Speech of Prime Minister Edi Rama at the inauguration ceremony of the Road Police Station, Tirana:
I believe that all of you in the media have in your archives recent images of less than 3 years ago, when you used to come often in this area and see how people were tortured in front of this ruined edifice built in 1981 which was in extreme decay. People were forced to be in line since 04:00 am to pay fines for road traffic violations.
Approximately 200 thousand people a year had to cope with such a situation that you could not find even in the Middle Ages.
Here we are today in a completely transformed situation, with a reception worthy of all citizens.
120-150 people per day are delivered services in optimal conditions, thanks to an investment made in cooperation with the enterprise, without spending any penny from the state budget, as part of the program for the Revival of the State Police and its transformation, from a betrayed troop abandoned in the streets, pushing vehicles stalled back up the way due to the lack of fuel which was massively stolen, in a police that is increasingly like European troops.
My respects for the team of the Minister of Interior!
My respects for the leaders of the State Police who, freed from the clutches of politics linked to crime that would keep them under a daily pressure, and transformed their job in a real hell, are today on duty bringing forward major projects to have the State Police totally available to serve our country and citizens.
Of course, this work is led by the Minister of Interior, and whenever I have the opportunity I repeat and will repeat that his work deserves every praise, because it is for the same reason that he is covered in mud every day by SHQUP, even though this mud is actually the best compliment to the work of the minister and the entire team of the Ministry of Interior and the State Police leadership. It is a compliment coming from those who know no state and have no idea how to build a state, and as they see how a state is build they can do nothing but cover in mud everything, starting from the State Police, which is the model to be followed by everybody.
* * *
We all remember the long queues of people waiting for hours and for days to pay fines in the counters of a 35-year old building in Tirana that, except for the name, had nothing of a Road Police Station. It had turned into a torture for drivers, and in many cases, these conditions had also fuelled corruption. A completely new building was built on this edifice. After the investment, the new facilities offer European standard conditions of service and reception of citizens. The new premises were inspected today by Prime Minister Edi Rama, accompanied by the Minister of Interior Saimir Tahiri.
“There was a very old building here, built in 1981, and no restoration was made since then. Citizens had to come here at 4:00 am and wait in long queues until the next morning. While now, thanks to the support of many private partners, we built a new building to deliver services a full range of services to citizens”, Minister Tahiri noted.
The new premises provide modern working standards also for the employees of the Station that manages and monitors the urban and interurban traffic across the region of Tirana, in addition to providing support for the 70% of the workload in the entire territory of Albania. The Chief of the Police of Tirana district, Ervin Hodaj said the Traffic Police Station finalizes the project of transformation of police stations and police service counters in Tirana.
“This is a brand new building, not a reconstructed one. The administration has been transferred here. The Traffic Police Station completes the picture of all police stations and police service counters for citizens. Approximately 120-150 citizens are delivered services per day”, Chief of the Police of Tirana district, Ervin Hodaj said.
