§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to the Deputy Prime Minister's oral answer of 30 June 1999, Official Report, column 339, what British police contribution has been provided for policing activities in Kosovo. [89931]
§ The Prime MinisterPrior to the commencement of hostilities, two officers from the Metropolitan police were working in Kosovo as observers. When the situation became unstable, they were immediately withdrawn to Macedonia.
When NATO's military action ended, the Chief Prosecutor with the International War Crimes Tribunal made a request for assistance with the recovery of forensic evidence relating to alleged war crimes in Kosovo. The Metropolitan police were approached and agreed to send a team of officers who have specialist skills and knowledge. The team complement in Kosovo is 16, comprising forensic scientists, police officers and pathologists.
In addition, the United Nations have requested 60 UK police officers for Kosovo. We have offered to provide these officers to recruit, to train and to monitor a civil police force for Kosovo. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office are currently discussing with the United Nations and the OSCE what specific roles these officers might undertake.