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TO SERVE AND PROTECT
By
Derek CHAPPELL

The September sun was unusually warm. It made the long climb up the dirt road hot and difficult work. The line of people slowed as it met the hill, but the importance of the occasion pushed them on.

Women, children and men, in uniforms from around the world, in their working clothes straight from the fields, in their best jackets and suits – brought out for events as important as this – all driven on by a single purpose.

They moved in a slow motion tide of humanity through the village. Local people watched from windows. Children stared in awe from alongside the procession. Families stood together, framed in the windows of nearby houses. Old ladies opened their doors just enough to look, self consciously from privacy.

Alongside the narrow street families had set out tables with cold water, soft drinks and biscuits to refresh those who passed and to make their own contribution to the occasion.

There was silence. No barking dogs. No car engines. No radios. No talking. Just the sound of thousands of feet moving in common purpose. The silence was solemn.

The effect was powerful, and compelling.

From the summit of the hill the view was majestic. The village of Petrovce nestled against the base of the hill, protected from the world beyond. On the opposite hillside of the valley a herd of cows slowly grazed their way across a field to the shade of a tree.

It was tranquil. The villages of red tiled houses slept in the autumn warmth. The world was at peace.

And still the human tide defied gravity and flowed to the top of the hill.

The human wave carried flowers, and wreaths, and pictures. It cried and grieved. It followed a car. Inside the car was the body of Lazim Rexhepi, resident of Petrovce, father of a five year old son, husband of a loving wife and the first Kosovo Police Service officer to have been murdered on duty.

At 04:15 in the morning on Tuesday, September 11, Lazim Rexhepi had been asleep in his home. He was woken by the sounds of activity outside. His police experience and training told him that there was something wrong. Outside there was a crime taking place. In his village. Against his neighbours.

His professional promise of service to his community prevailed and, after telephoning another off duty Kosovo Police Service officer who lived in the village, he went outside to investigate.

An armed gang were stealing cows from the village. Disturbed by the two policemen they attempted to flee. The officers tried to block their escape with a car and a fierce gun battle erupted. Both officers were hit by bullets. The criminals fled. The injured policemen were found by the residents of the village who took them to hospital in Gnjilane. Lazim Rexhepi died of his injuries. His colleague, Avdullah Musliu, was critically injured but is now thankfully recovering.

Standing on the hill which will be the final resting place of Lazim Rexhepi, it appears that the entire village has come to pay its respect to someone who paid the ultimate price to protect them. There is sadness and there are tears. Women cry. Men sit on the ground smoking cigarettes and silently reflecting. New Kosovo Police Service recruits in their brown uniforms stand in thoughtful consideration of the responsibility they have taken on.

Looking down into the valley, people are appearing from fields, as if by magic. Across the valley on the opposite hill the cows graze, cows much like the ones

that Lazim Rexhepi died for on Tuesday. A mans life lost to save three cows. Hardly a fair exchange when seen in those terms.

But Lazim Rexhepi did not die saving cows. He died for a principle. He died in the service of his home and his people. He died for the highest of principles and, as we mourn his loss we should also celebrate his courage and vision.

At the funeral, policemen from 50 countries came to honour a lost colleague. There is a bond of brotherhood that exists between all police officers, regardless of uniform. It is a bond that is based on a shared commitment to defend values and principles, even if doing so involves personal risk. We have all seen examples of this in the terrible tragedy in New York. Service over self. The public good over personal safety. These are the noblest characteristics of humans and we recognize the Kosovo Police Service as a full member of the international community of police.

There is a special bond between a people and their police, a bond based on trust. And confidence. And respect. The public know that the police are doing the job that they themselves would otherwise have to do, providing the security that underlies all freedom and allows individuals to pursue hopes and dreams.

What gives a police officer the strength and dedication to risk his life and safety?

It is knowing that he does not act alone. It is knowing that, although he acts as one, he acts with the support of many. His strength is the strength of all the individuals who believe in what he does, what he is and what he represents. His confidence originates from certainty in the knowledge that he is the uniformed, practical expression of the combined morality of a people united behind him and his badge.

With that knowledge the Police are strong and effective and the people have security. Without it the Police are morally and practically unfocused, open to political influence and personal doubt.

Kosovo enjoys security today due to the actions of patriots from within, and the support of friends such as NATO beyond its borders. They fought for freedom. And won it. What is important now is what you do with that freedom.

The new enemy is not an army at the border. The enemies now are the criminals who steal and rob, who abduct people from the street, who assault and rape women, who deal drugs, who break into schools, who intimidate political rivals, who disobey the law and show disrespect to those who enforce it, who steal cows at 04:15 in the morning.

Kosovo must turn inwards and confront the enemies within. To do so will require courage, but it must be done. The rule of law is the foundation of freedom and in establishing law and order the officers of the Kosovo Police Service are the new Freedom Fighters of Kosovo.