Relations between the Kosovo Police and municipalities

Venue: Hotel Golden
Date: 17 April 2013

Lecturers:

Mr.Sc Lulzim Fushtica, Community Safety Adviser – ICITAP; Department of Justice – USA

Major Çlirim Hajdini, Kosovo Police

• How to strengthen the Rule of Law and Community Safety at the local level

• Visit to and lecture at the Kosovo Police

Mr.Sc Lulzim Fushtica, Community Safety Adviser – ICITAP; Department of Justice – USA

In his lecture he mentioned the legal framework, such as:

• The Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo
• The Law on the Police
• The Law on Road Traffic Safety
• The Law on Fire Protection
• The Law on Weapons
• The National Strategy for Community Safety
• The National Strategy for Crime Prevention
• The Community Policing Strategy
• Administrative Instruction No. 27/2012 MIA – 03?2012 MLGA on Municipal Community Safety Councils

He provided the necessary explanations on the National Strategy and Action Plan for Community Safety for the period 2011–2016. The Community Safety infrastructure is as follows:

Central level
MIA Community Safety Division,
Community Safety Strategy Steering Group
Municipal level
Municipal Community Safety Council (MCSC)

Local level
Community Safety Action Teams (CSAT)
Local Public Safety Councils (LPSC)

Under this strategy, safety forums have been established in most of Kosovo’s municipalities and have been operating since 2004; around 22 Municipal Community Safety Councils, around 32 Community Safety Action Teams and 27 Local Public Safety Councils have been established.

The main aim is to form new relationships and support existing relationships between community members, municipal representatives and the police by developing forums for interaction and participation. The goal is that people who work together towards a common purpose will increase their respect for and trust in one another, building strong foundations from which they can address common issues and concerns and solve local problems.

The desired result of this community interaction is a reduction in crime, improved living conditions and community safety. Participants in the Municipal Safety Council are the mayor and representatives of NGOs, the media, education and the police. The role of this council is advisory, regarding the issues citizens face and how they are addressed to the responsible institutions; it aims to identify and address issues related to crime, safety and quality of life in order to achieve the common goal of creating a safer community.

The Community Safety Action Teams must also work well and coordinate with this MCSC; the community has gained numerous benefits, including:

• Increased awareness of joint activities of the community, the municipality and the police;
• Improved communication between the community, the municipality and the police;
• Clear roles for reducing crime and improving living conditions;
• Improved problem-solving skills;
• A clear vision for the future;
• Increased awareness of current issues/problems (stray dogs, environmental pollution, deforestation, damage to rivers).

To date, funding for safety projects has come mainly from international organisations. According to the lecturer, the potential risk would be if these organisations withdrew suddenly and without planning. This would greatly endanger the concept of community safety. Funding and planning by the Government of Kosovo is therefore essential. The financial impact of the strategy will be covered mainly by the Kosovo budget, linked and harmonised with the other sectors of education, the police, the MIA and Kosovo’s municipalities. He highlighted international partners such as ICITAP (the US Department of Justice), which has provided great assistance in the establishment, operationalisation and work of the CSATs (Community Safety Action Teams), supported by the OSCE. The OSCE has provided training not only to the MCSCs but with particular emphasis on the community policing sector, such as sector policing and Community Police, otherwise known as neighbourhood police. In closing, Besnik Tahiri stressed that the concept of community safety is about creating a safe and peaceful environment (security of well-being and safety), and is a very important step for investment in local economic development. The presentation closed with the thought of Henry Ford, who managed to create production lines by bringing people together despite their differences around a common goal, “getting the work done”, and who said: Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress, working together is success.

Major Çlirim Hajdini, Kosovo Police – In his lecture he provided information on the organisational structure of the Kosovo Police, focusing mostly on figures such as the number of police stations, substations, etc.