Authorities said 40 more police officers would be deployed and resources would be shifted to the most affected neighbourhoods. (EPA Images pic)
The Belgian capital, home to the headquarters of the EU, has been rocked by an uptick of gun violence in recent days.
A spate of incidents has seen assailants firing off automatic weapons, leaving several people wounded and seeing a police station targeted.
After convening an emergency meeting of local and national officials, authorities for the city said 40 more police officers would be deployed and resources shifted to the most affected neighbourhoods.
Mobile cameras would also be deployed to try to help forces track any perpetrators, they said.
“We are facing a national emergency,” interior minister Bernard Quintin posted online.
“The fight against organised crime must be an absolute priority for all agencies and all levels of government.”
Belgium is one of the major gateways for drugs being smuggled into Europe, with the mammoth port of Antwerp serving as a key entry point for criminal gangs.
Over the past years there has been an increase in armed violence related to turf wars between rival drug gangs.