Kosovo police demand trust in the north, Serbs want "their own": We have no faith!

Through communication, in service and protection of citizens! This is the campaign slogan for promoting the work of the Kosovo Police in Serb-majority municipalities in the north, which began on November 13 in North Mitrovica. Kosovo police said they had distributed information leaflets to the citizens and that they were "satisfied with the police's work.".

But some citizens from northern Kosovo, with whom Radio Free Europe spoke, deny that they are satisfied with the police's work and stress that they "don't trust." Miodrag Millicevic, from the NGO Aktiv in North Mitrovica, says that "ignoring reality on the part of the police shows how bad the situation is on the ground".

"The many complaints from citizens should be wake-up call for the police, but also for the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kosovo," Milicevic told Radio Free Europe.

The Kosovo Police campaign follows increasingly frequent claims by citizens and activists in the north that police "violate human rights" and even "excessive use of force."

In late October, two Kosovo police officers were suspended on the proposal of the Police Inspectorate, due to suspicion that on October 26, they mistreated The Citizen of North Mitrovica, Milos Subotic. Due to that case, a group of non-governmental organizations ceased cooperation with the European Union Rule of Law Mission - EULEX, which oversees the work of the Police in Kosovo.

The group called on international organizations and diplomatic missions to address the problem of police conduct in municipalities in northern Kosovo, where the majority population is Serb. In a statement provided to RFE/RL, Kosovo Police said the campaign to promote its work will continue in the coming days in all Serb-majority municipalities in the north - Mitrovica North, Leposavic, Zvecan and Zubin Potok.

Its purpose is said to be "confidence building." Suzana from Leposavic says this is not the first time that Kosovo Police have called on citizens for cooperation and trust, but stresses that the situation on the ground is different.

"They've overstated it. Special police check on you all the time on the street. "You can't stop anywhere," she said.

Zoran from Leposavic says that there is no cooperation between kosovo police and citizens and that the latter often feel "threatened" by the police themselves.

"We are not fools, we know what the law is, but we have to be treated a little differently," he says.

To change the situation, Zorani says it is necessary to have more of the Serb community among police officers in northern Kosovo.

"Let our people come, work people who are from this country, who know the people and the mentality. It's all psychology - in a way," he says. Even Susan says that trust in kosovo police can only return if members of the Serb community return to its ranks.

"As it was before... Let our judges come back too. "We can have more faith," she said.

Over 500 police officers from the Serb community in northern Kosovo resigned in November 2022, as part of the collective withdrawal of Serbs from Kosovo institutions, due to efforts by the Kosovo government to replace Serbian car plates.

At the time, the justice and local administration workers resigned. Meanwhile, in mid-September, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic demanded the return of Serbs to Kosovo institutions, but that, according to statements from Kosovo authorities, is not possible when it comes to police officers.

"We have waited those officials for about 30 days to review their decisions potentially. That hasn't happened. We have continued with our daily work. We have continued with the recruitment processes of [young] members of the Serbian community," Kosovo Interior Minister Xhelal Sveçla said in an interview with Radio Free Europe on September 24.

He explained that the return of police officers who have been removed from their positions is not possible now, as the laws in force do not allow such a thing. Kosovo Police tell Radio Free Europe that there are currently 68 police officers from the Serb community in the north and that the units on the ground are multiethnic. They say they are satisfied with the reaction of citizens to the promotion of police work in the north, but that they are aware that there are also critics.

"We are trying to let the citizens know that they should have confidence in the Kosovo Police," says Erduan Balic, from the Kosovo Police of the North Region.

He stresses that police are at the service of all citizens in northern Kosovo and that laws must be enforced everywhere - without exception. Miliqevic, from the NGO Aktiv, says that trust in the Kosovo Police is at a very low level and that this is also shown by the research of this organization "Trend Analysis".

"There are many complaints about the work and conduct of the police, about the treatment of minority communities, about inappropriate behavior. "This is the reality and the people are telling us that," he said.

According to him, nogovernmental sector research should be the basis for the police if it really wants to improve relations with northern citizens, not "relativize" complaints.

"If we want to talk about real increased trust, the police should look at all aspects of citizens' dissatisfaction and, in co-operation with them, come up with generally acceptable modalities," Millicevic says.

Aktiv is one of five civil society organizations that, due to the conduct of the police, stopped co-operation with EULEX until the publication of the report on the investigative procedure in the case of Miloš Subotic, a citizen of North Mitrovica, who said he was beaten by the police.

Millicevic says they have decided to take such a radical step, because The Subotic case is "the point that has filled the glass of discontent in the last three years".

"We have not had adequate response to police brutality by the international community," he said.

Milliqevic recalls that, two years ago, he personally suffered some form of violence by the Kosovo Police Special Unit. He says that the Kosovo Police Inspectorate has handed over the case to the Prosecution, but has not received any response from it to date.

"If all these cases, including my own, were investigated to the end, at least a slightly higher degree of trust would be created," he says.

The Kosovo Ministry of Internal Affairs has previously told REL that it is aware of complaints from citizens from the Serb community in northern Kosovo, regarding police work, and that it is cooperating closely with the Kosovo Police Inspectorate. She also said she is conducting a campaign to awareness of citizens to report cases to inspectors if they feel that the police do not treat them properly.