Police Record 51 Cases of Illegal Weapons Possession in the North; Presence of Additional Weapons Still Possible

During the first six months of this year, Kosovo Police recorded 51 cases of illegal weapons possession in the northern municipalities. The discovery of weapons, mainly in abandoned buildings, continues to be part of police operations in this part of the country.

According to Veton Elshani, deputy commander of the Police for the northern region, 18 suspects have been identified in these 51 cases, while investigations into the other individuals are still ongoing. He assessed that the figures do not indicate an increase in risk, but rather reflect improved cooperation between northern residents and the Police.

Elshani said that removing every weapon from the north means greater security for the area. According to him, the weapons discovered in abandoned houses do not appear to be linked to any organised group, while it is particularly important that these weapons are not used in cases of domestic violence, robberies, or minor and serious bodily injuries.

The Police do not rule out the possibility that further quantities of weapons may be found in northern Kosovo. Elshani stressed that security institutions respond whenever they receive information about weapons, and that there is no area in the north where the Police cannot intervene or do not have access.

He added that cooperation with citizens has increased compared with 2023, which, according to him, helps the Police act and find weapons in any location for which they have information.

In some cases, the owners of the weapons or the suspects have been identified, while investigations continue in the remaining cases. Elshani explained that wanted individuals may be placed on Kosovo Police lists for questioning and that investigative procedures do not stop until those responsible are found. According to him, most of the 51 cases involve abandoned houses where no one was present.

Operations carried out in the north have uncovered weapons of various types, ranging from handguns and long guns to hunting rifles, M48 rifles and Kalashnikovs. Elshani said that this part of the country has had a large quantity of weapons, while their origin is not always clear, as some may have remained from the war or entered Kosovo at a later stage.

He noted that the Police have also found weapons manufactured in 2020/2021. According to Elshani, the Police’s priority remains maintaining public order and peace, as well as providing services to all citizens in the north.

The treatment of people found with weapons also depends on the prosecutor’s decision. In cases where a citizen voluntarily reports a weapon and cooperates with the Police, the prosecutor is notified and the person may be released under regular procedure. Cases have also been recorded involving hunting weapons with expired or invalid permits, which have not been assessed as a risk to overall security if the person remains at liberty.

In cases of domestic violence, people are arrested regardless of whether the weapon is found in their possession. Arrests may also take place in cases of minor or serious bodily injuries when it is assessed that there is a possibility of the offence being repeated. Elshani stressed that the law determines the cases in which a person must be detained, while the final decision is made by the prosecutor.

Serbian journalist Branislav Krstiq assessed that the issue of weapons in the north should be addressed in a broader context. He raised the question of who armed the Serbs, whether the process had approval from KFOR or international security forces, and how a large quantity of weapons passed through border, or rather administrative, crossing points.

According to Krstiq, it would have been crucial for a joint decision to be made at one point, under which the party that armed the Serbs would be obliged to disarm them within one or two months. He said that, instead, individual cases have been left to be handled by the state of Kosovo and its police apparatus.

Krstiq considered that small quantities of individual weapons or ammunition could be remnants of former war veterans and developments over recent decades in the Balkans. However, according to him, the existence of bunkers or depots containing larger quantities of weapons could be a cause for concern.

He said that Kosovo is armed and that an operation for the voluntary surrender of weapons could produce results. Krstiq recalled that KFOR, since the arrival of the international peacekeeping mission, has on several occasions organised weapons surrender initiatives, to which Kosovo citizens have responded. According to him, it is not known whether such an initiative would have an effect in the north, since Serbs have not had this opportunity.

He also mentioned the level of armament among Albanian citizens in the Metohija region, namely in the Dukagjini Plain, Drenica and Podujeva. Krstiq said that the state of Kosovo appears to have initially directed the search for and confiscation of weapons towards people who could potentially undermine the country’s stability in the near future. Nevertheless, he assessed that weapons south of the Ibar River could also become a serious long-term security problem for all Kosovo citizens.

According to Krstiq, citizens in the north have no reason to feel less safe because of the weapons discovered or weapons that may still exist. He referred to Kosovo Police reports, saying that there have been no killings among citizens and no armed incidents in the north.

At the same time, he stressed that armed incidents occur almost every month in Pristina, Gjilan and Ferizaj. Krstiq said that the focus of police forces in the north is justified, considering the incident at the Ibar-Lepenac canal and the events in Banjska. According to him, the quantities of weapons in the north cannot endanger the stability of either the state or citizens in this part of Kosovo.

Krstiq assessed that the weapons found may have different origins. Some of them, according to him, may be equipment left behind by the Yugoslav, or Serbian, police or army, and a legacy of civilians mobilised during the bombing of Yugoslavia.

He stressed that the existence of newer weapons and equipment is particularly concerning. In this case, Krstiq said, the Police should investigate whether the weapons could be part of a plan for destabilising actions within Kosovo, or whether they are equipment from an outdated project that, with the consolidation of Kosovo’s sovereignty in the north, has been left without owners and without any real use.

The discovery of weapons in northern Kosovo continues to be handled by security institutions. Kosovo Police state that they intervene in response to every piece of information they receive about hidden weapons, while authorities assess that the security situation has not worsened. Experts on developments in the north, meanwhile, stress the need to clarify the origin of the weapons and verify whether larger quantities of arms exist.