After the last week brutal crime in Lesak near Leposavić/Leposaviq, when Đorđe Radomirovic (22), a criminal and fugitive from Novi Pazar, killed Marko Vulovic (30), the owner of the café Tajm and wounded his brother Mladen Vulovic (29), citizens of northern Kosovo loudly express their bitterness over the fact that this part of Serbia has become a safe haven for criminals.
Some figures say that there are between 200 and 300 criminals hiding in northern Kosovo, not only from Serbia but from Montenegro, B&H, Croatia, Bulgaria and Romania too. The chairperson of the local administrative board in Leasak, Milutin Stefanovic, says that citizens are resentful because of such situation.
“We are astonished, but not surprised, with the crime in question. Lesak, Leposavić/Leposaviq, Zubin Potok and entire northern Kosovo are for years a safe haven for fugitives from all over Serbia, particularly from neighboring towns of Raska, Kraljevo, Novi Pazar. Their number has grown to the level that we can’t live in peace, while they continue to recruit their partners and criminals. Not even a month can pass without an incident or murder,” complains Stefanovic.
He added that situation was much better when Serbian police was in place.
“They are now without control, since Kosovo police has no power to stop them,” said Stefanovic and added that their appeals for a police station to open in Lesak were not met so far.
It is well known fact that if a murder occurs in Novi Pazar, a murderer escapes through hills and village roads to Zvečan/Zveçan, Zubin Potok, Mitrovica and Leposavić/Leposaviq for what one needs only half an hour. Border police and Gendarmerie can’t cover entire administrative line of several hundred kilometers, which is mainly a forest.
A former member of Serbian police in northern Kosovo says that due to unresolved status of northern Kosovo, poor security situation and incapability of the Kosovo police, northern Kosovo will remain a safe haven, whereas new criminals will continue to arrive.
