Law enforcement in

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

is the responsibility of several agencies. The responsibility for most tasks lies with the Albanian State Police, a national police agency, which is under the authority of

Ministry of Internal Affairs An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...

. Examples of other agencies with limited policing powers are the ''Municipal Police'', which has administrative functions and operates in the local level. They are controlled by mayors.

Agencies under the Ministry of Internal Affairs

Albanian Police

The Albanian State Police is subordinate to the

and it is organized by the ''General Directorate of State Police''. It is divided into several departments, which the function of each police department is to maintain general law and order, prevent crime, investigate crime and other events that threaten public order and safety, carry out traffic control and surveillance, and promote traffic safety. Police motorcycle in Albania 02

Some of police departments are: *Policia e Rendit (''Order Police''), tasked to deal with issues of public order and safety. *Policia Rrugore (''Road Police''), tasked to carry out traffic control and surveillance, and promote traffic safety. *Policia Kufitare (''Border Police''), tasked to patrol the state border and migration. * RENEA, is a special police unit, mostly tasked for counter-terrorism and critical incident response unit. The Security Academy (''Akademia e Sigurisë'') is the national university-level unit responsible for general police training, research and development.

Republican Guard

The Republican Guard (Garda e Republikës) is a structure of special status under the authority of the

, which has the mission of

safeguarding Safeguarding is a term used in the United Kingdom and Ireland to denote measures to protect the health, well-being and human rights of individuals, which allow people—especially children, young people and vulnerable adults—to live free from ...

and protecting the high-state personalities and residences, such as the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

;

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

; Chairman of the Parliament and others personalities defined by the ''Law No.8869, dated 22 May 2003 "For the Guard of the Republic of Albania"''.

Internal Affairs and Complaints Service

The Internal Affairs and Complaints Service (''Shërbimi i Çështjeve të Brendshme dhe Ankesave, SHÇBA'') it is an

n law-enforcement agency under the

, which investigates incidents and possible suspicions of law-breaking and professional

misconduct Misconduct is wrongful, improper, or unlawful conduct motivated by premeditated or intentional purpose or by obstinate indifference to the consequences of one's acts. It is an act which is forbidden or a failure to do that which is required. Misc ...

attributed to

Police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...

officers, Republican Guards and Firefighter officers in the

Republic of Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares l ...

. The SHÇBA can also refer the cases of misconduct and criminal behavior involving abovementioned employees, such as corruption acts, suspected links with crime and favoring of one side in conflicts. They also are responsible for the investigation of the unjustified wealth of officers on the basis of complaints and reports. The SHÇBA employees have the attributes of a police officer and a judiciary Police agent, according to the ''law "On Judiciary Police"'', hold police ranks and have the status of an employee of the State Police.

Agencies under the Ministry of Defense

Coast Guard

The Albanian Cost Guard (''Roja Bregdetare'') is one of the specialized bodies of the Albanian Navy which is responsible for

human life and coordinating search and rescue at sea, as well as administrative management, navigation security and

territorial waters The term territorial waters is sometimes used informally to refer to any area of water over which a sovereign state has jurisdiction, including internal waters, the territorial sea, the contiguous zone, the exclusive economic zone, and potent ...

, with coastal guard functions. Among the competences are the

of human life at sea, the safety of navigation and maritime transport, as well as the protection of the marine environment, its ecosystems and the oversight of the entire marine fishing industry, the protection of resources to that of the final consumer. The latter include inspections on merchant naval, fishing and recreational vessels, also conducted on foreign merchant ships that climb domestic ports.

Military Police

The Albanian Military Police or ''MP'' (Policia Ushtarake, PU) is a provost branch of the Albanian Armed Forces responsible for the policing of service personnel, and for providing a

military police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, screening, rear rec ...

presence both in Albania and while service personnel are deployed overseas on operations and exercises. The PU it is under the authority of Ministry of Defence. Military-Police-Albania&airforce

The PU tasks include: * Law enforcement and crime prevention of the

military law Military justice (also military law) is the legal system (bodies of law and procedure) that governs the conduct of the active-duty personnel of the armed forces of a country. In some nation-states, civil law and military law are distinct bodie ...

, within the service in Armed Forces; * Safeguarding of the life, health and dignity of the militaries; * Take measures for the implementation of legal acts on military law and discipline outside the military structures in public and non-public environments; * Provides military order in the framework of activities organized in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Albania; * Take measures for the prevention, detection and prosecution of criminal activity against members of the Armed Forces, property and military facilities;

Intelligence and Security Agency

The Intelligence and Security Agency (''Agjencia e Inteligjencës dhe Sigurisë së Mbrojtjes, AISM'') is an

Albanian government Albania is a unitary parliamentary constitutional republic, where the President of Albania is the head of state and the Prime Minister of Albania the head of government in a multi-party system. The executive power is exercised by the Government a ...

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

intelligence agency An intelligence agency is a government agency responsible for the collection, analysis, and exploitation of information in support of law enforcement, national security, military, public safety, and foreign policy objectives. Means of informa ...

responsible for

strategic intelligence Strategic intelligence (STRATINT) pertains to the collection, processing, analysis, and dissemination of intelligence that is required for forming policy and military plans at the national and international level. Much of the information needed for ...

and

technical intelligence Technical Intelligence (TECHINT) is intelligence about weapons and equipment used by the armed forces of foreign nations. The related term, scientific and technical intelligence, addresses information collected or analyzed about the broad range ...

assessments, advising defence and government decision-making on national security and international security issues, and the planning and conduct of Albanian Armed Forces operations. AISM is under the authority of the

Ministry of Defense {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in state ...

and it is one of two Albanian intelligence services, together with the civilian Albanian State Intelligence Service.

Other law enforcement agencies

State Intelligence Service

The Albanian State Intelligence Service (''Shërbimi Informativ Shtetëror, SHISH'') is the primary

and provides the necessary information from disclosure and

counter-intelligence Counterintelligence is an activity aimed at protecting an agency's intelligence program from an opposition's intelligence service. It includes gathering information and conducting activities to prevent espionage, sabotage, assassinations or ot ...

on national security issues. It is specialized in the prevention of security threats that come from within the state or not. The agency it is under the authority of Prime Minister's Office.

Prisons Police

The Albanian Prisons Police (''Policia e Burgjeve'') is an attached agency of the ''General Directorate of Prisons of

'', under the authority of

Ministry of Justice A Ministry of Justice is a common type of government department that serves as a justice ministry. Lists of current ministries of justice Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Justice (Abkhazia) * Ministry of Justice (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Just ...

, which operate the Albanian

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, corre ...

system as

corrections officer A prison officer or corrections officer is a uniformed law enforcement official responsible for the custody, supervision, safety, and regulation of prisoners. They are responsible for the care, custody, and control of individuals who have been ...

s. The police is responsible for the supervision, safety, and security of prisoners in a prison, jail, or similar form of secure custody. It ensures the security of Albanian prisons, keeping unauthorized people out and preventing escape by prisoners. It also maintains order inside prisons, handles the transportation of inmates to and from prison and to court or medical appointments, and manages work and education programs for inmates.

Forestry Police

The Forestry Police (''Policia Pyjore'') it is a

law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of government who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by discovering, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules Rule or ruling may refer to: Education ...

agency under the authority of the Ministry of Environment. The body specialized in defending

n agroforestry heritage,

the environment and landscape. It complied with the fulfillment of security services as well as the control of the territory, with particular reference to

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are descri ...

and

mountainous A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher th ...

areas. The Forestry Police inspectors during the execution of the service, have the same status as the State Police and Judiciary Police. The Forestry Police have as primary role to safeguarding the wooded areas, but also have other numerous and varied institutional tasks, which is part of a wider context of protection of the environment and the territory, human health, animal protection,

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' ...

and landscaping, conservation

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...

. It is also charged to protect the Albanian National Parks;

marine protected area Marine protected areas (MPA) are protected areas of seas, oceans, estuaries or in the US, the Great Lakes. These marine areas can come in many forms ranging from wildlife refuges to research facilities. MPAs restrict human activity for a conse ...

s and

protected areas Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

. Some of important duties of the Forestry Police are: * Controls the implementation of the law on forests, pastures, protected areas, wild flora and fauna, hunting activities and other activities carried out in the national forest fund by private and public entities, and proposes the revocation of licenses when subjects act in violation of the relevant law; * Prevents, detects and fights damage, occupation, abuse, alienation, desecration and degradation of forests and forest land, violation of uncontrolled interventions in the forestry fund and in the natural environment; * Organizes work on prevention and extinction of fires on protected areas, in cooperation with Fire and Rescue service and General Directorate of Civil Emergencies; *Prevents and takes measures in the cases of illegal exploitation and trading of wood material, crime in the forestry sector, pastures, protected areas and forests with special function, wild flora and fauna, medicinal, aromatic and ethereal herbs, forest and non-forest products of national forests fund, as well as any other activity contrary to the law;

Local law enforcement agencies

Municipal Police

The Municipal Police (''Policia Bashkiake'') are

agencies that are under the control of

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-l ...

. It is an unarmed force and have fewer powers than the Albanian State Police, such as arresting, criminal cases investigation or other duties which are not the exclusive power of other law enforcement forces. The Municipality Police powers are defined by ''Law No. 8224, dated 15 May 1997'' and they can only exercise them in their own municipality. They have jurisdiction over misdemeanors, supervise and protect the safety of citizens and property, assist and cooperate with the State Police in

public order In criminology, public-order crime is defined by Siegel (2004) as "crime which involves acts that interfere with the operations of society and the ability of people to function efficiently", i.e., it is behaviour that has been labelled criminal ...

road safety Road traffic safety refers to the methods and measures used to prevent road users from being killed or seriously injured. Typical road users include pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, vehicle passengers, horse riders, and passengers of on-roa ...

and so on. Each local police chief is responsible for the execution of local law enforcement policy and ensures the management, organization and distribution of missions in the local police force. She or he works under the authority of the mayor.

Police ground vehicles

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Hyundai i10 The Hyundai i10 is a city car produced by the South Korean manufacturer Hyundai since 2007. It replaced the Hyundai Atos in the model line-up, and was initially available only as a five-door hatchback body style. The third generation i10 was unve ...

* Hyundai Santa Fe *

Škoda Octavia The Škoda Octavia is a small family car produced by the Czech car manufacturer Škoda Auto since the end of 1996. It shares its name with an earlier model produced between 1959 and 1971. Four generations of the modern-era Octavia model have ...

Volkswagen Bora The Volkswagen Bora is a small family car, the fourth generation of the Volkswagen Jetta, and the successor to the Volkswagen Vento. Production of the car began in July 1999. Carrying on the wind nomenclature from previous generations, the car wa ...

(Retired) *

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References

External links

Albanian State Police

Republican Guard

PAMECA, Consolidation of Law Enforcement Capacities in Albania
{{Europe topic, Law enforcement in, state=collapsed Law of Albania