The role of law enforcement agencies in fighting cybercrime in Kosovo: The need to adapt to new trends

Abstract

Dealing with threats and real risks to cybersecurity that are produced by cybercrime necessarily imposes the construction of a strategic approach at the national and cross-national levels. Despite the fact that Kosovo has built strategies for dealing with cybersecurity, there is still no accurate data regarding the ability of institutional mechanisms to respond in a proportional and effective manner to cybersecurity threats posed by cybercrime. This paper highlights the strategic treatment of cybersecurity and cybercrime, namely the strategic objectives and activities for their fulfillment, as well as critically analyzing the legal rules that are applied in the context of preventing and fighting cybercrime, focusing on the role, responsibilities, and functions of law enforcement agencies for preventing and fighting cybercrime. This paper also analyzes the strategic objectives and the action plan envisaged by the National Cybersecurity Strategy 2023-2027, which for the first time gives special importance to the inclusion of the private sector in the national network to protect against cyber attacks. The importance of the standards of the Budapest Convention is also addressed, and an assessment is made regarding the extent of the inclusion of these standards by the state of Kosovo.