Kosovo Police

It consists of five departments and eight regional directorates and is represented at the political level by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Public Administration of the Republic of Kosovo.

According to the UN Security Council Resolution 1244, UNMIK had a mandate to establish a new police force in Kosovo, and in the meantime, to maintain civil law and order.

[5] The Kosovo government reacted by temporarily replacing the resignees with Albanian policemen, which resulted in protests by the local Serb population.

The only exception is in the north of Kosovo, where Kosovo Serbs form a local majority; there, since the 2013 Brussels Agreement, the regional director is appointed by the Interior Minister, after a joint proposal of candidates by the mayors of North Mitrovica, Zubin Potok, Zvečan and Leposavić.

They additionally inspect the road infrastructure and make recommendations to the local and national authorities with regards to improvements that would reduce the possibility of accidents.

SIG was equipped, coached, and trained by a team of UNMIK professional specialised instructors from France, Egypt, Germany, Bulgaria, the US, and Denmark.

SIU was involved in the Banjska attack on 24 September 2023, in which its troops neutralized an armed group that had earlier murdered a sergeant of the Public Safety Division during a patrol.

[12] Officers completed their basic training in Great Britain and developed their skills under the monitoring of international instructors.

The Unit for Treatment of Explosives is part of the Department of Operations and responds to calls from all 8 of Kosovo's Regional Police Directorates.

The unit specializes in responding to cases of bomb threats, the threat by chemical and biological weapons, disposing of bombs, investigating post-blast scenes, conducting searches in high-risk facilities, compiling expert reports for courts, as well as assisting other specialized units in their operations.

As a result, the Directorate for Securing of Objects with Special Importance and Personalities (DSOSIP) was established and the Close Protection Unit became a part of it.

The units of the directorate provide personal protection to the president, prime minister, speaker of assembly, government buildings, embassies based in Kosovo, as well as objects of cultural or religious importance.

The Close Protection Unit also undertakes tactical operations, escorting delegations, and evacuations of both international staff and Kosovo Police officers.

[13] The five directorates deal with the investigation of criminal offences against the life and property of other persons, the finding of traces at crime scenes, damage to the environment, offences against the law and the constitutional order of Kosovo, war crimes, collection of intelligence, prevention of terrorist acts by disabling terrorist organizations, and cooperation with other departments of the agency and other agencies in Kosovo and abroad.

[13] The main tasks of the division are related to the prevention and combating of offences related to organized crime, intimidation of witnesses, smuggling of migrants, smuggling of weapons, piracy, kidnappings, cyber-crimes, unauthorized distribution of confidential information, distribution of narcotics, trafficking of human organs, and human trafficking.

[13] The Anticorruption Task force is a specialized division of the Department of Investigations that treats cases of misuse of public office.

It is an investigative division that directly assists the Special Prosecution of the Republic of Kosovo on crimes of financial character and corruption.

[14] The Border Department strives to ensure the free movement of people, goods, and services, and to prevent cross-border crime.

It makes risk assessments and its work mainly consists of observing and monitoring border crossings, and reacting when needed.

[14] Kosovo has common border-crossing points with Albania and North Macedonia, meaning that citizens crossing the border are only legitimized once.

It investigates criminal offences conducted by police officers, as well as violations of operating standards and laws by the institution as a whole.

Flag of the Kosovo Police
A member of the Kosovo Police holds the flag of the agency.
A member of the Kosovo Police helps an Afghan child after her arrival at the Pristina International Airport .
Members of the Kosovo Police Road Traffic Division.
Kosovo Police's Special Operations Unit conducting riot control during a demonstration.
Members of the Special Interventions Unit during a building-clearing exercise.
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. assists a member of the Kosovo Police Bomb Squad with the detonation cord for a demolition range in Rahovec .
The Close Protection Unit
Narcotics confiscated by the Kosovo Police.
Kosovo Police officer talking to a driver during an awareness campaign related to human trafficking.
A border officer checking a traveler's passport at Prishtina International Airport
The graduation of the cadets of the 58th generation of the Kosovo Police Academy in 2023.