The perception of citizens regarding security levels in Albania and their trust in the State Police was presented today through the results of the 6th National Survey on Police Performance, a study carried out by the Swedish community policing project for the 12th consecutive year.
The study offers a clear picture of the developments and changes in the work of the State Police over the years, as seen from the citizens’ perspective. The survey began in 2013 and has been conducted every two years, using the same methodology, identical questions, and ensuring that the results are measurable and comparable over time.
The survey was presented at the first meeting of the National Public Safety Council, held at the Ministry of the Interior, with the participation of Prime Minister Edi Rama, Minister of the Interior Ervin Hoxha, and representatives from various stakeholders involved in public safety, including state institutions, the state police, civil society organizations, and the parents’ board.
The National Public Safety Council was established in October through a special decision by the Albanian government, as an important body for coordinating and overseeing activities related to citizen security and community well-being. The Council’s goal is to ensure that security policies and measures are effective by engaging all levels of state administration and involving all structures responsible for maintaining order and upholding the law.
Referring to the survey results, the Prime Minister emphasized: “82% of citizens today feel safe or very safe in Albania, which is entirely in line with the EU average. Furthermore, 65% of citizens rate the government’s performance as good or very good, marking a significant improvement compared to where we started.
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Prime Minister Edi Rama: Dear participants of the National Security Council in the Community, as well as representatives of the institutions present here,
Today holds significant importance as it allows me to share a few thoughts.
‘The only stable state is the one in which all people are equal before the law,’ said Aristotle. Never before has Albania been as mobilized as it is now to achieve this level of equality before the law. On one hand, this has been confirmed as an undeniable fact with the opening of EU accession talks, which are not a gift nor a mere political decision, but a recognition of the progress made, primarily in the area of increasing equality before the law. On the other hand, this also challenges us every day to continually raise the level of this equality, which strengthens the stability of individual freedoms, democratic coexistence, and the rule of law.
I am here today because, first and foremost, the National Security Council in the Community deserves special recognition. It embodies the belief that security is not only an attribute of the Police but involves a range of actors—municipalities, healthcare, education, justice, digital technology, and citizens themselves. Above all, citizens—starting with every parent in this Republic—are the foundation of security.”
The National Security Council in the Community is a newly established body, created at the end of last year through a special decision of the Albanian government. It is an addition to the institutional architecture of public security, with objectives and expectations centered on coordination between local and central government on security issues, institutional synchronization, enriching existing policies, and improving security standards. This shared inter-institutional space, with the inclusion of community representatives, reflects the willingness to be in continuous reflection and to constantly improve the functioning of the state in relation to citizens. Therefore, it deserves and has the unwavering support of all involved actors, and naturally, the support of the Government of the Republic of Albania.
For over a decade now, the government of Sweden has generously funded and overseen an entirely independent scientific survey from the Albanian government, aimed at measuring the public’s satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the work of the State Police. We recently saw a summary of the professional, independent, and comprehensive survey.
Therefore, the public, the Albanians—those who live their everyday lives in the cities and villages of Albania—throughout all the times the survey has been conducted, are very, very close, very close to the logic of facts and measurable progress in the State Police’s performance.
82% of citizens today feel safe or very safe in Albania, and this is completely in line with the average level of the European Union. The survey also provides data on Albania’s position in relation to other countries in all the years it has been conducted, and it clearly shows how the position has changed.
Only 4% of citizens have been victims of theft or physical assault in the past five years—only 4%. This figure is lower, positively so, than the EU average, which is 9%, and it is in line with the norm of the safest countries in the EU.
65% of citizens rate the work of the Police as good or very good, which is a significant improvement compared to where we started, and it shows that the ongoing reform of the Police and their persistent work continue to bear fruit. The most important thing is that, across all the years, the figures in the vast majority of cases are consistently improving. This is the most important thing!
These numbers are stories—real-life stories. They are stories of people who today walk peacefully through the streets of our cities, both day and night. They are stories of tourists who come by the millions every year, and in the three words they say in all the surveys we conduct to understand what they like and what they don’t like, 99% of them say three words. And in these three words, one is about security, human hospitality, and natural beauty—exemplary security. These are the three words that all foreigners say when they visit Albania.
Undoubtedly, I must express my appreciation for the extraordinary progress this body has made over the last decade, and I cannot fail to emphasize that, despite comparisons that are not comparable, they are evident here, they are evident in all the figures. Just look at the number of murders—on average, there were over 100 murders per year, meaning one murder every three days, whereas today, the number is at its lowest historical level.
Despite all this, there are still many shortcomings to address, gaps to fill, and other measures to take to transform the State Police to the point where it stands among the top police forces of the European Union.
On the other hand, a truly strong police force is not just one that fights crime or lawbreakers, but one that wins the hearts of citizens every day, with dedication and respect for them.
Transparency and accountability are key points for further increasing trust in the State Police. Therefore, I greatly value this national-level council and the important steps taken to strengthen the independence of our police force, ensuring that its activities are always led by the law and the best interests of the citizens. This has made a difference compared to the past, but it is still not enough.
At the local level, local public security councils have been established, co-chaired by the mayor and the police director. These councils include departments such as the Education Directorate, Public Health Directorate, the Prosecutor’s Office, the Court of General Jurisdiction, and the Social Services.
Now, one of the negative aspects from the survey that I want to focus on is the citizens’ experience. When asked about their experience with the State Police, specifically when they reached out to express a concern, file a complaint, or make a report, 53% of citizens said their experience was negative. This point absolutely needs to change, and it must change drastically.
We must carefully examine and analyze the nature of the complaints related to the Police, particularly those involving traffic police, road accidents, and violations of traffic regulations. At the same time, the government will support the State Police with a new tool as part of the continued technological modernization of the police force. We will see an epochal transformation in the surveillance of cities, focusing on road traffic, violations, and offenders.
This system will be based on the latest digital technology, enhanced with Artificial Intelligence, allowing the State Police to monitor everything in real time through control rooms in all cities where the system will initially be implemented. It will start with 20 cities, if I’m not mistaken, and soon the same system will be rolled out on national roads. It will begin with the first 200 kilometers, and this system will give the ability to verify every citizen’s complaint in real time—whether it’s a legitimate complaint or in cases where someone may be calling just to vent about a neighbor or a personal issue, as these things happen in life.
The system doesn’t just verify with general photographs; it verifies the person’s name, surname, and their entire record, including any criminal history.
This is an outstanding project that we have finally secured funding for, and in collaboration with our partners from the United Arab Emirates, we will begin implementing it.
The final point I want to mention is the Academy of Security, where significant improvements have been made, but where we still need to do more. To have a State Police force that meets the EU standards in all aspects—because the issues addressed by the survey are directly related to the public, but there are also many other aspects that, while not directly related, still have a profound impact on the public’s interests. We need a European-level Security Academy, which we still lack, to ensure we are truly aligned with one another.
With the new plan to include students in a new Faculty of Law and Investigation, with about 100 students, and the plans for the new Security Campus, I believe we can confidently say that the State Police of 2030 will be one of Albania’s greatest achievements within the European Union.
Thank you very much!
