely different at the beginning of 2025. There were several options on the table for the Kruibeke-Temse police zone, but for the Temse mayor there was only one path he wanted to take and that is a merger with Waasland-Noord.
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On Monday, Hugo Maes and Antoine Denert, the mayors of Temse and Kruibeke respectively, announced that they will start discussions for a merger with the Waasland-Noord police zone. “This is the most obvious solution,” says Hugo Maes. “If we were not to follow Kruibeke, this would mean a demerger. I want to avoid that at all times.”
Starting gun
The mayor said that today it was only announced that the talks will start. “The whole process will take several months. The force is aware and the decision to join is now in the hands of the police council. In the coming days we will organize a moment with all the mayors involved in the police zone to officially ask the question and give the starting signal,” says Hugo Maes.
If Kruibeke and Temse join Waasland-Noord, the zone will consist of 320 police officers and 80 administrative employees. In total, the zone will provide its services to 153,000 citizens. “The bigger the better. A merger strengthens the local police. It gives us the opportunity to specialize even more. This will only benefit the service,” the mayor concludes.
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Tags: KruibekeTemse WaaslandNoord police zones merge obvious solution BeverenWaas
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