UNMIK Police Briefing Notes
29 April, 2002

MURDERS

Two murders were recorded in the past week:

The first was on April 24th in North Mitrovica at about 11:00 at night. A K-Albanian male shot another K-Albanian male, who died on the scene. The incident occurred inside a café-bar and apparently involved a dispute between two individuals who knew each other. UNMIK Police went to the scene, interviewed witnesses, and collected forensics evidence. Investigators have identified the suspect in the case and are searching for him.

The second murder occurred in Vitomirica Village (Pec Region) on April 25th at about 6:00 in the evening. A K-Albanian male was shot and killed by a known K-Albanian male, apparently as a result of a dispute. The suspect escaped on a motorcycle and police are searching for him.

ATTACK ON KPS OFFICER

A K-Albanian male KPS officer was attacked, beaten, and robbed while driving to work in Mitrovica South at about 7:00 on Saturday morning. The incident occurred in a rural area, on the track between the officer's village and the Mitrovica-Zvecan Highway. He was stopped by a group of eight Serbian-speaking males who were armed with assault rifles. They dragged him from his vehicle, severely beat him, and robbed him of personal & police property. The suspects stole his car, leaving him on the ground with a fractured skull. The officer was later transported to hospital in critical condition, but his condition has improved to "serious but stable".

FALSE EUROS

Several incidents involving counterfeit Euros have occurred recently. The Modus Operandi usually involves a 100 Euro note being used to pay for a relatively small purchase, and usually at night.

These incidents involve low-quality counterfeit money. The notes are on ordinary paper and are darker than real Euros. Also, watermarks are not visible.

UNMIK Police have arrested several suspects in various incidents for using the false money. The arrests include two men who were taken into custody on April 23rd near Kamenica. They were caught in possession of 20 false 100 Euro notes.

OVERVIEW

Crime in Kosovo continues to decline. For example, the crime statistics for the past week represent a 25% reduction as compared with the same week in 2001. We expect this trend to continue as Kosovo moves farther away from the post-conflict period and as UNMIK Police and the KPS improve our operations.