The United States of America donated seven drones to the Kosovo police on Wednesday, the use of which aims to increase the level of public security in the country.
The US ambassador to Pristina, Jeff Hovenier, said during a ceremony that the speed with which drones can be sent wherever they are needed made them useful life-saving devices.
The drones were donated to Kosovo police about three weeks after an attack by a group of armed Serbs in the northern village of Banjska, where a police officer was killed. Three attackers were also killed during the clashes, which raised concerns about stability in the region.
“Considering the scale of criminal activities of organized crime groups in the region, these drone systems will be an essential resource for Kosovo’s law enforcement agencies to combat criminal activities on the ground and in the air,” the ambassador said. Hovenier.
The director of the Kosovo police, Gazmend Hoxha, said that the drones were selected by the experts of the Kosovo police in cooperation with the experts of the American government.
He said that today’s donations “will have a positive effect on increasing the capacities of the police to manage situations on the ground, such as in the management of major events such as protests, concerts, public demonstrations, as well as in the monitoring of Kosovo’s borders and in security operations. other aspects of the investigation that the Kosovo police will carry out in the future”.
American Ambassador Hovenier emphasized that today’s donation reflects the American commitment to the development of the Kosovo police.
“And it is an additional manifestation of the trust that we have in the Republic of Kosovo to carry out independent missions in the war against narcotics and for law enforcement”, said the American ambassador, underlining that in the last five years the United States has donated more than 20 million dollars in aid for the modernization and improvement of law enforcement institutions in Kosovo.