KPS – Working for a safer Kosovo

UNMIK/PR/1629 - UNMIK Countdown #8

PRISTINA – The Kosovo Police Service (KPS) has become a highly respected Kosovo institution that enjoys the trust of its citizens and is one of the most effective police organizations in the region.

When KPS was first established in 1999, it initially had 350 officers dealing with a very sceptical public. Seven years later, 7,242 police officers, 594 Security Division officers and 1,189 civil servants are serving the people of Kosovo. KPS is operating 34 police stations all across Kosovo with an additional 22 substations established recently.

84.9% of KPS officers are Albanians, 10.3% are Kosovo Serbs and 4.8% are from other minority communities. Women comprise 13.5% of the force. “Every day KPS is proving that local police can provide a secure environment for all citizens of Kosovo”, said KPS Deputy Commissioner Sheremet Ahmeti, “I believe that KPS is on the right path and with its commitment to serve the public we can effectively combat crime and make Kosovo a safer place”.

In 2006, for example, the KPS uncovered a major credit card fraud operation in Kosovo. The Financial Investigation Unit – Directorate Against Organized Crime, active within the Main Police Command in Pristina, initiated operation “Secret Code”, targeting the use and production of fraudulent credit cards. Police officers arrested nine people and confiscated a substantial amount of evidence in Pristina and Gjilan.

One of KPS’s most successful long-term operations involves combating human trafficking. Working in close cooperation with other local institutions, KPS, through its pro-active policy, has substantially curbed such illegal activity. KPS has also improved freedom of movement for minorities, especially after the March 2004 riots, and has recently established a new border police structure.