The Brussels-South police zone, where the officers are based, is carrying out its own disciplinary enquiry, and two officers were last week suspended pending investigation. The Brussels prosecutor’s office has launched a criminal investigation, and justice minister Stefaan De Clerck has asked the Comite P, which oversees police affairs, to look into the matter, which one newspaper christened “Abu Ghraib in Vorst”.

The alleged offences were brought to light by the prison’s Oversight Committee. During periods when prison officers were carrying out industrial action, police took over the surveillance of the prison. According to reports, a group of police officers abused and assaulted prisoners, forcing one man to strip naked and beating others with batons, including on the genitals. “We are talking about extremely severe, unacceptable acts,” said Réginald de Béco, the committee chairman. “Those responsible must be severely punished.”

According to the committee report, one man had to be hospitalised after being struck on the head by police. Another was forced to repeat words insulting his mother and the prophet Mohammed, and a third was struck in the face with a bottle. “They [the police] were not reluctant to threaten management and staff when they tried to intervene,” the report says.

Police unions condemned the actions unequivocally. But the scenes of violence were foreseeable, according to a spokesman for the union ACOD. “They send in intervention teams of young officers to cover strikes,” Rudy Janssens told De Morgen. “Those guys have never seen a prison from the inside. It’s asking for trouble.”