Research in ethnicity and delinquency, and more specifically on the question whether the ethnic origin of young people is related to delinquent behaviour, has resulted in controversy in numerous occasions in Belgium. This is probably due to the complexity of this relation which is a popular topic in public opinion and political debate, as well as the result of a general lack of clear and reliable data and scientific research. Using the results of a large scale school survey among high school pupils in Dutch speaking secondary schools in the Brussels Capital Region (n=2502), this article aims to add new results to the research domain, while at the same time be aware of the complexities which are inherent to the topic.