The Independent Media Commission has approved a one-year authorization for Kosovo Police Radio, which will test its technology and services during this period. Frequency 92 will be used for broadcasting, while additional frequencies may be allocated depending on needs.
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The decision has prompted various reactions, particularly regarding the way the radio will be funded, its editorial independence and its compliance with European Union legislation. Meanwhile, the ruling party has called for the issue not to be turned into a political debate.
Besnik Berisha, chairman of the IMC, said that the Kosovo Police had submitted evidence of the human resources needed to implement the project. He explained that the frequencies would be assigned in cooperation with the IMC’s executive office.
Berisha said the testing phase would be beneficial to society and that new services should be tried out. According to him, one of the radio’s advantages would be providing traffic information, while the Kosovo Police has often been considered the country’s most trusted institution, based on several surveys conducted.
Time Kadrijaj, a deputy from the Alliance, opposed the initiative, calling for clarification on how the radio would operate, its sources of funding and the possibility of political influence over its content.
Kadrijaj said she had not encountered a similar model of a police radio in the region and questioned the need to establish one, since Kosovo has sufficient media outlets that also cover security issues.
She called for it to be made clear which institution would oversee the radio and whether it could become an extension of the government or receive instructions from the Ministry of Internal Affairs on the topics it would broadcast.
The deputy also raised the issue of funding, comparing the situation with Radio Television of Kosovo, which is financed by the government and continually faces financial difficulties. According to her, it should be clarified whether the Police Radio would compete with RTK and whether the initiative complies with EU legislation.
Arbërie Nagavci, head of the parliamentary group of the Vetëvendosje Movement, supported the project. She described a program that provides citizens with information from reliable sources and helps combat disinformation as necessary.
Nagavci stressed that the radio could raise citizens’ awareness of security issues, particularly following numerous cases of violence with fatal consequences, as well as other topics related to the Police’s activities.
She said that professionals in the field were expected to lead the radio and called on opposition lawmakers not to use the initiative as a subject of political confrontation.
In a written response to kp, the Kosovo Police said that work to analyze the possibility of establishing the radio had begun years ago. A working group had been formed for this purpose to examine ways of implementing the project.
During the process, the Police consulted local and international partners, including the Radio KFOR model, which has operated in Kosovo since the post-war period. Its representatives also held meetings with several radio stations in the country to learn about operating procedures and the broadcasting of news and information.
According to the Kosovo Police, the purpose of the radio is to promote police work in the community, bring the institution closer to citizens and address their concerns about security issues in their communities.
The institution stressed that it is among the most trusted and transparent in the country, while through the radio it aims to preserve and further advance that trust and transparency.
