Nobody knows exactly who came to refer to police patrol vehicles of the United Nations mission in Kosovo as "coca-colas", however, just one glance at them will tell you everything. The Toyota 4Runner 3.0 D vehicles with 4 WD are painted in unusual and therefore quite conspicuous combination of white and red which actually does look like a can of this refreshing beverage. The attractive name soon caught on among locals as well as peacekeeping police officers from fifty states around the world as well as those from Slovenia.
The Slovene police force has been cooperating in ensuring stability in peacekeeping as well as other international missions since 1997 when the first police officer was posted to a mission in Albania. Since then all together 186 police officers left for ten missions, including East Timor and Afghanistan. Currently there are 31 officers in six missions two of these taking place in Bosnia and Herzegovina, two in Macedonia, one in Jordan and one in Kosovo. Most of them are stationed in the UNMIK CIVPOL mission (United Nations Mission in Kosovo, Civilian Police) in Kosovo.
Slovene officer under the UN flag in Kosovo while performing his duties
Their duties, authorities and work are distinctly different from those of the military personnel and other personnel in civilian missions. Police officers do not live in barracks; they find their own lodging in the local environment, because their duties are normally performed individually. They do not enjoy special protection in their living and working environment, and most often have to arrange their own meals etc. The work is performed in Slovene police uniform with a blue beret and an UN insignia. It is necessary that they are fluent in English, as every police duty is connected to production of written documents, e.g. criminal charges, reports and various notifications. They use local translators and must master negotiation techniques in addition to their specialised expertise. Slovene police officers abroad have been highly respected due to their professional competence, diligence and management of responsible tasks.
"Coca-cola" road-blocking outside the Caglavica village
In the UNMIK CIVPOL mission there are currently 14 Slovene policemen and also two policewomen. They are performing various tasks connected to assuring stability in Kosovo. One of them is the head of the traffic police sector, one works with the border police sector, quite a few of them work in the criminal police sector and some of them work also in the field of general police tasks which are aimed at the cooperation with the local communities. They all use Toyota's Runners of which some are "coca-colas" and others white. In addition to Toyota Landcruiser and Toyota Landcruiser Prado, Toyota 4Runner 3.0 D vehicles are by far the most often used vehicles, followed by some Nissan Pickup and Hyundai Mini Bus H1002 vehicles, and some other specialized and armoured vehicles.
Patrolling in the Kosovo countryside
The persons in charge for UNMIK police vehicles say that they have chosen Toyota's Runners mostly because of their endurance and good driving characteristics. Experience has shown that by regular servicing these vehicles can easily do even more than 200.000 km on relatively rough road surfaces. A reasonable price was an advantage upon purchase of the vehicles. The price was acceptable, according to some information, because the vehicles represented the Japanese contribution to the mission. Because police officers frequently use different vehicles and have different driving habits, the vehicle has shown itself as an extremely durable vehicle. Most of the 2,000 Runners that were sent to Kosovo were produced in 1998 and despite of their ruthless daily operational use for seven years they still have not been written off. As the UN mission in Kosovo is slowly coming to an end, the vehicles that are no longer needed are slowly and gradually being sent to other crisis centres, e.g. Sudan, after they have undergone a thorough service where most engines are replaced.
Among the first on the scene of action
Toyota's Runner is over 20 years old and was first introduced in 1984. It immediately grabbed full attention, especially in the US, due to a small number of models in this range at the time, and exceptional driving characteristics. This was then a revolutionary vehicle which inherited characteristics of a rugged and well sold truck with a 4-wheel-drive. To these attributes they added agility, characteristics and abilities of an off-road vehicle, and above all, a suitable cabin which offered much more comfort with its equipment in comparison to other off-road vehicles that were known by that time. After that a generation of vehicles followed that combined 4-wheel drive with a off-road capabilities and the comfort of a car. Naturally, it has been modified several times in its twenty years of existence. Therefore since 2003 Toyota has been selling its fourth generation. All are made in the Tahara factory in Japan. It needs to be pointed out that the "coca-cola" model of this vehicle is no longer available for sale on the free market. The vehicle has a built-in 4-cylinder diesel engine with a cubic capacity of 2982 ccm and 125 hp. The engine carries a mark 1KZ-T and was built-in also in several other Japanese vehicles. It has a 5-speed transmission gear and a standard manual differential. It has driver and front passenger airbags, and in addition to other comforts, it has a series-produced built-in air conditioning and radio receiver. All vehicles are equipped with a siren, blue warning lamp, radio communication and a tow hook.
Observation carries out by the international police force
As Runners are considered distinguished, powerful and bigger vehicles, police officers must, get acquainted with them and their driving prior to taking up office. The mission has pointed out that the way police officers drive and behave behind the steering wheel particularly impacts the image of the organization, rather than themselves. That is why they all have to exhibit good driving skills and habits, as well as pay full respect to other road users before they get engaged in the mission. Whoever becomes user of this vehicle in his line of duty is obliged - in addition to his national driving licence - to gain the driving licence of the organization he or she works for - that is the UN driving licence. If a person does not pass the exam (the same stands for the English and shooting performance exam), he or she can not work in the mission.
The driving licence exam is performed in the special traffic sector of the mission, which is situated in Prishtina, and is, of course, performed on a Runner. This is how the candidates get fully acquainted with the "coca-cola", its 4-wheel-drive and they must also know how to change a flat tyre. Then the candidates drive on the testing area and demonstrate that they have mastered parallel as well as reverse parking. The instructors pay attention to every detail and demand precision rather than speed. This is followed by a drive through the streets of Prishtina which is definitely an experience of its own. There are hardly any road markings, traffic lights usually do not work and road signs, even those marking priority streets, have disappeared. Here, everyone has their own style of driving, trying to find the easiest way through the traffic. The traffic in Prishtina is surprisingly dense, in any case denser than in Ljubljana. Drivers must also be look out for undisciplined pedestrians and also of the large potholes on the driveway, as many shafts have not been covered with lids.
The UN driving licence is a card with a magnetic strip, containing information about the owner. It is not just a proof of a passed driving exam, but also a "payment" card for fuel on the UN service stations, for car washes and servicing. In addition to that a card has one more important function - all UN vehicles are namely connected to the Carlog system. This is a device for management of the large UNMIK vehicle pool. In the system precise data on the user of an individual vehicle, time and distance, location of the vehicle, fuel input and other information such as whether the lights are on, whether the driver and the front passenger are wearing a seatbelt, whether a police car is intervening etc. are stored. It also records overspeeding, braking etc. The user of the vehicle can simply not avoid or outwit this control, as the engine will not start up until the driver has not inserted his driving licence into the vehicle card reader and thus activate the Carlog system. If he exceeds the speed limit, the system warns him with a beep and displays a notice. If there such violations are repeated, a written reminder follows, and if there are too many, one's licence can be suspended. This is also the case if the driver transports persons who are not employed in the UNMIK or if he takes the vehicle to an automotive repair shop that does not belong to UNMIK. The vehicles need to be serviced after every 5,000 km. An acoustic signal warns the driver of the service and a notice is displayed on the Carlog system. All vehicles have built-in alarm systems and a mechanical steering wheel lock.
Prepared by: Janez Muzic