The fourth regular session of the North Mitrovica Municipal Assembly has concluded, after the commander of the North Mitrovica police station, Rexhep Kastrati, declined an invitation to attend and present a report on the security situation.
Responding to KoSSev’s inquiry earlier in the day, Deputy Regional Commander for the North, Veton Elshani, said that the police are not legally obliged to attend such sessions, stressing that there is no legal requirement for station commanders to report before municipal assemblies.
The session’s agenda had included a planned briefing by Kastrati on the current security situation in the municipality, but this did not take place.
Addressing the issue during the session, Assembly Chair Ivan Zaporožac said that the Assembly had received an email from Kastrati—written exclusively in Albanian—stating that “it is not the practice to report to councilors,” while expressing readiness to cooperate within the framework of the Security Committee.
“In accordance with the law, the police commander is obliged to attend when invited by the Municipal Assembly of North Mitrovica,” Zaporožac said.
He added that the Assembly would resend the invitation to Kastrati, calling on him to report to what he described as the legally elected representatives of the people on current issues affecting the municipality.
At the same time, Zaporožac noted that Kastrati had not refused cooperation outright, but had been “explicit” in stating that he does not wish to discuss security matters before councilors.
Elshani also pointed out that the police are obliged to participate in municipal safety structures, such as the Community Safety Council, and to submit security reports to the mayor—not the Municipal Assembly. He added that, while police may attend assembly sessions, they are not required to present reports there.
Asked repeatedly why police representatives attended such sessions in the past but not today, Elshani reiterated that “under the law, we are not obliged to attend,” adding that the same applies across Kosovo, including in Zvečan, Zubin Potok and Leposavić.
Radojević: ‘An extended hand of cooperation—left hanging’
North Mitrovica Mayor Milan Radojević said it would have been more appropriate for Kastrati to attend in person and explain his reasons for refusing to report to councilors.
“As the legally and legitimately elected representatives of this municipality, and you as councilors, I believe you have every right to convey the concerns of citizens, and at the same time to be informed about the measures the police are undertaking in our municipality and our city. Unfortunately, we were deprived of that today. Citizens remain without answers to many questions,” Radojević said.
He added that cooperation must be “two-way,” stressing that procedures had been fully respected and that “a hand of cooperation was extended, but left hanging.”
Radojević also listed a number of issues for which, he said, citizens were left without answers, including why police entered the municipal building without a warrant and removed three interns from their offices, why the head of the inspection department and inspectors were brought in for questioning, and why police do not respond to municipal requests for assistance.
He further presented a photograph showing that police commanders had attended previous sessions and reported to councilors, questioning what he described as “double standards.”
Jakšić: ‘We live in Albin Kurti’s police state’
Councilor Marko Jakšić said that in previous years, while he served in the Assembly, police station commanders had attended sessions on multiple occasions and reported on the security situation.
However, referring to Kastrati’s absence today, he said he had not previously considered whether there was a legal obligation for such attendance, but emphasized:
“As for the current commander’s absence, we live in Albin Kurti’s police state, because the police are the mechanism for implementing all decisions in the North. The police assisted the previous municipal leadership in implementing decisions, but now, when this composition has started to implement certain decisions—regardless of my disagreements with Serbian List representatives—it is unacceptable that the director of inspections is detained, questioned, and so on.”
Jakšić added that he had intended to raise a number of questions with the commander and expressed hope that councilors would insist on his presence at future sessions.
Past practice: Police previously reported to the Assembly
Despite current claims that there is no obligation, police representatives did attend and report at municipal sessions in the past.
On July 14, 2023, a report on the security situation was presented at a session by then North Mitrovica station commander Ramiz Jusufi and operations chief Besnik Madžuni.
On January 21, 2024, a regular police report was delivered to the Assembly by Deputy Regional Commander Baškim Mađuni.
Additionally, on December 20, 2024, a Kosovo Police conference was held in the municipal assembly hall, presenting a report on police work across the four northern municipalities. Speakers included Kosovo Police Director General Gazmend Hoxha, Deputy Commander Veton Elshani, operations chief Petrit Fejza, and police spokesperson Baki Kelani.
Elshani himself also took part in a public discussion on interethnic cooperation within the Municipal Community Safety Council on August 8, 2024.
These examples were cited during the session as evidence that police engagement with municipal institutions—including reporting before elected representatives—had taken place in earlier periods.
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