almanac on security sector oversight in the Western Balkans

Kosovo
3 . Analysis of democratic governance & oversight of
security sector
The legal framework sets out two types of oversight for the security sector in Kosovo:
internal control mechanisms and external oversight actors.
The internal control of Kosovo’s security sector consists of a complex structure involving
the internal chain of control, vertical hierarchy and horizontal oversight. This includes
inspectorates, internal investigation units, internal audit offices and procurement
offices. To fully understand the security sector it is also important to analyse the
role of external oversight mechanisms. External oversight refers to the control and
oversight of the security sector on the horizontal level. Amongst these institutions are:
parliament, independent state institutions, the judiciary and civil society.
In order to have a clearer overview of how governance in the Kosovo security sector
is functioning, in the following part the role of internal control mechanisms will be
elaborated and then there will be a specific part on the oversight mechanisms.
3.1. Internal control of the security sector in Kosovo
3.1.1. The structure of internal control
Internal control and supervision is performed either by security institutions themselves
or by the internal control mechanisms of the ministries and agencies under which they
operate. These might include mechanisms such as: internal investigation units, internal
auditing units, procurement offices and inspectorates. Apart from these mechanisms,
in some branches such as supervision of the budget, internal control is exercised
by other ministries or governmental bodies, most notably by the Ministry of Finance.
The existing legal framework provides that the internal control of the security sector
on the institutional and ministerial level is carried out by both civilian and uniformed
structures (Constitution, 2008). Despite being clearly outlined in the legal framework,
in practice, internal control of the security sector in Kosovo is still developing. As explained,
this can be justified by the fact that some of the security institutions in Kosovo
are still in their infancy particularly the Kosovo Security Force and Kosovo Intelligence
Agency.
The oldest security institution, the Kosovo Police (KP) has made measurable progress
in exercising internal control. This control is carried out by mechanisms such as: the
Professional Standards Unit (PSU), the Internal Audit Unit (IAU) and the Police Inspectorate
of Kosovo (PIK). The PSU is a police unit which is responsible for investigating
minor cases of alleged misconduct by KP personnel, while the IAU is a unit responsible
for auditing the expenditures and procurements made by the police. The PIK is a
mechanism which operates under MoIA independently from the KP with power to
investigate allegations of serious disciplinary and financial problems in the police.
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Almanac on Security Sector Oversight in the Western Balkans