Prishtinë, 11 November 2016

Kosovo Police, respectively the Directorate for Investigation of Economic Crimes and Corruption, in cooperation with the Directorate for Investigation of Trafficking with Human beings, in assistance of the KTA inspectors, municipal inspectors and labour inspectors, after several-month investigations have conducted an operational plan “MASSAGE”, in three different time periods, starting from 27.10.2016, 01.11.2016 and 09.11.2016. 

The purpose of this operational plan was the combat and identification of possible trafficking victims.

The operational plan resulted on inspection of 31 premises in Prishtina, where some of these premises/massage were not registered in KTA as business and did not own any documentation except the contract of rent for the premise, then most of them did not had fiscal cash registers and consents from the municipality for exercising economic activities, as well as they had not registered their employees according to legal procedures. 

The employees were working without work contract and adequate qualification, the daily-monthly turnover was not declared, they did not possessed sanitary consent, sanitary cards and there were encountered female juvenile employees under the age of 18.

As a result of these controls, 30 premises exercising activities for massages were temporarily closed by the municipal inspectors, while one of these businesses was prohibited to exercise the activity until meeting the conditions, since he had not started to work yet.

The KTA inspectors, labour inspectors and municipal inspectors have begun to impose the fines for irregularities encountered to these economic subjects.

By the police officers, in these locations are legitimated 109 employees and to all these persons was provided the possibility to declare whether any of the females are victims of trafficking, but none of them was declared to be victim of trafficking. 

5 females were found working and staying in the RKS without residence and work permit, 3 Serbian citizens and 2 Albanian citizens (three of them were taken to DMF and a fine of 100 Euro was imposed to each of them, while the two others are in reference procedures at DMF).

In one of these premises was encountered a female which was reported missing, but she was surrendered to the respective unit in the station level that was dealing with the case.

The police officers during controlling the employees have found an OC spray, where for this case was notified the police station for further proceeding. 

            Kosovo Police remains committed to continuously undertake its legal actions for keeping order and public safety, as well as in prevention of various criminal acts in the country. 

Respectfully

KP Information Office

GDP-Prishtinë