Albania
| Author | Gabriel Thrasher, Nathan Moran, Robert Hanser |
| Pages | 136-139 |
Page 136
Official country name: Republic of Albania
Capital: Tirana
Geographic description: Southwestern Balkans bordering the Adriatic Sea and the Ionian Sea
Population: 3,166,000 (est. 2005)
In a government that is about twelve years old and operating under a constitution that is five years old, the law enforcement is constantly evolving. Due to these quick changes and the fact that Albania is the most isolated country in eastern Europe and only began to open up a little in the 1990s, getting a grasp on the current law enforcement system is not an easy task.
Under Communist rule, one police force, the People's Police, had extremely broad jurisdiction that shouldered the bulk of the burden of law enforcement duties. Today, the law enforcement system is believed to be more specialized. From the outside perspective, since 1997, the Albanian society has been showing steady improvement likely attributed to Albanian law enforcement. But, with the emergence of the Albanian Mafia into the world as a very legitimate and quickly expanding organized crime outfit, Albanian law enforcement's job is not getting any easier.
In 1997 the Albanian National Police was formed and next year the new Ministry of Public Order for Police and Human Rights was in place along with a new law on state police in 1999.
The General Police of the People's Police performed the duties of regulating traffic and performing local criminal investigations. Their powers often overlapped with the Security Police, but as a rule, the General Police had local jurisdiction.
The People's Police had five branches to their police force:
Police for Economic Objectives act as guard police for state buildings, factories, construction projects, and similar government enterprises.
Communications Police protect Albania's lines of communication, which included bridges, railroads, telephone, and telegraph network.
Fire Police act as the fire department.
Detention Police serve as prison and labor camp guards.
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General Police serve as the local police force, performing traffic regulation and criminal investigations.
After 1989, information on the operation, staffing, and training of the People's Police is generally not known outside the borders of Albania.
The Auxiliary Police assisted the People's Police under Communist rule. In 1948 a law was passed requiring all able-bodied men to put in two months service with the police and this is the avenue often chosen to fulfill this obligation. They worked with the People's Police in their particular localities. They were to be the link between the community and the police forces.
Frontier Guards of Albania was one of the most prestigious forces in the old government because of its closed borders. They work much like the border patrol or immigration departments in the United States, but are organized along military lines. This 7,000 troop agency would neither let people in nor would they allow for people to leave the borders. Although the society is slowly beginning to open up, their job is not becoming any easier. Albania has historically had terrible relations with its formerly Yugoslavian neighbors, namely Serbia and Montenegro and the Kosovo region. They also have a great deal of responsibility in controlling the smuggling and other ventures of the Albanian Mafia. Due to this important task, the frontier guards had probably the best training and strictest prescreening process for admission. The Frontier Guards were moved to the Ministry of People's Defense under the new government.
The National Information Service replaced the hated Directorate of State Security (Sigurimi) in 1991. The National Information Service objective is to enforce the constitution and laws of Albania and the civil rights of its...
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