The Kosovo Police today organized a ceremony for the destruction of illegal small arms and light weapons — more than 760 in total — in the village of Prelez, Ferizaj. After destruction, the melted weapon material will be used to create manhole covers.
The General Director of the Kosovo Police, Gazmend Hoxha, said the process of destroying weapons is carried out to provide greater security for citizens. Hoxha emphasized that illegal weapons have often been used in criminal cases.
He called on the citizens of Kosovo to minimize the use of weapons. Hoxha revealed that since 1999 more than 36,000 illegal weapons have been confiscated.
Meanwhile, since 2005, about 16,000 long and short firearms have been destroyed.
“It is a continuous process that the Kosovo Police, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, with the ongoing support of UNDP and Kosovo’s partner countries, are pursuing by destroying small and medium weapons with the goal of creating as much security as possible for citizens and our country… Over the years, we have not had a small number of cases where illegal weapons were used in incidents and criminal acts. Many lives have been lost because of the use of illegal weapons. We call on all our citizens to stay away from illegal weapons… Since 1999 until today, the Kosovo Police have confiscated around 36,036 weapons. This averages about 1,100 weapons confiscated each year. From 2005 until today, 15,904 short and long firearms have been destroyed,” Hoxha said.
The UNDP Resident Representative in Kosovo, Nuno Queiros, said that the purpose of destroying weapons is to promote a peaceful, just, and inclusive society.
He stressed that illegal small arms and light weapons cause insecurity, harm civilians, undermine institutions, and are often used in gender-based and domestic violence.
“Our goal is to promote peaceful, just, and inclusive societies, and this requires a substantial reduction of illegal arms flows in our future… Just during the time we have been here, two acts of armed violence have occurred, not to mention wars and other situations. This shows that illegal small arms and light weapons cause insecurity, harm civilians, undermine institutions, and are often used in gender-based and domestic violence. The police, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and other relevant authorities have shown extraordinary commitment in fighting illegal trafficking, possession, and misuse of weapons. But you can be assured that we, as UNDP, and my team present here today, will continue to support you, and we are very proud to be your trusted partner in these efforts,” Queiros said.
This activity is supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the Kosovo Safety and Security Programme (KSSP), with financial support from Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, and Norway, as well as through Council Decision (CFSP) 2024/3006 of December 2, 2024, in support of SEESAC’s disarmament and arms control activities in Southeast Europe, with the aim of reducing the threat of illegal small arms and light weapons (SALW) and their ammunition.
