Islami: Strategy and institutional coordination needed; number of police officers on the ground should be increased

Security expert Avni Islami stated that Kosovo needs coordinated measures by all institutions to improve the security situation, including a crime prevention strategy. He particularly emphasized the importance of increasing the presence of police patrols on the ground.

Commenting on the growing number of murders in Kosovo, Islami said that all institutions should be involved in preventing such cases.

“All Kosovo institutions should develop strategies, not only those armed with the force of law, such as the police. The mayor, municipal councilors, NGOs, the prime minister, all ministries, along with the Agency for Emergency Management… Everyone should be active and oversee the movement of citizens as well as places where people gather,” he said.

Islami believes it is necessary to increase the number of police officers on the ground, both in uniform and in plain clothes. In this way, he argued, individuals prepared to commit crimes would not feel secure.

“Static checkpoints should be established by the police, and it is especially important for police to patrol on foot rather than by car, because the uniform itself has an effect. In addition, the number and effectiveness of plainclothes police, which already exist, should be increased. Those considering committing a crime, or who have already committed one, should not feel safe, whether it concerns theft or the next murder,” Islami concluded.