On 4 March 2026, the SCPA Program organised its third Steering Committee Meeting, bringing together key institutional stakeholders involved in the implementation of program activities. The meeting was co-chaired by Mr Dhimitraq Ziu, Director of the Public Order and Security Department at the Albanian State Police, and Mr Erik Illes, Deputy Head of Mission and Head of Development Cooperation at the Embassy of Sweden in Albania. Participants included representatives from the management of the Albanian State Police in the areas of public security and police training, as well as representatives from the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of Albania, the Civil Society Support Agency, and the National Association of Albanian Municipalities. In his remarks, Mr Ziu emphasized the continued commitment of the Albanian State Police to implementing the community policing philosophy and strengthening cooperation with communities to enhance public safety. He highlighted ongoing program-supported activities in areas such as community policing implementation, improvement of public order statistics, traffic policing, domestic violence prevention, youth awareness in schools, and improving police services based on survey findings. Mr Erik Illes underlined Sweden’s long-standing support to the Albanian State Police in strengthening public safety and community policing, noting the importance of adapting program results to support Albania’s progress toward European Union accession. Mr Ansi Shundi, SCPA PMT Team Leader presented the program’s progress during the third semester and planned activities for the upcoming period. Steering Committee members discussed the importance of continued inter-institutional cooperation and unanimously approved the Program Progress Report, reaffirming their commitment to further collaboration in strengthening public safety in Albania.  

On 25th February 2026, the SCPA Programme Management Team (PMT), in cooperation with representatives of the Albanian State Police (ASP), organised the fourth session of the workshop series entitled “Improving the System of Statistics Produced and Used by Public Order Structures’’. The Working Group members continued to work closely with the aim of establishing public order and safety statistics system. During this session the participants concentrated on the data useful to the police by reviewing the relevant statistics forms and sharing experience and information on the enhancement of the content of the public order statistics forms. The Working Group will continue its cooperation with the aim of enhancing the accuracy, reliability, comparability, and effective use of public order and safety statistics.  

On 24-26 February 2025, the eighth group of General Patrol Officers and Command and Control Room personnel from Tirana Local Police Directorate participated in the training delivered by SCPA PMT at Police Commissariat No.1 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 Coordination Center for Countering Violent Extremism (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.  

On 17-19 February 2025, seventh group of General Patrol Officers and Command and Control Room personnel from Tirana Local Police Directorate participated in the training delivered by SCPA PMT at Police Commissariat No.1 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 Coordination Center for Countering Violent Extremism (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.  

On 12th February 2026, the SCPA Programme Management Team (PMT), in cooperation with representatives of the Albanian State Police (ASP), organised the third session of the workshop series entitled “Improving the System of Statistics Produced and Used by Public Order Structures’’. The Working Group members continued to work closely with the aim of establishing public order and safety statistics system. During this session the participants concentrated on the data useful to the police by reviewing the relevant statistics forms and sharing experience and information on the enhancement of the content of the public order statistics forms. The Working Group will continue its cooperation with the aim of enhancing the accuracy, reliability, comparability, and effective use of public order and safety statistics.  

The SCPA Programme Management Team (PMT), in cooperation with representatives of the Albanian State Police (ASP), organised the second session of the workshop series entitled “Improving the System of Statistics Produced and Used by Public Order Structures.” The Working Group members continued to work closely with the aim of establishing a functional public order and safety statistics system. During this session the participants concentrated on the data useful to the police by reviewing the relevant statistics forms and sharing experience and information on the enhancement of the content of the public order statistics forms. The Working Group will continue its cooperation with the aim of enhancing the accuracy, reliability, comparability, and effective use of public order and safety statistics.  

On 28th January 2026, the Local Council on Public Safety (LCPS) meeting was held in the Municipality of Malesi e Madhe, Shkodra marking the first meeting for 2026. This meeting was organised in the framework of the implementation of the Grant Scheme in cooperation with the organization “Woman to Woman” and with the participation and cooperation of representatives from the local level institutions such as the municipality, police organization and education system. The meeting focused on the presentation and discussion of the results of the Local Safety Measurement System (LSMS), based on data collected from the survey of citizens in two sub-areas of the municipality. The representatives of the SCPA Programme emphasized the importance of inter-institutional cooperation at the local level, as a key element for effectively addressing public safety issues. It was also emphasized that the study should not be seen only as a statistical report, but as a practical data tool, through which local institutions can reflect on issues that citizens perceive as positive, as well as on areas where more attention and institutional support are required. Discussions among the members of the KVSP focused on community perceptions of security, and identified concerns that would be further addressed through coordinated work between local structures. The meeting contributed to strengthening inter-institutional dialogue and laid the foundations for identifying priorities and concrete interventions in order to increase community security and trust.  

Professionals from local institutions part of the Regional Network with 7 ITT (Interdisciplinary Technical Team) of the Municipalities of Elbasan District were active participants in the meeting that the Elbasan Women’s Forum organized on January 29, 2026. During the meeting, cases and challenges of their management by the Court, the Prosecutor’s Office, the Elbasan Local Police Directorate and the 7 Local Violence Coordinators in the 7 Municipalities of Elbasan District were presented. This meeting was also a good opportunity to share positive practices developed during the work with cases of Domestic Violence and Gender-Based Violence among the 7 ITT of the Municipalities of Elbasan District. This activity was held within 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 District”, part of the Program Grant Scheme.  

On January 20, 2026, in the framework of the Grant Scheme, a meeting was organized with students at the “Fiqiri Kurti” school in Kavaja. Together with the staff and directors of the school and employees of the Kavaja Police Station, the meeting was held in the format of a presentation and open discussion on the security package and ways to improve the communication and response mechanism in cases related to security in schools. The meeting was attended by about 50 students, who contributed with questions and ideas on how security in school premises and in the community can be improved. During the discussion, the issue of security in schools and community policing was discussed, encouraging reflection and awareness among students about their role in preventing incidents. Cooperation practices between schools and law enforcement structures were also presented to build a safer and more cooperative environment. This activity was organised 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 January 22, 2026, the Local Council on Public Safety (LCPS) in Elbasan, in collaboration with NGO ‘Tjetër Vizion’, organised a conversational meeting with youth of the Local Youth Council of the Municipality of Elbasan, creating a space for dialogue on the concrete challenges and needs of public safety in the community. The meeting emphasized the role of youth as key actors in preventing and reporting incidents, especially in school environments. In this context, the contribution of the PARTNER project was presented through the development of an online application for reporting incidents in schools, which enables safe, rapid reporting and institutional follow-up of referred cases. During the activity, the Mayor of Elbasan, also the Chairman of the LCPS, presented the public safety situation in the municipality, referring to the findings of the study of citizen perception on public safety issues, carried out within the framework of the PARTNER project in the Elbasan region. This process has served as a basis for more informed interventions and local policies oriented towards the real needs of the community. This engagement proves that youth involvement, combined with digital tools and data-based decision-making, constitutes a concrete step towards building safer and more inclusive communities.