Discussion on security in Northern Kosovo: Police increase presence, citizens lack trust

A discussion titled "Security Challenges and Trust: Police-Community Relations in Northern Kosovo" was held at the Center for Civic Energy by NGO Aktiv, presenting an analysis of the daily challenges faced by citizens in northern Kosovo. Deputy Commander for the North Region, Veton Elshani, stated that the police have increased patrols in North Mitrovica, while Teodora Zivanovic from NGO Aktiv warned that citizens lack trust in the police due to most cases not being prosecuted.

Besides the organizers, numerous civil society organizations and representatives from EULEX participated in the panel. The Mayor of North Mitrovica, Erden Atic, also took part in the discussion.
Elshani told Kosovo Online that the meeting was productive and proposed holding such meetings biweekly or monthly to work together on improving citizens' lives. He noted that police patrols had been reinforced in North Mitrovica.

“Regarding sexual harassment, we created an operational plan. It includes two officers on five streets—one of them wearing a body camera, one or both speaking Serbian—and a static point in the Bosniak Mahala. At night, we have more officers in plain clothes, and I believe that's a sufficient number. We started implementing this plan on May 23, and we’re already seeing positive results. We stop and check people, issue fines—for example, for tinted windows—and a few nights ago, we even found narcotics. There has been improvement. The general director of police has already issued orders regarding sexual harassment, and the Kosovo Police Inspectorate and EULEX are involved as observers. We believe this meeting was good and that we can achieve a lot together,” concluded Elshani.

Teodora Zivanovic from NGO Aktiv stated that after today’s meeting, it can be said that the police show understanding for the problems facing citizens in the north, emphasizing that Elshani explained that patrols have been increased and that officers who speak Serbian are always included.

“There are differences in perception between the police and citizens. The police claim that citizens report problems and that they address them. However, citizens say they don’t trust the police and that most of the cases are not prosecuted—that the police turn them away and tell them to file private lawsuits against perpetrators. I think the lack of trust is the reason why most citizens don’t report their issues,” said Zivanovic, adding that she hopes the police will work on this so everyone can live in a safe environment.

After the meeting, Mayor of North Mitrovica Erden Atic told Kosovo Online that during his two-year term, he has been working hard to improve life for citizens in North Mitrovica.

“As mayor, I try to give my all, and so does the municipality. For anyone dissatisfied, we have a mailbox in the municipality where citizens can send letters and voice their concerns, even anonymously. We’ll keep trying to improve. We came into power under difficult circumstances, but every month we have more employees of Serbian ethnicity, and I’m proud that the municipality functions better each month,” said Atic.