In Belgium, parliament has established the Standing Police Monitoring Committee, a permanent structure charged with overseeing the conduct of police services at both the local and national levels.

Parliamentary committees responsible for overseeing law enforcement institutions are common, but few countries have established permanent monitoring bodies like this one, empowered to question police at all levels. While mandates on police oversight are impacted by the structure of a state and its political system, national parliaments often have a role to play in overseeing federal police services; and strengthening parliamentary oversight of police contributes to greater accountability in the security sector.