During a ceremony held at the Ministry of Interior, the Minister of Interior, Taulant Balla, thanked the US government and the American law enforcement agencies for their continuous support in enhancing the technological capacities of the Police Inspectorate. This equipment is already at the disposal of the specialists of the Inspection Sector of the Police Supervision Agency.

The ceremony was attended by the Director of the Bureau for Drug Issues and Law Enforcement (State Department) for Albania, John Kastning, the Director General of the Police Supervision Agency, Florian Sulejmani, and other senior officials of the Ministry of the Interior.
Minister Balla evaluated the work of the Agency during the last months and highlighted the increase in the number of referrals made by the Agency to the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

“I have looked at the results of the first five months of the Agency’s performance work. I cannot conceal the fact that these results are better than in any previous year. In the first five months of this year alone, we have referred 200 employees,” said Minister Balla.

The Minister also highlighted the increase in public confidence in the Agency: “I am pleased to see that public confidence in the Agency itself has increased. This is confirmed by the number of calls made to the Green Line”.

Balla called on the local public or foreign visitors to report any violation by police officers.

“I appeal to every citizen of Albania, but also to those who visit Albania, if in any case they find violations by employees of the State Police, improper and unethical behaviour, to report every case to the Agency at the number 0800 90 90. And here I thank you and ICITAP, which is supporting this promotion campaign of citizens’ communication with the Agency!” – stressed the Minister.

During the ceremony, the Head of the Agency, Florian Sulejmani, and the ICITAP Representative for Albania, Richard Deasy, signed the official document for the donation of several portable computers, which will be used by the specialists of the Inspection Sector of the Police Supervision Agency to perform their duties in the field.

Below is Minister Balla’s full speech at the ceremony:

Thank you to the US government and its law enforcement agencies, which continue to provide strong support for the Agency’s increased capabilities. Thank you for your continued generous support to increase the technological capacity of this Agency, which for us is the right instrument of intensive chemotherapy against all the structures that it monitors, be they the State Police, be they the Guard of the Republic, be they the fire and rescue units throughout the territory.

I have not used the term chemotherapy for nothing, because I want to share with you and the public my commitment, as Minister of the Interior, to intensify the process of self-purification, especially in the State Police. I would like to emphasise that increasing the efficiency of the State Police is inseparable from the process of self-purification. Because of the elimination once and for all of the harmful elements from the people with integrity of the State Police, the incriminated elements, including those that tarnish the ethics, the work of the blue uniforms for those thousands and thousands of honest employees. There are eyes among them that tarnish this uniform and that we absolutely need to separate the alum from the sugar and this strengthening of the role of the Agency is today a very important role, which is why I have encouraged, encourage and will continue to support the Agency, which must necessarily strengthen institutional cooperation.

Firstly, with the Special Prosecutor’s Office against Corruption and Organised Crime, with the General Prosecutor’s Office, with all the other law enforcement and intelligence agencies, and of course with our international partners, among whom I make no secret of the fact that ICITAP is responsible for the work of friends, supporters and partners in the daily work of the Agency.

We need to ensure high standards of integrity and purity of the image of police officers by focusing on the leadership of the State Police, which is mainly related to their mid-term evaluation process.

The vetting process is now moving at a pace that has been expected for a long time, and we need to maintain this pace, why not raise it to another level.

I would like to take this opportunity to say that the investigations carried out so far in cooperation with the Special Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Public Prosecutor’s Office of General Jurisdiction against first-level management or enforcement officials suspected of abuse of office, corruption or crimes in the field of narcotics, arbitrary actions, communication links with criminals and any other illegal actions are continuing. The results must be further intensified, and the truth is that these operations and results are only the beginning of a comeback and the confirmation of our determination to cleanse the ranks of the State Police of those elements that are damaging it.

I have looked at the results of the Agency’s performance work in the first five months of this year, and I cannot hide the fact that these results are better than in any previous year. In the first five months of the year alone, we had 200 employees referred, arrested or with other security measures 35 and that is a good indicator. But it also has an impact on the presence of malignant nuclei in the structure, which requires an increase in the dose of chemotherapy.

Again, if we compare with the same period last year, we have 55% more than last year for the same five-month period. As for the number of proactive investigations, if you compare January-May 2024 with January-May 2023, the increase is 127%.

What pleases me is the increase in public confidence in the Agency, which is confirmed by the number of calls to the Green Line. I take this opportunity to appeal to every citizen of Albania, but also to those who visit Albania, in case they find violations by State Police employees, with inappropriate and unethical behaviour, to report any case to the Agency at the number 0800 90 90, and here I thank ICITAP, which supports this campaign to promote communication between citizens and authorities. I would also like to inform the public that in the first five months of the year, 607 complaints have been processed, which is not a small number and is a very significant increase compared to the same period last year.

The fact that 66 of these complaints were well founded, i.e. had real substance, is enough to show that the public is right and that we must take every complaint that comes from them seriously. The same goes for the results of the vetting process, which for many reasons had been left in place for no reason. Now we are in a completely different situation, although I do not hide the fact that I would like to have more decisions, exemptions from service, but without prejudging anyone, because it must be a fair process, a process based entirely on the law, and it is important in a process that guarantees reliability.

The vetting process in the judicial system guarantees an increase in public confidence in the judiciary.

I am very sure that the vetting process in the State Police and the Guard of the Republic brings the same thing, with the difference that the vetting in the State Police is a continuous, uninterrupted process. And I take this opportunity to remind every member of the State Police that you should never forget that you are under constant surveillance and that it is very important that you always remember to avoid inappropriate contacts and to respect the law and the Code of Ethics.
Finally, I will end where I began. We would not be here, at this important stage of intensifying the fight against crime and corruption and strengthening the role of the Agency, without the great support of our partners, the law enforcement agencies of the United States, which guarantee an even stronger commitment of the Agency. For it to achieve the objectives, to guarantee a State Police with better results, to move towards other objectives. For them the Police State has become the most trusted institution in the country. Including in recent cases, there has been a significant increase and improvement of the strike force, but also of the police intelligence, which has led to the detection of criminal events in record time and this must be one of the essential elements of this change or this rise to this new level.

Thank you for your support!