On October 17, 2025, the Albanian Center for Family Development organised an awareness session at the “16 Shtatori” Public High School in Shijak, as part of the project “Awareness and Engagement of Youth for Safety and Education”. After the theoretical part in the classroom, the youth experienced the consequences of an accident through a car simulator, an experience that made them reflect deeply on the importance of safe behavior on the road. “I had never thought how much a second of caution is worth” – said a student after the simulation. With the support of experts and the police officers from Durres LPD, the activity aimed to strengthen the sense of responsibility and the role of young people in creating a safer traffic culture.  

The “Gender, Peace and Security” Association, on 22nd October 2025, organized an awareness-raising meeting with the youth of the “Jan Kukuzeli” Art School, Durres, in the framework of the implementation of the “Community Policing” project. During the activity, the youth discussed their concept of violence and were informed about the forms and institutions responsible for reporting violence. Information was provided on the legal measures for the perpetrator and the importance of reporting, while also emphasizing the existing services for victims. The representative of the Local Police Directorate once again emphasized the importance of the role of the police and cooperation with other institutions in managing cases of domestic and gender-based violence.  

The Elbasan Women’s Forum, on 15 October 2025, in the framework of the project “Partnership between the State Police, local actors and the community regarding Domestic Violence and Gender-Based Violence, in the Elbasan Region”, supported by the SCPA Program Grants’ Scheme, held an awareness meeting with participants from the community and local institutions in the Prrenjas Municipality. During the meeting, in addition to men, women and youth from the community, the Community Policing Specialist, the Coordinator against Violence and the Child Protection Unit employee were also present. At this meeting, the role of the police, the role of public institutions of local government, challenges, problems and the importance of taking responsibility by all parties for better order and security were discussed. Some of the challenges and suggestions that emerged from the community meetings were damage to shared property, emigration and long-distance marriage and the fact that  gender-based violence continues to be considered a family/private matter, etc.  

On 17 October 2025, in the framework of the Grants’ Scheme, a meeting was organized with students at the “Jusuf Puka” High School in Durrës. Representatives of the State Police, school staff, students and representatives of the project team participated in this activity by discussing concrete ways to strengthen inter-institutional cooperation and increase students’ awareness of safety in schools and the community. During the meeting, an open and interactive discussion was held with the students, where they shared examples from their daily lives, expressed their opinions on how communication and cooperation between students, teachers and police officers can be improved, how to increase safety in schools and communities, and how to prevent violence or conflicts in schools. These interactions help build mutual trust and a culture of cooperation, making youth more aware and active in creating a safe school and community environment. This activity was held in the framework of the project “Strengthening Local Mechanisms for Improving Cooperation and Public Safety in the Durres Region” which is being implemented by the Center for Development and Social Initiatives.  

On 15-17 October 2025, second group of the General Patrol Officers and Command and Control Room personnel from Gjirokastra Local Police Directorate participated in the training delivered by SCPA PMT in the Gjirokastra LPD premises. During this training the trainees were introduced to both theoretical and practical exercises and group work by focusing on CP philosophy and implementation of its elements into the daily routine of ASP officers. In addition, they were presented with situations/practical exercises to be handled with and solved by them as they work in groups with the aim of providing measures to be taken proactively in order to implement the CP elements. Special attention was given to the theoretical and practical treatment of cases of Domestic Violence. In order to provide a comprehensive training module on CP SCPA cooperated with CVE, whose experts provided interactive lecturing on Countering Violent Extremism. Best EU practices on CP philosophy implementation were shared with the ASP officers. At the end of such training the ASP officers are able to enhance their knowledge and capacities on implementation of CP.  

The recurring meeting of the Local Council on Public Safety (LCPS) was organized in the premises of the Elbasan Municipality on 9th October 2025, in the framework of the “PARTNER” project, which is implemented by the “Another Vision/Tjetër Vizion” Association in the framework of the SCPA Program Grants’ Scheme. The meeting was attended by the Mayor of Elbasan Municipality, the Prefect of Elbasan District, the Director of the Local Police Directorate, the Team Leader of the SCPA Program, the Rector of “A. Xhuvani” University of Elbasan, the Director of the Local Educational Office, the representative of the Elbasan District Prosecutor’s Office, as well as all members of the Elbasan LCPS. The meeting focused on reviewing the activities of the LCPS, with special attention to public safety issues. The Mayor presented the achievements and challenges, while the representative of the Prosecutor’s Office emphasized the importance of inter-institutional cooperation between the police, the prosecutor’s office and civil society organizations. The involvement of the University of Elbasan was appreciated as a valuable contribution to the analysis and awareness of the community. Representatives of the ‘Another Vision/Tjeter Vizion’ Association presented the activities of the “PARTNER” project and their progress and then focused on the results of the LSMS 2025 report for the Elbasan Region and Municipality, as well as the draft app “Report Now”, which aims to encourage the reporting of incidents in schools and improve safety in educational environments.  

On 08-10 October 2025, General Patrol Officers and Command and Control Room personnel from Gjirokastra Local Police Directorate participated in the training delivered by SCPA PMT in the Gjirokastra LPD premises. During this training the trainees were introduced to both theoretical and practical exercises and group work by focusing on CP philosophy and implementation of its elements into the daily routine of ASP officers. In addition, they were presented with situations/practical exercises to be handled with and solved by them as they work in groups with the aim of providing measures to be taken proactively in order to implement the CP elements. Special attention was given to the theoretical and practical treatment of cases of Domestic Violence. In order to provide a comprehensive training module on CP SCPA cooperated with CVE, whose experts provided interactive lecturing on Countering Violent Extremism. Best EU practices on CP philosophy implementation were shared with the ASP officers. At the end of such training the ASP officers are able to enhance their knowledge and capacities on implementation of CP.  

The “Gender, Peace and Security” Association, on 8th October 2025, organized its recurring awareness-raising meeting with the community. The meeting convened at the premises of the Multifunctional Community Center Nish-Tulla, Durrës with members of this community. The participants had limited knowledge on violence issues, and the meeting served as a good source of information for all attendees. The meeting was also attended by the Social Worker of the Needs Assessment and Case Referral Unit, as well as the Child Protection Unit Employee of District 5, which covers the area where the meeting was organized. The participants expressed that the Community Center in the area has served as a bridge between them, local institutions and the police through frequent meetings being held.  

On 6th October 2025, the recurring meeting of the Librazhd Local Council on Public Safety was organized, with a focus on sharing issues related to public safety in the community of Librazhd. During the meeting, the report of the local safety measurement system was presented, as well as the draft app “Report Now”, an initiative that aims to increase transparency and cooperation between children, teachers, parents, psychologists, school security officers and law enforcement institutions. An open and constructive discussion was held with the heads of police commissariat, where issues related to citizens’ perception of safety, especially for children, environmental issues, as well as assessments or concerns about the work of the police were addressed. In this meeting, the organization ‘Another Vision/Tjetër Vizion”, supported by the SCPA program staff, played an active role within the “PARTNER” project, part of round 1 of the program’s grant scheme. The meeting was much appreciated by the attendees, including the Mayor of Librazhd, who emphasized the importance of including all members – representatives of the prosecution, NGOs and religious communities – as an added value for strengthening public safety in the town.  

On 1st October 2025, the recurring meeting of the Local Council on Public Safety was organized in Gramsh, with the participation of the Mayor of Gramsh Municipality, the Prefect of Elbasan District and the Head of the Gramsh Police Commissariat. During this meeting, the organization “Another Vision/Tjetër Vizion”, supported by the SCPA program staff, played an active role in the framework of “PARTNER” project, part of round 1 of the program’s grants’ scheme. Besides, during the meeting, the report of the findings of the citizen survey on the perception of public safety issues and priority problems of citizens was presented. The current situation of public safety was discussed, with a focus on domestic violence, youth safety and online safety. The draft of the innovative application for reporting incidents in schools was also presented, receiving suggestions and ideas for its improvement. Special attention was paid to the involvement of youth, civil society organizations and the community with concrete recommendations for increasing safety at the local level. This meeting showed that only through close cooperation between institutions, civil society and citizens we can build a safer, more inclusive and stronger community.