Mayor opens internal investigation and prosecutors launch judicial probe into viral footage of force used during traffic stop.
A video showing a Belgian police officer striking a handcuffed woman in the face and forcing her into a police van has sparked widespread public anger and official investigations in the town of Nivelles, south of Brussels.
The footage, filmed on Saturday, 12 September, and widely shared on social media over the weekend, captures the end of a police intervention linked to a minor traffic accident. Officers from the Nivelles-Genappe police zone had been called after the drivers involved failed to complete a joint accident report form. According to the Walloon Brabant public prosecutor’s office, officers also drew up a report for resistance (rébellion) against the people involved.
Belgium Probes Police Slap on Handcuffed Woman:
A woman with her hands cuffed behind her back stands at the rear of a police vehicle. She appears reluctant to enter despite repeated orders. As she turns towards one of the officers, the officer delivers a slap to her face before pushing her inside and closing the door. Two other officers stand nearby. Later reporting clarified that the officer who administered the slap was a female member of the local force.
Nivelles Mayor Bernard De Ro, who also chairs the local police board, described the visible use of force as unacceptable on the basis of the available images. “A priori, if we go by the extract visible online, the violence of the officer is not justified and is not excusable,” he said. “Even if this woman said something unpleasant to him and refused to get into the vehicle, that does not justify such a reaction.” De Ro announced an internal investigation to establish the full circumstances, including events before the camera began recording and the reasons force was used against a person who did not appear to pose an immediate threat.
The Walloon Brabant public prosecutor’s office confirmed it has opened a judicial investigation. Prosecutors stressed that the full context has not yet been established and urged the public not to draw final conclusions solely from the social-media footage. They noted that anyone who believes they are a victim of or witness to police violence can contact Comité P, the independent police oversight body.
Belgium Police Slap Sparks Outrage and Investigation:
The video has generated strong reactions online, with many viewers condemning the slap as disproportionate. Belgian media have also reported that the woman and an accompanying man had been involved in resistance earlier in the intervention, including an attempted flight that led to the woman being restrained on the ground before being handcuffed. Police sources have pointed to the need for officers to maintain control during arrests, while human-rights observers and members of the public have questioned whether the force used complied with rules requiring necessity, proportionality and an aim of de-escalation.
Under Belgian law, police may use force only when strictly necessary and in a manner proportionate to the resistance or threat faced. The ongoing internal and judicial inquiries will examine whether those standards were met in this case.
The incident has reignited broader discussion in Belgium about accountability in policing and the role of citizen-filmed footage in prompting official scrutiny. Authorities say both the internal review and the prosecutorial investigation will continue until a complete picture of the events is established.