The mission is unarmed, Verifiers wear civilian clothing and patrol in contracted armoured 4 X 4 vehicles. When the first RC was stood up, I was called forward to Kosovo to become its Head. RC1 is based in Prizren in south Kosovo, on the border with Albania where much of the arm smuggling and infiltration take place. The Verifier does more than observe actions, but obviously cannot enforce an agreement. The people also get to know them and are more likely to tell them if there is anything wrong.
Verifiers can very quickly sense if there is anything different about the situation.
They also can quickly dispel rumours which can spread in minutes. Relationships with the authorities and the KLA are for the most part professional. They all want to be seen as reasonable people, and we hold them to that standard. At my level, I meet regularly with the KLA Zone Commander who is an ex-Yugoslav Army officer and quite reasonable, as well as the Chief of Police and VJ Brigade Commander who are also professional in their approach. I have good relations with the District Prefect, the majors of communes, the village elders and the political party representatives.