Interior Minister Bledi Çuçi recalled on Wednesday the 108th anniversary of the establishment of the State Police.
During his speech, Çuçi affirmed that the police is the most trusted institution for the citizens. He added that during 2020, assets placed in illegality were seized, emphasizing that the priority for the police is the fight against organized crime and drugs.
“It is enough to refer to the opinion polls of recent weeks where it turns out that the State Police is among the most reliable institutions in the country. This belief is not a coincidence, but the fruit of hard work, dedication, the sacrifice of the whole body, combined with a series of reforms and investments made in recent years.
OFL made possible the seizure of hundreds of assets and assets put in criminal ways, removing millions of euros from the hands of criminals, and this process this year is nearing completion. “
Meanwhile, the director of police, Ardi Veliu, stated that the police has been completely transformed during these years, providing a quality service.
” The intellectual and professional potentials of the Albanian Police are of the level and standards that ensure high efficiency in fulfilling its mission, both in the field of organized crime and in the field of policing as a whole,” said Veliu.
A 2019 report from the UNDP said that only 54.6% of Albanians trust the police. The Albanian National Security Barometer found that citizens preferred to take care of their own security than to ask the police. They also found the army more trustworthy than police and intelligence forces. They also said they did not want to see an increase in the number of police as it would be unlikely to increase security. A large percentage noted they didn’t think the police treated citizens equally. and that there is a high level of political influence.
GRECO also raised concerns over the politicisation of the police including political appointments of senior members. They also noted a number of unaddressed corruption risks throughout the state police force.
In terms of assets seized, during the 12 months that OFL was operational, it identified 1550 assets belonging to 589 individuals. 11 of these were seized, a rate of just 0.71%.
Albania also received criticism from the Council of Europe GRETA and the US State Department for failing to seize the assets of those involved in human trafficking.
In December 2020, a policeman shot and killed a 25-year-old man in Tirana. The murder sparked a week of protests where police were reported to have used tear gas, pepper spray, and water cannons to disperse protestors. There were several reports of violence against protestors and journalists, as well as arbitrary arrests and detentions. During the protests, the previous Interior Minister Sander Lleshaj resigned.
