Domicile fraud on the rise in Belgium

Police in Belgium reported a nearly 9% increase in the number of cases of domicile fraud over the last three years, according to figures provided by interior minister Jan Jambon at the request of CD&V politician Franky Demon, write De Morgen and Het Laatste Nieuws.

In 2011, police controls found 31,429 infringements related to official address as listed in the population register. Three years later, this number had risen to 34,175 (+9%), and in the first half of 2015 there were as many as 15,206 infringements recorded.

The aim of the police controls is to confirm the primary residence of all Belgian inhabitants. The information is not only important for the population register, but also for the fight against terror, says Demon.

Demon is therefore urging better cooperation between the police and municipal services.