ABSTRACT

This chapter begins by examining the degree to which it is possible to talk of an existing and locally-driven security community as the challenges that help or hinder the Kosovo Police in its quest for regional engagement. It argues that the police in Kosovo can make a contribution to the further advancement of a security community in the region through the further professionalization of police services and a healthy detachment from negative politics when tackling common security challenges. The chapter discusses some of the main theories of epistemic and security communities to assist us in testing our empirical data. It explores the organizational structure of the police from its inception to its current state, and in so doing assists the reader in understanding its capacities for a cohesive identity and culture. The chapter provides some thoughts on epistemic communities and regional police cooperation from the perspective of the police in Kosovo.