Visit our website: HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK ---------------------------------------------AIM, 17 rue Rebeval, 75019 Paris, France, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
SAT, 04 AUG 2001 23:47:25 GMT
Either Be a Policeman or Unemployed
AIM Pristina, July 30, 2001
The Kosovo police force will get 1,500 new officers by next year. The
process of selecting candidates for training is already under way.
Thousands of people lined up in front of police stations for days just
to obtain the application forms. The interest was enormous, says a
spokesman for the U.N. police, Charlie Johnson. According to him, "in
the first three days alone about 20,000 forms were distributed, and
20,000 more had to be printed." It seems that an additional 5,000 have
been handed out as well, which brings the total number of applicants to
45,000. Police officials were delighted with such a massive response to
their advertisement, and for several reasons. The police spokesman
explains that only three years ago the population of Kosovo was scared
to death of the police, whereas now "the existing force patrolling the
streets has made this job attractive to many young people." The
policemen patrolling Kosovo's streets are civil, they stick to
regulations and are not corrupt, international officials claim.
Humanitarian and human rights organizations, such as the Committee for
Protecting Human Rights and Freedoms, have not registered a single
instance of Kosovo police violating an individual's rights. Maybe that
is why officials are so enthusiastic, especially in comparison with the
times when Kosovo was controlled by the men in "blue" uniforms, which
became a symbol of terror.
The official enthusiasm, however, reflects only one side of the
issue. If there were no violations of human rights on the part of the
police, there were frequent violations of the rights of young police
officers by ordinary citizens. U.N. police spokesman Derek Chapell
announced some disturbing data on violence against police. Chapell added
that "Kosovo police force was a cornerstone of Kosovo's future, and
people's refusal to present I.D. and to allow for enforcement of the law
is a sign that their society lacks maturity." This statement came after
a series of attacks on police. In only two weeks of July there were 17
such physical and verbal assaults on members of the force, says a U.N.
police report. "We provide Kosovo with a democratic and professional
police service. Many among them are young, idealistic, filled with pride
and hopes for the future..."
Their attitude will depend on the respect they get from the public.
Violence and disrespect will discourage them and they will have to
become much ruder," Chapell warned. Most incidents, according to
statistics, occur during routine checks of vehicles involved in minor
incidents, but there were also occasions when suspected criminals
threatened police officers who were off duty or during arrest attempts.
Chapell said officials noticed that in Kosovo people tend to resort
to extreme violence to resolve petty disputes. "It seems there is a firm
resolve now to use violence against these people who have courageously
decided to serve in the Kosovo police force and protect their fellow
citizens," he said.
It appears that the UNMIK police force and the Kosovo police service
will no longer tolerate "the norm of disrespect and arrogance."
According to Chapell, in all 17 incidents the perpetrators were
apprehended and most of them were appropriately punished, though he gave
no details on their punishment. Well-informed observers and
psychologists explain this attitude as inherited from the period of war
and not so distant past. In Kosovo, uniforms have for long personified
"law, force, and a foreign state," and this is why more time is needed
for the people to get used to new uniforms. This, however, is not the
sole explanation. The new Kosovo police are "meek" and trained in
accordance with "the values of Western democracies where the law is
above its guardians." Observance of regulations during identity checks
and searches leaves civilians with the impression that, right or wrong,
they can offer resistance. Kosovo police are poorly protected and their
powers are limited. They have been patrolling for quite some time with
international police, but are not armed and cannot act independently...
Despite all this international officials claim the force has become
very attractive for many people wanting to join its ranks. The best
proof of that, in their view, is the fact that 45,000 applied for 1,500
new jobs. They have to pass several months of training in a police
academy before obtaining a chance to put on the uniform and be assigned
to active duty.
But the figure is also an indicator of yet another side of Kosovo's
reality. It shows that many people are desperately trying to find work.
Labor department officials say that the unemployment rate is very high.
Lajos Hejti, an official of this department, says there are some 200,000
registered unemployed people, but that the unofficial figure is probably
much higher. He says that between 60-80 percent of the potential work
force has no steady work, which is a European record!
The contention for work with the Kosovo police service is the best
indicator, officials of the labor department say, because only one in 30
applicants will be selected.
Besnik Bala
(AIM)
------------------------------------------------- This Discussion List is the follow-up for the old stopnato @listbot.com that has been shut down
==^================================================================ EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9spWA Or send an email To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This email was sent to: [email protected] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
