UN Kosovo police given extra powers

UN peacekeeping troops could already use such devices

By the BBC's Nicholas Wood in Pristina

United Nations police in Kosovo are being given new powers in an attempt to crack down on organised crime.

Michael Steiner, the new head of the UN mission in the province, is signing a decree allowing the use of phone tapping, covert photography, global positioning devices and forms of electronic surveillance that until now have been forbidden under local laws.

For a long time the UN police force in Kosovo has complained it has not had the tools to deal with the problem of organised crime that is so prevalent in the province.

The order is meant to provide them with what they want, although the evidence is subject to appeal once in court.

'Critical' role

While the Nato-led peacekeeping force in the province uses these techniques for its own intelligence gathering, such evidence has been previously inadmissible.

The law could prove crucial in upcoming war trials

Police cite numerous cases where they say these methods could have played a critical role.

A recent example involved the discovery of a secret pipeline pumping fuel across the boundary from Montenegro into Kosovo.

Detectives say they were unable to provide proof of who was behind the pipeline without using covert surveillance.

It is also thought the new regulation will be critical in the prosecution of several upcoming war crime trials in the province.

The law was delayed for several months amid concerns over possible infringements of human rights.

However the UN claims the rules match those of most Western states.