Over 550 security personnel were deployed across Brussels on Friday to tackle rising violence linked to drug trafficking, according to Belgian broadcaster RTL.

Police and military personnel carried out a large-scale control operation in several neighbourhoods across Brussels.

The operation involved more that 550 officers, of which 70 were military personnel.

Officers carried out checks and made arrests in order to respond to the insecurity in certain neighborhoods and asset the presence od public authorities.

Eight people were detained primarily for possesing narcotis in quantities far exceeding personal consumption.

“The main message is that the streets and metro stations in Brussels belong to our citizens. So that they can feel safe there, the state is using its power, the different levels of police, but also, for the first time, the army,” Interior Minister Bernard Quintin told a news briefing.

He called on everyone to take responsibility as he pointed to a national emergency.(AA)