Albanian Police

The Albanian State Police () is the national police and largest law enforcement agency which operates throughout the Republic of Albania, ensuring the safety of citizens, keeping the public order, and serving the people anytime anywhere. The Albanian Police Emergency number is 129, or 112 for general emergency services.

History

The original Albanian Police was founded on 13 January 1913 by the government of Ismail Qemali, Albania's first prime minister.

The collapse of the Communist system and the establishment of political pluralism post-1991 brought important changes to the structure of the Albanian Police. The Ministry of Public Order and the General Directorate of Police were established in April 1991, and the new law of July 1991 established the Public Order Police. Nearly 80% of police manpower, i.e. personnel who had served under the previous system, were replaced by new recruits.

On 4 November 1991, the Albanian Police was accepted as a member of Interpol.

The crisis of 1997

Following the collapse of the Albanian economy in January–February 1997 in the wake of the implosion of the Ponzi pyramid banking schemes promoted by the government, increasing insurgency in early March led to the Police and Republican Guard deserting en masse because it became clear they were unlikely to be paid, leaving their armouries unlocked, which were promptly looted by parties unknown, believed to mostly have been the local crime bodies and self-appointed militias: many of the weapons eventually surfaced in the ethnic fighting in Kosovo.

The resulting anarchy led a number of nations to use military forces to evacuate citizens, culminating in the UN authorising Operation Alba ("Daybreak"), a short-term military stabilisation force led by the Italian Army, tasked with facilitating the repatriation of foreigners and laying the foundations for another International Organisation to undertake the longer-term stabilisation. The political debate eventually settled in Europe within the body responsible for the defence diplomatic coordination of the Continent, the Council of the Western European Union. In a 2-hour meeting which convened at 1400 hrs on 2 May 1997, the WEU Council decided on the immediate establishment of the Multinational Advisory Police Element, sending a pathfinder officer, a Norwegian Police Colonel, the same evening.
The Italian force in Operation Alba predicated the Command structure of MAPE passing into the Italian Carabinieri, General Pietro Pistolese, previously commanding the Genoa region, bringing his team with him. Four phases followed, assessment, reconstruction, support of the Albanian Police control during the Kosovo Crisis, and finally build-down and handback in early 2001, which was somewhat accelerated ahead of the transfer of the WEU's operational responsibilities to the Council of the EU on 30 June 2001. The reconstruction principally involved the reconstruction of the Judicial system and the training of Police, but the Finance section also accommodated economic specialists acting as the principal feedback into the correction of the Judicial system. The Command Team later formed the core of the European Union Border Assistance Mission Rafah from 2005 onwards.

Public perception

According to a survey produced in 2009 for the United States Agency for International Development Albanian's perception of the police was as follows:

*On a scale of 0–100 with 0 being Very Honest and 100 being Very Corrupt, Policemen were given a score of 63.1 points
*When asked to what extent the police help to fight corruption, 0 being Not at All and 100 being Helps a Lot, the Police were given a score of 45.5
*When asked about trust in institutions, 0 being No Trust at All and 100 being Trust a Lot, the Police were given a score of 47.8
*When asked if during the previous year they had been asked for a bribe 7.8% said Yes
*"When asked how they were treated by the police, the proportion of respondents that replied "Poorly" or "Very poorly" was 26.6%, a decrease of 10.9 percentage points from 37.5% in 2005"

Given that this was within eight years of the departure of the MAPE rebuilding mission, great concern must be expressed about the capacity of the police force to maintain the legal norms required of an aspirant EU State.

Recent developments

From 2014 to 2016, the Albanian State Police conducted several operations in criminally active regions, such as Lazarat, to restore public confidence and encourage support for law enforcement actions. In June 2014, approximately 800 police officers raided Lazarat, a village notorious for large-scale cannabis cultivation, seizing over 10 tonnes of marijuana.

During this period, body cameras became an integral tool for the police, extensively used in drug busts and high-profile operations. In February 2016, body cameras were installed on police uniforms to improve police behavior and deter bribery. However, the initiative to use body cameras began to decline due to high operating and maintenance costs, as well as time constraints, ultimately leading to their discontinuation for field officers.

In response to ongoing challenges, the Ministry of Interior introduced the Public Order Strategy 2015–2020, accompanied by the Action Plan 2015–2017. This comprehensive strategy aimed to modernize the Albanian State Police and align it with European Union standards. Key objectives included enhancing transparency and accountability, improving infrastructure, integrating advanced technologies into police operations, and building partnerships between the police and the public through community policing initiatives.

The 2020s marked significant advancements in the operations of the Albanian State Police, particularly in tourism management. Between 2022 and 2024, the Border & Migration Department, especially the Border & Migration Police Team stationed at Tirana International Airport, effectively managed a yearly influx of 7 to 12 million passengers entering the country. This accomplishment highlighted the department’s efficiency and contribution to Albania’s growing tourism sector.

Rank Structure

In 2015, the State Police underwent reorganizational reforms which were expected to continue for several years. It implemented a new hierarchical structure composed of nine hierarchic ranks.

Branches

Recruitment & Training

To join the Albanian State Police, you must meet specific eligibility criteria and successfully navigate a multi-step recruitment process before being eligible to join the Albanian Security Academy on the way to become a Police Officer.

Applying for the Security Academy

* Be Albanian citizen.
* Be no older than 30 years.
* Have completed at least secondary education.
* Be in good physical and mental health.
* Be at least 170 cm tall for men and 165 cm for women.
* Have a valid category “B” driver’s license.
* Have no criminal convictions or pending criminal cases.
* Possess a certificate of reliability.
* Not be excluded from the State Police or other national security structures, nor have left civil service.
* Be fluent in spoken and written Albanian.

Additionally, Senior Ranking Officer Positions and above require a university degree in fields such as law, economics, or computer science, along with a minimum GPA of 8.0.

Training & Security Academy

The Albanian State Police is trained through a structured and formal process at the Security Academy of Albania, which is the central institution for police education and training.

New Cadets undergo basic training at the Security Academy, which includes:

Theoretical Education

* Albanian criminal and procedural law
* Human rights and democratic policing
* Police ethics and professional standards
* Use of force and firearms laws
* Public order and crowd management
* Communication and conflict resolution
* Cybercrime and digital evidence (for certain positions)

Physical Training

* Physical fitness and endurance exercises
* Self-defense and arrest techniques
* Firearms training (marksmanship and safety)
* Tactical driving and pursuit operations
* Role-playing and scenario-based simulations
* First aid and emergency response

Basic police training lasts 12–18 months, combining classroom work and field exercises. Cadets must pass final exams to graduate and become full police officers.

Specialized Trainings

After initial training, officers can apply for specialized courses based on their assigned roles or career paths. These may include:

* Criminal Investigation Techniques
* Anti-Terrorism and Organized Crime
* Border and Migration Police
* Cybercrime Investigation
* Forensics and Evidence Handling
* Community Policing Strategies

Special units like RENEA, anti-drug unit, and counter-trafficking units receive advanced tactical training, often in collaboration with international partners.

Equipment

Albanian State Police has had a lot of Communist era equipment in storage, even though a few are still in use today. However, since 2014 the Ministry of Interior has been actively modernizing the State Police's uniforms, vehicles and weaponry, introducing newer modern equipment to replace their outdated Communist era equipment.

Field Police Officer Uniforms

The Albanian State Police uniforms have undergone several changes since 1991. Some visible changes to their uniforms and equipments are shown below:

Specialized Police Units

The Albanian State Police like all other Police Forces around the world has some of its own Specialized Police Units, responsible for many different operations or missions.

Weaponry

Since 2017 Government of Albania has been contracting with multiple countries, purchasing brand new weapons to replace their old Communist era weapons. The listed weaponry of ASP below, shows all of the Weapons used and currently used by ASP since 2010.

Vehicles

Plenty of vehicles have been bought from the Albanian Government, what is most surprising is the diversity when purchasing vehicles. While many police forces around the world, usually tend to stick with 2-3 car brands in their fleets, Albania has been known to have numerous car brands in their police fleets, with the most popular car brand being Hyundai. Here is a full list of the vehicles used and currently in use by Albanian State Police since 2010.

Official Directors of Albanian State Police since 1913

References

See also

* Law enforcement in Albania
* General Directorate of Civil Emergencies
* Sigurimi
* Albanian police raids MEK camps

{{Albania topics

Albania
Law enforcement in Albania
National Central Bureaus of Interpol