Citizens have submitted over 900 complaints to the Police Inspectorate of Kosovo.

During this year, this institution has recommended the suspension of over 100 police officers, while over 90 are under arrest.

The chief executive of IPK, in the interview for KosovaPress, also talks about the case where the former vice-president of Skenderaj, Nuredin Lushtaku, is suspected of attacking two police officers in Skenderaj.

Chief Kushtrim Hodaj tells KosovaPress that this year there are also a large number of complaints against members of the Kosovo Police.

"Even this year there was a relatively high number, from January 1 until today we have received over 900 complaints, which have been handled and are being handled in the relevant departments in the IPK... They are complaints about various police behaviors, starting from mistreatment during the exercise of official duty, for misuse, for accepting bribes in some cases, for improper behavior, for dissatisfaction with the imposition of fines for misdemeanors", he declares.

During these six months, the Police Inspectorate has also carried out the extensive operation coded under the name "Point 1" and "Point 2", where over 70 members of the Kosovo Police have been arrested and suspended.

"This year we had the largest number of recommendations for suspension and arrests.

Due to the two or three cases that we developed in the fight against corruption, the cases related to the corrupt policemen at the border at three border points.

Or the well-known operations (point one, point two), where 76 police officers were arrested and suspended in these two cases alone.

The total number of suspended during these seven months exceeds 117 or 118 officials, and more than 90 officials are arrested", he adds.

Hodaj also talks about the incident a few days ago against two police officials, where among the suspects is the former vice president of Skenderaj, Nuredin Lushtaku.

In this case, two police officers were injured.

He emphasizes that until this stage of the investigation, it is said that the police were attacked and were forced to use force.

"The initial assessment of the guardian prosecutor and the investigators was that at this stage there are no doubts about police officers involved in criminal acts.

And at this moment that we are talking about, there are no doubts about police officials, then it is within the competence of the Kosovo Police and the Prosecutor's Office to carry out further investigations.

We are following as a case, the moment there is information and evidence emerges implicating police officials in violations or in excess of force or use of weapons outside the rules provided by the Kosovo Police, we will of course be involved and take the necessary actions investigation", Hodaj emphasizes for KosovaPress.

However, the chief executive officer of the PIK adds that excessive use of force is typical of the police.

"Exceeding the use of force or mistreatment during the exercise of official duty or causing injuries to citizens is one of the typical offenses that usually occurs in the police, because the police is an authorized body to use force and when this is exceeded then it constitutes a violation and an offense criminal.

Of course, there is often a fine line that separates the use of force based on the rules that the police have.

In this case, it has been reported as a case of the use of force and is being investigated by the internal commissions of the police, but we are also following it up in cooperation with the responsible prosecutor from the moment the actions of the police are identified that are contrary to rules and the law, of course actions will be taken against the police officials", he says.

Four years ago, the Police Inspectorate of Kosovo requested the suspension of over 90 police officers, who were suspected of having mental health problems.

They are former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army with war invalid status.

A criminal complaint has been filed for this case, which is being handled at the Basic Prosecutor's Office in Pristina.

"It has to do with the case of the disabled of the Kosovo Liberation Army, or the disabled of the war who are part of the Kosovo Police.

At that time, it was a recommendation because it was estimated that during the development of the investigations, some of those who had, among other things, health problems should be suspended.

However, there was a process where they were re-sent for checks and most of them turned out not to have those health problems.

However, we have also filed a criminal complaint for this category and for this number of employees, and the case is being handled at the Basic Prosecutor's Office in Pristina", concludes Hodaj.

Last year, the Kosovo Police Inspectorate handled over two thousand citizen complaints against members of the Kosovo Police./kp/