Radakovic: Kurti’s announcement on establishing a gendarmerie part of election campaign

The Executive Director of the NGO Advocacy Center for Democratic Culture (ACDC), Dušan Radakovic, stated that the claims made by Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, regarding the necessity of establishing a gendarmerie are part of an election campaign, noting that there are more police bases in northern Kosovo than in Israel and Palestine.

Commenting on Kurti’s statement that numerous attacks had been recorded in recent years, particularly in northern Kosovo, Radakovic pointed out that significantly more incidents occur in Pristina and other predominantly Albanian areas than in the north.

“If we look at how many bases we have in the north, I believe there are fewer bases in Israel and Palestine than we have in northern Kosovo. More are still being opened, and they continue to be opened. Two or three new bases were opened just last week. We can no longer keep track of how many there are. Yet since the Banjska incident in 2023, we have not had a single serious incident. So why so many bases, so many police officers, and so many special units in the north when there has not been a single incident? We have more problems and more murders in Pristina, Prizren, Peja, and other parts of Kosovo where such bases and special units do not exist,” Radakovic said.

He added that he would have no objection to the formation of a gendarmerie if it genuinely contributed to improving security throughout Kosovo, but he doubts that this is the real objective of the initiative.

“I am afraid this is merely an election campaign pamphlet,” Radakovic said.

Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti stated that the establishment of a gendarmerie is necessary in order to respond to current security challenges and fill the gap between the Kosovo Police and the Kosovo Security Force (KSF).

He added that the gendarmerie would be mandated to secure the “land, water, and air border line, conduct operations against terrorist and armed groups, combat smuggling, and protect critical infrastructure.”