The statistics on homicides in Brussels: are they a complete approach?

A study recently published by Eurostat, whose objective was to compare the statistics on crime and criminal justice in Europe, offers a quantitative analysis of offenses recorded by the police between 2006 and 2009. Among the recorded crimes, homicide has attracted the attention of the Belgian press. According to Eurostat, Brussels is one of the most deadly city in Europe, with a average homicide rate of 3.09 per 100 000 inhabitants over the period. The number of deaths by homicide is well counted by the international, European and national statistic studies. Certainly this information is important, but it is only a basis for an approach aiming to prevent and fight against homicides in Brussels. Numbers hide many others facts, which are key to answer this phenomenon.