Andric Rakic: Only one percent of Serbs from North Mitrovica support increased presence of Kosovo Police

Milica Andric Rakic, Program Manager of the NGO New Social Initiative, highlighted that, according to a study by UBO Consulting, only one percent of Kosovo Serbs from North Mitrovica support the increased presence of Kosovo Police in police bases in the north, emphasizing that their presence serves as an instrument of ethnic control.

“According to our research conducted by UBO Consulting, one percent of Kosovo Serbs from North Mitrovica support the increased presence of Kosovo Police in police bases in the north, with Bistrica being the most prominent. In contrast, 93 percent of Albanians support this,” Andric Rakic stated in a post on the social network "X."

She added that this is a clear indicator that policies regulating police presence in Serb-majority areas are solely an ethnic instrument of control rather than a “legitimate state instrument of influence.”

“These policies began in October 2021 when a coalition of NGOs promptly raised a red flag, stating: ‘The group of NGOs and media within the OPEN Initiative strongly condemns the use of excessive force by special police units in Serb-majority municipalities in northern Kosovo and their involvement in tasks under the jurisdiction of local police forces,’” the activist wrote.

She stressed that such actions do not contribute to normalization and reconciliation but rather foster confrontation and further ethnic polarization.

“Such actions can easily lead to open conflict of unimaginable proportions in an unstable security environment. The warning went unheeded, resulting in three years wasted on continuous crisis management instead of dialogue, at a devastating cost to interethnic relations. The expulsion of the Kosovo Police Regional Command since 2021 was also one of the triggers for mass resignations of Kosovo Serbs from the police in November 2022,” Andric Rakic emphasized.

She further stated that the director of the New Social Initiative, Jovana Radosavljevic—detained yesterday—is yet another victim of the ongoing instrumentalization of the Kosovo Police, which has distorted its purpose into an instrument of ethnic control.

“Jovana was accused of unauthorized recording of the Bistrica checkpoint. This serves as an example of the authorized recording of this checkpoint, where a special police officer openly displays their ethnic identity while in uniform and on duty. To many in Kosovo, this will go unnoticed due to the aforementioned distortion of the security forces, yet it is illegal in a multiethnic society. Speaking of illegal conduct by officers at Bistrica, it is worth recalling that in January and April 2023, two citizens were shot by police at this location. One of the perpetrators of the shootings openly displayed their national affiliation while wearing the uniform of the multiethnic police. But sure, arrest marginalized and disenfranchised citizens; that will help build a democratic, multiethnic society and normal security institutions,” Andric Rakic concluded.