Low salaries, lack of basic equipment, and difficult working conditions continue to be a challenge for police officers in Kosovo, while resignations from the Kosovo Police are also occurring due to dissatisfaction with institutional treatment.
The Kosovo Police Union and former members of the Police have raised concerns about working conditions, lack of equipment, and salaries that they consider insufficient for the level of risk that police officers face.
Former Kosovo Police Colonel Refki Morina told Ekonomia Online that the work of police officers is constantly dangerous and for this reason they should have more dignified salaries.
"Knowing the role of security institutions, the Kosovo Police, which plays in protecting public order and peace, I think that salaries should be more dignified, meaning better, since they are constantly in danger. Their 24-hour work is dangerous, therefore special, concrete and other units should have dignified salaries, so that they can exist and support their families. Therefore, a police officer who does not have dignified salaries, professionalism, even though professional, may lose their professionalism, because, that is, they are forced to support their families, their children and in this way, that is, they depend entirely on salaries, on income. Therefore, the state should invest more in salaries, invest in the dangerousness of police members, especially the relevant operations units, serious crimes units, economic crimes, then drugs, human trafficking and other units, meaning in the "who have a greater risk in terms of work, because they are always faced with such risks and the state must invest more, that is, in police officers, so that they can be raised in terms of both professional, moral, and human, so that they have the will to go to work and perform their duties according to the regulations and the law on the police," said Morina.
He said that the Kosovo Police continues to face a lack of logistics and basic equipment for work.
"We have constantly had problems with logistics, therefore a professional police force, capable of protecting public order and peace, must also have their own technical and technological equipment. For example, in some police regions of Kosovo there is a lack of vehicles, in some places there is a lack of clothing, the most basic things that a police officer must be equipped with to carry out their work and duties. Also, in certain units, which are online 24 hours a day for certain actions, they must also have food from the institution, that is, free of charge, because good food and clothing keep the police officers more effective, more conscientious, more careful in their duties, and so on. That is why we have such shortages and I think that the procurement within the police and the police management must do their best to regulate these things, in terms of technology and technology. For example, we also lack computers, we lack other photocopiers, which many times the police officers are forced to perform duties with their own money, photocopy the official side of documents outside the police station, which is prohibited by law. Therefore, to stop these illegal actions, to prevent buying parts of the uniform in the submarket, the institution, the internal management of the Kosovo Police, must take care so that their technique and technology are at the right level, because they patrol 24 hours non-stop and if the vehicle is not in order, if they do not have a vehicle, then it also means the speed of exiting the scene, the determination of various cases and citizens' calls may be delayed", said Morina.
According to him, resignations from the Kosovo Police are also occurring as a result of dissatisfaction with salaries and promotions.
"Unfortunately, there are resignations of police officers, due to insufficient salaries, then due to lack of due care towards police officers in carrying out their official duties, in their internal promotions, which promotions in their other positions often demoralize them and due to such demoralization they are forced to leave the Kosovo Police," said Morina.
Meanwhile, the president of the Kosovo Police Union, Avdi Hoti, in a written response to Ekonomia Online, said that the lack of health and life insurance remains one of the main concerns of police officers.
"Working conditions and the well-being of police officers, the lack of health and life insurance for police officers, is one of the main challenges and concerns. Risk allowances are considered insufficient compared to the risk of the job. Working on night shifts or on duty is not paid enough. Physical conditions in the field, the lack of basic infrastructure in some places," he said.
He said that the Kosovo Police continues to lack operational means and modern equipment.
"There are shortages in operational means, such as vehicles, various protective equipment and modern technology, as well as a lack of more advanced equipment. The resignations of police officers in different periods have created a void in the Kosovo Police, but these resignations have been for different reasons, not only because of salaries, but also because police officers have secured better jobs and have found themselves better off outside the Kosovo Police," said Hoti.
He added that the Police Union continues to demand the approval of the law on the retirement of police officers at the age of 55.
"Regarding the law on police retirement at the age of 55, the Kosovo Police Union has always insisted that this law be made as soon as possible and enter into force immediately, and be like the KSF law or similar to the KSF law, but so far this law is not in force, even though it is necessary for the Kosovo Police," he said.
Hoti also spoke about the lack of uniforms, blaming procurement processes and the cancellation of tenders.
"Uniforms in the Kosovo Police are lacking and since 2021 the Kosovo Police has had challenges in this regard, although there has always been a commitment to providing uniforms, but the problem has been the Procurement Review Body, which has canceled the tenders that were declared winners, where recently the Kosovo Police in local courts, such as the Basic Court, has won these cases and the case for uniforms has also been won in the Court of Appeals and very soon the Kosovo Police will be equipped with new uniforms," he said. /Ekonomia Online
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