Baliqi: Police only assisted, municipality hired a company to paint over graffiti in the town

Lieutenant Erduan Baliqi, head of planning and operational evaluation of the regional operations of the Kosovo Police in the Mitrovica North region, told Kosovo Online that this morning’s action of painting over graffiti and murals in North Mitrovica and Zvecan was carried out by a company engaged by the Municipality of North Mitrovica, while the role of the KP was strictly limited to providing assistance.

“The role of the KP was to assist a company authorized by the municipality to paint over graffiti in the town. We provide assistance to any Kosovo agency that requests it from us—it is their responsibility; we only provide assistance, nothing more. We assist solely to ensure security; they all have their own plans,” Baliqi said.

When asked whether the Kosovo Police check the legality of such actions, Baliqi stressed that it was not within their jurisdiction.

“All these agencies and services have their own legal experts and people dealing with such matters; the police are not responsible for that,” he added.

The Kosovo Online team also encountered the mayor of North Mitrovica, Erden Atic, on the Mitrovica promenade.

When asked to comment on this morning’s painting over of graffiti, he briefly said:

“I don’t know anything.”

When informed that the police claimed the municipality was responsible for the action, while the Kosovo Police merely assisted, Atic had no further comment.

“Maybe, I as the mayor don’t know anything,” Atic replied briefly.