Kosovo Police Service
| Kosovo Police | |
|---|---|
Logo of the Kosovo Police
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| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 1999 |
| Employees | 9,000 |
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Governing body | Interior ministry |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Pristina, Kosovo |
| Agency executive | Shpend Maxhuni |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
Kosovo Police (Albanian: Policia e Kosovës) is the police law enforcement agency of the Republic of Kosovo.
The Kosovo Police has grown steadily since 1999, and in 2004 reached its planned full size of nearly 7,000 officers. As of 2010, it has around 9,000 employees. About 85% of Kosovo Police officers are ethnic Albanians, 15% are ethnic Serbs and other ethnic minorities.
It was created in 1999 in the aftermath of the Kosovo War and subsequent withdrawal of the Yugoslav forces from Kosovo.
The establishment of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) included a large international policing component, called the UNMIK Police. They were given two main tasks by UN Security Council Resolution 1244: 1) to establish a new police force; 2) in the meantime, to maintain civil law and order. The name for the new police force, "Kosovo Police Service", was chosen by the first international police commissioner, Sven Frederiksen.
Recruitment began immediately, and former police school premises in the city of Vučitrn were renovated by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which began to train cadets.
As of February 2008, when Kosovo declared independence, the force became a governmental agency of the Government of the Republic of Kosovo. Before, it was subordinated to the UNMIK Police, and the police commissioner retained command authority over both the international police and the Kosovo Police.
The bulk of the Kosovo Police are patrol officers. However the force has specialised investigative units in all six regions, including Organised Crime Units, Forensics Units, and several others. In addition to those specialist units in the investigative side of law enforcement, every region has a Regional Operational Support Unit (called ROSU), who are trained for times where forced entry is needed on search warrants, as well as acting as front line officers during riot situations, or in times when crowd control is necessary. The Kosovo Police Close Protection unit serves as the body guards for visiting heads of state, and for Kosovo's own political leaders.
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Wikipedia