Elshani: The North is calm and stable, but remains sensitive to political developments

Kosovo Police Deputy Director for the northern region, Veton Elshani, assessed that the security situation in this part of the country is calm and stable. However, according to him, the situation remains delicate because of possible political actions or decisions.

Elshani said that Kosovo Police is deployed throughout the north and is currently not facing any particular security-related problem. He added that, if an incident were to occur, the institution he represents has the necessary capacities to deal with it.

“The situation in the north is calm and stable, but still delicate. The sensitivity is mainly related to possible political actions or decisions, since, from a security perspective, Kosovo Police is present throughout the region and there is no particular issue to highlight,” Elshani declared.

According to the deputy director, the police force currently has a sufficient number of personnel to manage the situation in the north.

He also highlighted the increase in the number of members of the Serbian community within Kosovo Police. Elshani said that, following a significant shortage of police personnel from this ethnic group, their number has now reached 151.

“In terms of police personnel, we are doing very well. For some time, we had a considerable shortage of Kosovo police officers of Serbian ethnicity, whereas now we have 151 Serbian members. In total, around 450 police officers are sufficient for the northern region, where the crime rate is not high and where issues are related more to politics than to crime. We are managing the situation and are ready to respond in every case,” he said.

Commenting on the European Union’s decision to pave the way for the opening of the Ibër Bridge, Elshani said that bridges are meant to bring people closer together, not divide them.

He stressed that, in addition to the main bridge, there are several other bridges in the north, while the movement of people, goods and vehicles across them poses no problem. According to him, there is no particular danger in this area, as Police are present in every part of it and intervene with all citizens, regardless of whether they are Albanian, Serbian or of other ethnic backgrounds.

“Bridges bring people together; they do not divide them. I do not want to give a specific position on the main bridge, but there is no danger in the north because Police are present everywhere. We respond to Kosovo citizens of every ethnic background and maintain public order and peace. In this case, there is more political rhetoric than real security issues,” Elshani declared to Ekonomia Online.

He also spoke about threats directed at Kosovo Police officers in the north, saying that they have faced such situations over the past four years and have now become accustomed to them.

“For four years, we have been in that area and have faced continuous threats, such as ‘we will kill you today’ or ‘we will kill you tomorrow.’ So far, they have not killed us. Police continue to perform their duty, and citizens have no reason to worry, because if the need to respond arises, we will be there,” said Veton Elshani, Kosovo Police deputy director for the northern region.