On 5-7 March 2025 General Patrol Officers and Command and Control Room personnel from both Lushnja and Divjaka Police Commissariats participated in the Community Policing training delivered by SCPA PMT in Lushnja Police Commissariat premises. The trainees are 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 are 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. In order to provide a comprehensive training module on CP SCPA cooperates with CVE, whose experts provide interactive lecturing on Countering Violent Extremism. Best EU practices on CP philosophy implementation are 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.  

On 12 March 2024 SCPA Program organized a high-level conference on ‘Community Policing and Safety in Communities’ in cooperation with its primary and secondary beneficiaries and other relevant stakeholders. The conference was attended by the Minister of Interior Mr Ervin Hoxha, Deputy Minister of Interior Ms Romina Kuko, Deputy Minister of Ministry of Education and Sports, Ms Orjana Osmani, General Director of State Police Mr Ilir Proda, Mr. Erik Illes, Head of Development Cooperation from Embassy of Sweden and SCPA PMT. The conference brought together stakeholders responsible and involved in providing public order and safety to the communities. In addition, senior managers and/or representatives from the Albanian State Police, Security Academy, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Health and Social Protection, Ministry of Education and Sports, Association for Local Autonomy, various Municipalities, local government structures, international partners, civil society organizations, NGOs, CPOs Youth Educators and School Security Officers etc.  were present in the conference. An overview of the SCPA program with a focus on its activities, objectives and priorities was presented during the conference by Mr Ansi Shundi, SCPA Team Leader. During the conference relevant stakeholders highlighted the importance of interinstitutional coordination and cooperation to provide safety to the communities in general and specially to provide safe environments for the students at schools. At the end of the conference the Grant Agreement between Government of Sweden and the Government of Albania related to the Third Phase of the Programme on ‘Strengthening Community Policing in Albania’ was signed.  

SCPA PMT together with experts from the Ministry of Interior and ASPA (Albanian School of Public Administration) initiated a 5-day training addressed to the Professional Standards Directorate (PSD) personnel on ‘Strengthening Integrity and Enhancing Performance Assessment in the Albanian State Police’. Mr. Ansi Shundi, Team Leader of the SCPA Program and Director of Professional Standards Directorate Mr Dhimitraq Ziu welcomed the participant to the training. Together with the lecturers they shared their views on how such training may support the PSD personnel to enhance their capacities and improve their skills in accomplishing their daily tasks with each relevant sector within PSD. The training program is designed to strengthen the directorate’s capacity to effectively supervise, evaluate, and support both central and local police structures and includes both theoretical modules and practical exercises in groups. It provides participants with a combination of theoretical knowledge, practical tools, and ethical principles tailored to their specific responsibilities. The emphasis on skill development includes areas such as performance evaluation, complaint management, and disciplinary procedures, all of which are essential for ensuring transparency, fairness, and efficiency within the policing framework. The lecturers in liaison with the participants during these five days will focus on sharing best practices and exchanging experiences on topics and areas such as understanding institutional and individual standards, criteria, and procedures for evaluating performance; promoting individual and institutional ethical standards to strengthen transparency and accountability; enhancing interpersonal and technical skills to improve inspections and complaint management; applying analytical and collaborative approaches to enhance PSD operations and performance. The comprehensive approach of the training will help to empower PSD personnel to address complex challenges, make informed decisions, and implement measures that enhance the overall performance and reputation of the State Police. At the end of the training the participants are awarded with a participation certificate.  

SCPA PMT continues to deliver the series of training on CP implementation during the 1st, 2nd, 3rd week of February 2025 in Tirana LPD.  The three-day training was addressed to the 75 General Patrol Officers (GPOs) and staff of the Command-and-Control Rooms (CCR) from 7 Police Commissariats of Tirana LPD and that of Kruja Police Commissariat.   The trainees are 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 are 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. In order to provide a comprehensive training module on CP SCPA cooperates with CVE, whose experts provide interactive lecturing on Countering Violent Extremism. Best EU practices on CP philosophy implementation are 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.

On 31st January 2025, the Albanian Ministry of Interior organized a conference in collaboration with the National Community Safety Council, supported by the Swedish Community Policing Assistance (SCPA) Program. The event marked the presentation of the 6th National Police Satisfaction Survey (PSS) results. The survey aimed to assess public perceptions of the Albanian State Police (ASP) performance across the country, offering valuable insights into the public’s views on the effectiveness, professionalism, and approachability of law enforcement. The findings highlighted both strengths and areas for improvement, helping ASP enhance its service delivery and strengthen its relationship with the community. During the conference, Prime Minister Mr Edi Rama, Minister of Interior Mr. Ervin Hoxha, Deputy Minister of Interior Ms. Romina Kuko, and ASP General Director Mr. Ilir Proda shared their perspectives on the survey results. The event also welcomed high-level representatives from Sweden, including the Ambassador of Sweden, the Head of Development Cooperation, and the SCPA Program Manager from the Swedish Embassy. Members of the National Community Safety Council, senior managers from ASP, and key stakeholders in the security sector also attended. The survey was conducted by IDRA, a specialized opinion polling company. The full survey results can be accessed at the following link: [Link].

SCPA PMT initiated a series of training on CP implementation in Durres LPD to be altogether extended in 10 ASP LPDs. The training is addressed to the ASP General Patrol Officers (GPO) and staff of the Command-and-Control Rooms (CCR). This training combines 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. During this training the ASP officers and SCPA PMT are able to discuss and exchange experience on the main tasks and responsibilities of the GPOs and CCR staff, cooperation of police with the community and other structures involved to address and find ways of improving CP implementation. The trainees are 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. During such exercises the trainees have the possibility to share their experience and discuss and provide solutions to the presented situations.  In addition, they are able to receive feedback from PMT on the situation handling and solutions provided by them by exchanging experience and sharing best practices of other EU police organizations. Upon successful delivery of the training the ASP officers enhance their knowledge and capacities on implementation of CP. The first three-day training, delivered on 22-24 January 2025, will be followed up by other trainings in Durres, Tirana and Fier LPDs during the first quarter of 2025.  

In the framework of SCPA Program work plan activities, PMT Coordinator organized a workshop on “The experiences and effective methods of delivering awareness campaigns in schools’ addressed to the ASP CPO Educators, on 19-20 December 2024 at the Security Academy premises. It focused on the analysis of the work carried out by the CPO Educators in terms of the delivery of the awareness campaigns in schools during 2023 – 2024 based on the CPO Educators online Forum feedback and the discussions during the workshop. In addition, the workshop served at revitalizing the role of the CPO Educators and focused on identifying the training needs of the newly appointed CPO Educators. During the workshop the SCPA Program PMT Expert and Coordinator shared and exchanged the experiences with the trainees on the successful delivery of the awareness campaigns with youth in schools in general and especially focused on the training modules of the fight against Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking. At the end of the workshop visibility materials/flyers produced by the SCPA on the aforementioned training modules were distributed to the participants to be distributed in schools during the period January – March 2025 in order to raise awareness with youth on these specific topics.  It was agreed that at the end of the awareness campaigns an analysis will be carried out on the work performed by the ASP CPO Educators focusing on the priorities , issues and challenges encountered during the awareness campaigns and their daily work.  

On December 18th, 2024 SCPA Program organized its 1st Steering Committee meeting with participation from various stakeholders. The SCM was cochaired by Mr Rebani Jaupi, Director of the Public Order and Security Department at ASP and Deputy Head of Mission and Head of Cooperation Development at the Embassy of Sweeden Mr Erik Illes.  The meeting was attended by stakeholders from ASP management in the area of public security and police training, representatives from the Ministry of Education and Sports, Ministry of Health and Social Protection and Civil Society Support Agency. ASP Director Mr Rebani Jaupi expressed his appreciation for the achievement of the previous two phases of the Program and mentioned that ASP was looking forward to welcome further development in the third phase of the Program. He highlighted the fact that the Government of Sweden through the SCPA has supported ASP for many years through its activities, technical assistance and donation of modern technical equipment, police premises reconstruction, advanced software by strengthening the cooperation with the community actors and enhancing the police capacities in providing responsive, efficient and transparent services.  ASP looks forward to implementing the activities presented in the Inception Report and is fully committed to achieve the expected results. Mr Erik Illes, mentioned that Sweden has been a longstanding partner in Albania in the development cooperation on the areas of democracy, human rights, public security area and public services. He highlighted the fact that Government of Sweden looks forward to stronger partnerships and engagement with ASP not only in the area of Community Policing but also in the Crime Scene Investigation and Sexual and Gender-based Violence. He appreciated the partnerships of other relevant institutions involved in implementing the CP program, especially the civil society. As financing body, they are looking forward to further development of activities of the SCPA Program in cooperation with ASP. Mr SHUNDI SCPA Team Leader provided an overview of the Program focus areas and activities and expressed his appreciation for the engagement of ASP and all other relevant stakeholders in support to implementation of Program activities. The meeting concluded with the unanimous approval of the SCPA Inception Report and Work Plan. All stakeholders expressed their appreciation for the fruitful and successful cooperation with the Program and expressed their willingness for further cooperation and engagement.  

In the framework of SCPA Programme activities, respectively ‘’Support functioning of Local Councils of Public Safety’, PMT Monitoring and Evaluation Expert Ms Eldisa Zhebo attended meetings with Durres and Fier Public Safety and Security Structures on 10th December 2024. Two meetings were organized, respectively in Durres and Fier Districts following the approval of the CoM Decision No. 678, dated 30.10.2024 on ‘Structure, detailed rules of organization and functioning of the LCPS and the National Council of Community Safety”. The first meeting was organized in Durres District with the participation of the representatives from Durres District Prefecture, Durres, Shijak and Kruja, Municipalities and ASP respective Police Commissariats. The second meeting was organized in Fier District with the representatives from the Ministry of Interior, Fier LPD, respective Police Commissariats and Fier, Mallakastra, Patos and Lushnja Municipalities. During these two meetings the importance of establishing the LCPS was emphasized. SCPA PMT will continue to support the establishment and functioning of LCPSs alongside the capacity-building for LCPS members and ASP personnel and will also carry out an assessment of LCPSs functioning and sustainability. At the end of the meeting, all parties expressed their appreciation on the cooperation and support provided to date by the international partners and their interest in the continuation of such useful cooperation.  

SCPA Programme supported and cooperated with the Albanian State Police to raise awareness with youth during the 16 days of action against domestic violence campaign. In the framework of the International Domestic Violence Awareness Weeks the SCPA PMT organized meetings with the Programme beneficiaries to share and exchange information on the Domestic Violence activities pursuant to the Programme work plan. In addition, the PMT cooperated closely with the ASP Directorate of Crimes in Volume, respectively the Sector against Domestic Violence and Protection of Minors by delivering promotional/visibility materials against DV such as flyers, posters and banners, wristbands and pens. The promotional materials have been widely distributed by the ASP DV Officers in cooperation with School Security Officers from the Ministry of Education and Sports in schools in Albania. The SCPA Programme during its activities’ implementation will continue to support the ASP DV structures and also cooperate with schools in the fight against domestic violence and gender-based violence.