Police Supervision — The Case of Kosovo

Abstract

Background: The development of social relations in the democratic state of Kosovo necessitates quality regulation by the police. Therefore, the question of developing and implementing the police supervision system in Kosovo is relevant. Objectives: This research aims to explore the principles underlying the monitoring of police officers in Kosovo, to describe the historical development of the Kosovo police and to charac- terise the prerequisites for the development of police oversight. Furthermore, it aims to draw a comparative analysis between the experiences of Kosovo and the United States in the context of monitoring police performance. Methods: The research uses methods of analysis (to explore the Kosovo police as a law enforce- ment agency), synthesis (to explore the stages of policy development), comparison (to explore the similarities and differences between the activities), generalisation (to describe the effectiveness of different supervisory institutions), and formal legal analysis (to study the content of the main regulations governing activities). Results and Conclusions: The research has established that in Kosovo, such a body is represented in the context of the Police Inspectorate. The research highlighted the main areas of activity of internal and external oversight mechanisms designed to combat unethical and illegal behaviour of police officers. It examined the main regulations that establish the rights and obligations of Kosovo Police officers and inspectors and proved that the control mechanisms complement each other in the course of police supervision. In addition, the research examined the experience of police oversight in the United States. The research has established that to increase the effectiveness of monitoring police activities, it is necessary to involve public representatives. It was found that the police system consists of an internal and external mechanism that allows for covering vari- ous areas of police activity and timely detection of violations in them. Also, within the internal control, there are special departments that are part of the police system. The research findings should be used to prepare reforms and strategies to improve police performance.