UNMIK ON AIR

“Car theft – the most common crime in Kosovo”

15^th january 2004

(By Valon A. Syla)

It seems that among all the crimes committed in Kosovo, car theft is the most common. Getting a driving license for the first time is a very big deal – especially so for a young man from Kosovo, where it’s seen as a notch on the belt of manhood. However for this reporter, this day will only serve as a reminder of two stolen cars; and yet I’m just one more case in the list of the hundreds. During last year 872 similar cases occurred throughout Kosovo, mainly in the Prishtina region.

Hello and welcome to this edition of UNMIK on Air,

This might be a familiar picture for you; you’ve gone shopping to the supermarket in your car only to find yourself coming back home on foot. A professional car thief only needs 30 to 60 seconds to make your car disappear and if it is Volkswagen Golf 2, it may be stolen even faster.

Prishtina region is Kosovo’s hotspot for car break-ins or thefts. Over the last two years 1,200 cases of car thefts have been reported to the police. 30 year-old Liridon is one of those victims; his car was broken into some months ago.

Liridon: “My car was broken into right behind my building. When I got up in the morning, I found it with its window smashed, and the cassette player was missing. The first thing that comes to your mind in these cases is to call the police. But to tell you the truth, they only came after one and a half hours I gave them the report, and they told me that I would be informed if something was found.”

Car theft cases are quiet high in Kosovo; during 2002 the police registered 1.306 cases, but last year the number fell to 872 cases all around Kosovo.

It seems the Volkswagen Golf 2 is the most common vehicle in Kosovo and the favorite of Kosovan car thieves. But it’s not easy to find a stolen Volkwagen Golf in the car market. According to Kosovo Police Service Spokesman Refki Morina the main reason for this is that stolen cars are dismantled in car yards and their parts immediately sold.

Refki Morina: “The issue is to sell vehicle parts, sell the engine, car doors and other parts. First the car is dismantled and then they sell it in different places. But we have identified some of these cases and actions are being taken”

In cases where the vehicle is not dismantled, it is usually sent to North Mitrovica, where, according to Morina, the smuggling channels into and out of Serbia originate. Refki Morina adds that the different Balkan police forces have signed an agreement of cooperation to fight these crimes and exchange information in the region.

Refki Morina: “We have cases where stolen vehicles that were sent to Serbia were brought back into Kosovo. The same happens with Albania. So Interpol and Europol are cooperating with the police services in the region.”

There are also cases where the vehicle is hijacked while the driver is still inside. But Morina says hijackings have gone down in the last three years.

Refki Morina “During the two years immediately following the war, there were quiet a lot of cases of car hijackings. Today this kind of crime is present but in very rare cases and the car hijackers often get busted because in many cases there are witnesses.”

So if you feel your car is not safe enough, and you do not own a garage, the best thing, according to Police, is to install an alarm. Shpend works in Prishtina as a car alarm installer; he says that people in Kosovo don’t really understand how car alarms work.

Shpend: “The best way to keep your car safe is by using car alarms, but if people cannot obtain them, then they should use the crook lock. Alarms, for many people, are simply something that makes noise, but in fact it is the quite the opposite. The car alarm system actually blocks the vehicle’s electrical power and the car cannot be turned on after that”

The moral of this story is that all of us – including this reporter – are susceptible to the sticky fingers of Kosovo’s car thieves. So maybe all Kosovan drivers should simply get car alarms or rent a garage. Of course one can always choose the option of riding a bike -- we can all use the exercise.

That is all from UNMIK on Air for today, thanks for listening and stay tuned for more.