Doing it by the book: police and human rights in Kosovo

That, however, is easier said than done.

"One of the main challenges we face is making sure that actions taken by a relatively young police force are in line with the international human rights standards and procedural codes of conduct," says Christopher Decker, Advisor on Human Rights and Security Issues at the OSCE Mission in Kosovo.

Many KPS officers are still working on developing their knowledge of procedural codes and international human rights standards. Sergeant Atrim Myrtas of Gjilan/Gnjilane police station has been with the force for six years as an investigator.

"You can never stop learning," Atrim says. "Every day we continue to develop our knowledge and get better at doing our jobs."

Tackling information overload

Atrim's international colleagues in the UN civilian police, who monitor the work of the KPS, say that the way it operates is highly professional. Nonetheless, violations of the Provisional Criminal Procedural Code and human rights, although not frequent, do still occur.

These violations mostly concern procedures applied during arrest, detention or investigation, the treatment of juveniles, freedom of assembly, or relations between police and the media.

"To do their job properly, police officers like Atrim need to memorize over 500 articles of the Criminal Procedure Code, as well as all the international human rights provisions that relate to police conduct," says Christopher.

And while Atrim wants to conduct his duties "by the book", he says that the information overload makes this difficult.

The training that he and over 7,000 of his colleagues have received at the Kosovo Police Service School (KPSS) - run by the OSCE Mission - has prepared them well. Nonetheless, when they are out in the field doing their jobs, chances for procedural errors are great.

Pocket-size booklet

To further help the police in their work and reduce the possibility of misconduct, the OSCE Mission in Kosovo issued a pocket-size booklet in February called Human Rights and Law Enforcement: A Booklet of Human Rights for Police.

The booklet provides police officers with access to and guidance on the most important provisions of the Provisional Criminal Procedure Code and international human rights standards. Divided into 18 thematic chapters, it enables officers to search the laws and find information vital to protecting every individual's rights.

Prior to introducing the booklet, the Mission piloted a shorter version amongst domestic and international police officers in the area covered by Atrim's station - the Gjilan/Gnjilane region, some 40 km south-east of Prishtinë/Pristina - which was very well received.

Atrim's well-thumbed copy testifies to how often it was consulted. "I always have the booklet with me and when in doubt I browse it for the answers," he says. He adds, however, that he finds it unprofessional to consult the booklet during procedures, so he takes any free moment to brush up on the guidelines.

Easily accessible source

By carrying a booklet that condenses a massive amount of information into a pocket-size guide, officers have an easily accessible source of information that enables them to improve their knowledge of procedures.

Atrim says that as a recruit, he often wished such a resource was available. Fortunately, his newly-recruited colleagues will have that privilege.

Copies of the booklet in Albanian, Serbian and English will be distributed to all police station and officers throughout Kosovo in March. There will also be a series of accompanying training sessions on human rights issues.

"The Mission expects the complementary nature of the booklets and the training sessions to improve the knowledge of all officers and to lower the number of criminal procedure violations," says Christopher Decker.

Real beneficiaries

The real beneficiaries, however, are the Kosovans themselves. A police force that is well-informed about human rights and procedural codes is better equipped to protect its population.

As the situation in Kosovo stabilises and international involvement with security matters is gradually reduced, officers like Atrim and his colleagues in the KPS are becoming a pillar of public safety.

The booklet and the accompanying training sessions for Kosovo's police are valuable tools the OSCE Mission and other international partners can use to support the process.