Today, Interior Minister Ervin Hoxha said that his ministry and the state police are committed to increasing security in schools and creating a strong and efficient infrastructure for students and teachers.

The “School Security Package” is an initiative that is currently in its second year of implementation and consolidation. It includes a number of measures for institutions with administrative responsibilities. Minister Hoxha outlined the measures taken as part of this initiative during the National Conference “School, Community Center,” which was attended by the Minister of Education and Sports, Ogerta Manastirliu, the Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Tirana, Nancy VanHorn, and education and police personnel.

“The implementation of this ‘Package’ and its requirements involves a significant number of governmental institutions; therefore, the scope of measures is broad. These steps include the appropriate changes in significant legal acts, the identification of immediate supplemental measures, and a thorough review of the real security situation in schools,” he emphasized.

Minister Ervin Hoxha Speech:

Dear Ms. VanHorn,

Dear colleague Manastirliu,

Dear Ms. Dervishi,

Dear Mr. Hroni,

It is a pleasure to be part of this National Conference, which addresses a crucial topic for the future of our children and the development of our society—security and the role of schools as sustainable communities.

My duty as Minister of the Interior is to ensure that every child has the opportunity to learn and develop in a safe and supportive environment. School security is one of our priorities.
Therefore, we have worked and are working to create a strong, efficient, and reliable infrastructure. In this context, the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Education and Sports have initiated the “School Security Package,” fulfilling the priorities of the Albanian Government for the education of the new generation.

This “package” is now in its second year of implementation and consolidation, and it includes a number of measures for institutions with administrative and legal responsibilities in ensuring the security of schools, students, and the educational process. The “School Security Package” outlines the enhanced roles and direct responsibilities of both ministries, fostering close cooperation between them and subordinate institutions to enable permanent and systematic communication at both central and local levels. The number of state institutions involved in implementing this “package” and its requirements is significant; however, the spectrum of measures is comprehensive. These measures involve a detailed analysis of the actual security situation in schools, identifying immediate supplementary measures, and appropriate interventions in important legal acts.

The objectives of the “School Security Package” are ambitious, requiring not only the implementation and adherence to existing norms but also aiming to establish new contemporary standards. For the implementation of the priorities and objectives outlined by the Minister of the Interior in the “School Security Package,” the State Police has developed a Work Program with detailed tasks for central and local structures.

Allow me to inform you of the commitments made to achieve the objectives of this “package.”

– The identification and definition of the security perimeter for each school have been completed, based on the assessment of the situation on the ground.
– Systematic and continuous controls are carried out in the school environment and the surrounding security perimeter to prevent and combat criminal activities, in particular the sale of drugs, the illegal possession of weapons, acts of violence, or the exploitation of minors.

– The presence of State Police structures has been increased, along with strict controls and punitive measures for traffic violations within the security perimeter of schools.

– The State Police, in cooperation with local units, have checked the state of road signs near pre-school and pre-university educational institutions, identified needs for their fulfillment, and are working diligently to ensure strict compliance with road signs.

– The State Police, in cooperation with the Municipal Police of the local government units, have stepped up checks on school transport vehicles to ensure compliance with the standards and requirements set out in the relevant legal and sub-legal acts.

– Schools are currently being monitored by security cameras to identify and prevent any illegal activities.

– Meanwhile, “Smart City” is one of the most important projects of “Albania 2030” in terms of security. It aims to set a new standard in monitoring, controlling, supervising, and analyzing footage of roads, large public spaces, and cities, including schools. This project involves surveillance with artificial intelligence and is expected to further modernize the technological infrastructure of the State Police.

Dear participants,

Creating a safer environment in our educational institutions is a challenge, as is the fight against radicalization and violent extremism.

I would like to emphasize that all the obligations of the Ministry of Interior arising from the Albanian Government’s National Strategy for Countering Violent Extremism and the Action Plan have been followed and are being pursued with special priority. Since 2017, our structures have carried out continuous and commendable work to implement measures for the prevention of radicalization and violent extremism. Priorities, activities, indicators, deadlines for implementation of the action plan, and identification of resources against violent extremism have been established.

As the police services, in particular the zone inspectors, are at the forefront of various issues in the community, they also have the duty to identify individuals with extremist tendencies and radical ideologies and to exchange information with anti-terrorist structures. In order to identify this category of individuals, a working group has been established to implement the project “Countering Violent Extremism through Community Policing” in line with the National Strategy and Action Plan approved by the government.

These and many other challenges are shared responsibility. Each of us has a role to play. So let us work together to build safe schools and institutions, sustainable communities, and a better Albania for us all. I would like to thank the US Embassy in Tirana for supporting this project!