The Academy held the fourth international scientific conference

Vushtrri, November 16 2022 - "The COVID-19 pandemic has been a great challenge for public safety institutions in Kosovo, the region and the world", this was assessed on Wednesday during the international scientific conference on the topic "The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the integrity of the public order and safety sector" , organized by the Kosovo Academy for Public Safety supported by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

At the opening of the conference, it was said that the research that will be presented will be scientific references for the concept of public safety.   

The Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Bardhyl Dobra, who highly appreciates the organization of this conference, said that the research presented during the conference directly affects education, training and the implementation of policies in public safety institutions.  

"Improving education and training comes as a direct result of research. This scientific conference would contribute to the improvement of the action of public safety institutions. The research that will be presented at this conference will be a good opportunity for the exchange of experiences at the academic level", said Dobra.

Deputy Minister Dobra thanked the Academy for organizing the conference and the OSCE for supporting this conference to be held in Kosovo with participation from all countries of the world.  

The Acting Director of the Kosovo Academy for Public Safety Kastriot Jashari expressed his happiness that the Academy in cooperation with the OSCE has managed to organize a conference of such special importance, such as the treatment of challenges during the COVID 19 pandemic.  

"The Faculty of Public Safety constantly makes efforts to, in addition to the primary field it covers, that is, higher studies in the field of public safety, also offer a research platform through the organization of international scientific conferences", said Jashari, saying that the organization of this conference enables that all researchers in the field of safety from the region, Europe, USA give their scientific contribution, which helps to fight and prevent negative phenomena.  

Jashari thanked the OSCE and Ambassador Davenport for their support and funding of this conference.  

Meanwhile, the head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe mission in Kosovo, Michael Davenport, said that during the pandemic, law enforcement agencies played a crucial role in efforts to control the spread of the disease COVID 19, in maintaining public order and promoting a safer environment for all communities.
 
"Now we are calmer regarding the spread of the pandemic and I think it is the right time to see what the lessons we have learned are, and what research has been done on the special challenges that public safety has faced", Davenport said. He also said that the OSCE mission is proud of the achievements that have been made in the past.

Davenport said that the OSCE, as a security organization that upholds the principles of democracy, pledges to continue to support law enforcement institutions in advancing their capabilities to maintain a sense of safety in society.

The Chief Executive of the Police Inspectorate of Kosovo, Kushtrim Hoda, said that like every institution, the PIK also faces challenges during the period of the COVID 19 pandemic.

"The increase in the number of complaints of cases that we are forced to handle, to supervise how the Kosovo Police is implementing the government's measures and decisions has been a challenge," said Hoda. Hoda said that the organization of the conference is much more important since all the issues that public security institutions have faced during the pandemic will be addressed.  

Taibe Canolli, colonel in the Kosovo Police spoke about the work of the police during the pandemic period.  

Canolli said that the period during the pandemic has been a challenge for the Kosovo Police as well. Canoli appreciates that the organization of the conference in question would enable public safety institutions to share their experiences and the challenges they have faced during the pandemic.  

The conference was attended by safety experts from Kosovo, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Finland, Belgium, Poland, Turkey, Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia etc, who presented their findings on public safety issues and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The conference lasted for two consecutive days, and is the fourth international scientific conference organized by the Kosovo Academy for Public Safety.