by A.P.
Police in Zeebrugge, Belgium, arrested over a dozen migrants in raids that came after local residents formed civilian patrols to combat a wave of crime being committed by illegal aliens, according to reports.
Authorities targeted known hiding places for migrants, including the harbor and local shelters, arresting 16 foreign suspects illegally present in Belgium.
“Such actions as those on Tuesday evening will certainly be repeated,” Mayor Dirk De Fauw told local media. “On the one hand to be able to close the premises where transmigrants reside, but also to check on the basis of fingerprints whether the transmigrants can be linked to criminal offenses.”
Crime committed by migrants has been surging in past months, with at least seven burglaries taking place during one recent weekend in Zeebrugge, SCEPTR reports.
Residents say police response has been inadequate at best, and began taking the law into their own hands, assembling neighborhood watch groups and patrols.