The 27-year-old suspicious death in Lipjan, former Police Director: Young cops are prepared enough to use force

Five police officials have been suspended after the decision by Kosovo Police Inspectorate, a sergeant and four police officials have been involved in the incident in Lipjan, where 27-year-old Agon Zejnullahu died after his arrest, Periscopi reports.

In this case, former Kosovo Police Director General Rashit Qalaj has spoken.

Qalaj told Periscopi that the new generations of police are not properly prepared in terms of the use of force, according to him, the three-month performance at the Academy for Public Security should be extended to seven months as it used to be.

I think it's a serious problem that we're seeing as Kosovo citizens, in the new generations of police that I think are not properly prepared in terms of the use of force, and this is due to short training Kosovo police currently have at the Academy for Public Security.

Training for the new cadets and police is actually only three months I think it's a mistake and it's still going to be extended to the 7-month term as it used to be, and it's also very important that the police who conduct the academy for public security, when they get to the field, return to field training. To make a performance assessment by field trainers for the two-year term, and I think it will have a direct impact on their behavior, on their discipline in standards applications as it should for the use of force, and especially on communication with citizens with the way of communication with citizens”, he said.

Qalaj added criticism to Police Director General Gazmend Hoxha, saying she must work harder on returning police integrity.

Former Kosovo Police General Director Hoxha “added that it should be much more strict, more demanding, less at the cafe and more engaged”.

I think management has to do and return police integrity to the general director, he is responsible along with the police management and then until the police station, and to be more concrete until the leader of the entire chain shift are responsible for how young police officers work, communication mode, behavioral approach, duty approach and so on”.

In the end, Qalaj has a message for citizens, adding that in cases where citizens risk security in the country, police have mandates that “use proportional force”.

Every time a citizen disobeys police orders, the police are equipped with the equipment he has been given service and when a citizen is violent against another citizen, against someone's life, against property or the life of police then the Kosovo Police have the mandate to make the arrest using the right proportional force in proportion to the threat. Not two three people make the arrest of one person, but to apply the methods they have learned at the Public Security Academy about the way they are arrested, the response either by using equipment or by the methods they are called in the Kosovo Police, Qalaj said./Periscopi/

These are the 5 officers suspended for the 27-year-old Lipjan case.

These are the 5 officers suspended for the 27-year-old Lipjan case.

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