On Wednesday, Kosovo Police announced that they are treating seriously reports that ethnic Serbian citizens in the northern municipalities have been kidnapped, beaten and ill-treated by members of Serbian parallel structures.

“In the past few days, there have been information, reports and publications in the media about the kidnapping, beating and ill-treatment of some Serbian citizens by members of criminal structures in the northern part of … Kosovo,” the announcement said.

The police did not reveal how many people were allegedly kidnapped or mistreated and when these incidents took place.

But they emphasized that threats to citizens’ security in the north had created a necessity to increase police capacities in the management of the security situation and the prevention of criminal activities.

They said vehicle checkpoints have been set up in cities and on highways in the north.

Tensions have increased in the Serb-majority north since the beginning of December, and several incidents involving firearms, hand grenades and stun grenades have been reported.

On December 10, some local Serbs erected barricades blocking the roads leading to Jarinja and Bërnjak border crossings with Serbia.

The barricades were erected as a sign of discontent with the arrest of a local former Serbian policeman, Dejan Pantic. 

Police suspect that Pantic organized a December 6 attack on the offices of the Central Election Commission in the north.

Regarding the barricades, the government has declared that it will not  tolerate them for long, but the Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, has said that KFOR troops have been given time to remove them.

Meanwhile, the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, has said that the barricades will only be removed after Kosovo forms a promised Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority.