Ministri i Brendshëm, Ervin Demo, ka deklaruar se Policia e Shtetit ka identifikuar përmes teknologjisë disa prej personave të maskuar që kanë ushtruar dhunë gjatë protestave të zhvilluara në Tiranë. Demo bëri të ditur se pamjet filmike të personave të maskuar, të cilët kanë sulmuar institucionet, bizneset private dhe punonjësit e Policisë së Shtetit, i janë referuar Prokurorisë së Tiranës, ndërsa ndaj tyre po ndiqen procedurat ligjore për përgjegjësinë penale.
“We are using technology to help the State Police identify violent elements during the protest, especially those elements who are masked. As you can see from the materials, these are some of the examples we have already identified. The material has been referred to the Tirana Prosecutor’s Office, where individuals who, while masked, clearly used violence against institutions, used violence against private businesses, and used violence against State Police officers are visible. Meanwhile, thanks to technology, we have already identified their identities, and all legal steps are being taken regarding the legal, criminal responsibility these individuals must bear”, Demo stated.
The minister stressed that the technological strengthening of the State Police is now a necessity, announcing that body cameras for police officers in Tirana will be put into operation very soon. According to him, these cameras will serve not only to document acts of violence and illegal actions by certain individuals, but also to ensure that police interventions comply with the legal framework.
“The need for the technological strengthening of the State Police is now imperative, and we will work vigorously to move forward with rapid steps in the use of technology in the work carried out by the State Police”, the minister said. Demo also called on the Tirana Prosecutor’s Office and the court to have a uniform response to persons who have committed acts of violence, calling for legal accountability for attacks on institutions and private property.
Full statement by Minister Demo
Minister Demo: I am here today with the Director General of the State Police to give a summary of what has happened in recent weeks in the context of the protests held in the city of Tirana.
First, I would like to thank State Police officers for their commitment to guaranteeing public order and security, and certainly, taking into account also the level of violence, which has been unprecedented.
Having said that, I would like to begin with a very important step, a draft law that has already been submitted to Parliament, namely the 2027 draft budget, which also includes a new approach to the pay levels of State Police officers, where we will see a considerable increase.
As I mentioned from October 7, at the start of the school year at the Security Academy, the base salary level will increase by 20,000 new lek, while all other Police employees will also receive an increase of 15,000 new lek.
This is a considerable increase, one of the highest in history in terms of the financial treatment of State Police structures, and it is a more than deserved treatment, given their commitment in the field to guarantee public order and security, to sustain the development of the tourism sector as well as beyond, in terms of those services that are vital for a safe country.
Likewise, the budget draft includes a series of novelties that will also be felt by the families of State Police employees, starting with the reduction of VAT on basic goods from 20% to 6%, and also the reduction of the price of fuel by 32 lek at the pump, as a result of the removal of the excise tax from the fuel price at the pump.
However, returning to what we have gathered here today, the recent weeks have been very challenging for the State Police, facing extreme violence and a highly negative balance in terms of the injured.
In total, there are 347 injured. At the outset, I would not want to differentiate between State Police employees, protesters, or passersby, but this number itself shows that the intensity of violence has been unprecedented.
Unfortunately, this level of violence, which has not been experienced before in the protests that have taken place in our country, in itself also indicates the form of criminal organization that this protest had. However, if we refer to the figures, of the 347 injured, 200 of them, around 200 of them, are State Police employees. They are State Police employees who suffered various injuries, some of them serious, but who, fortunately, are today out of danger to their lives. There are 107 injured protesters and about 39 passersby, who were also injured during the protests. This includes a considerable number of journalists who were harmed while covering the protest.
These figures are a wake-up call for all of us, in terms of the level of violence, but above all in terms of the proportional treatment that the State Police has applied in managing this protest. I want to emphasize, in absolute terms, that the position of the Ministry of Interior, and certainly of the State Police structures, is clear: we guarantee the constitutional right of all citizens to protest peacefully. Certainly, our commitment is clear regarding the proportionality of the State Police’s methods when violence is found.
Even in those cases where State Police employees have taken individual actions that exceeded the limits of proportionality, the State Police has immediately taken the appropriate measures, including the corresponding suspensions.
There are 7 State Police officers who have been suspended, and they are now under investigation regarding the actions they carried out. At the same time, the Police Oversight Agency is working on dozens of cases referred by various citizens concerning State Police actions, as well as cases where the Agency has launched investigations into specific incidents, and in the meantime it is also cooperating with the Tirana Prosecutor’s Office in investigating these events.
This very clearly shows our commitment to transparency, but at the same time to a standard regarding the relationship that the State Police has with citizens. The State Police is not there to confront citizens violently. It is there to guarantee public order and security. And this, we must all be clear about, but at the same time we must all be supportive of the role of the State Police.
In recent weeks we have observed violence that has not been directed only at state institutions, but also at private entities, at independent institutions, but also at individuals, passers-by who were at the protests.
I am convinced that this standard will be strengthened day by day, and we will be very clear that our role is to guarantee security and public order, maintain proportionality, and, of course, where intervention is needed, we will use all legal mechanisms to guarantee transparency and accountability for everyone.
At the same time, I must mention a worrying fact: the pressure exerted on the State Police, not merely in the performance of duty as a result of violence, but above all and certainly through media attacks, but also those on social networks.
The State Police has referred specific cases regarding threats made against certain leaders or certain officers of the State Police by certain individuals, who have used public communication channels to identify State Police employees and to organize and call for attacks against State Police employees.
This is an unprecedented act, it is an act that will not be tolerated, and we will pursue all appropriate legal steps to ensure that every State Police officer performs their duty and responsibilities with full legal protection. I must mention the importance of condemning violence by the whole of society, by political parties. Violence cannot be an instrument of negotiation, cannot be an instrument of blackmail, and cannot under any circumstances be accepted as a mechanism that brings change regarding any demands that various protesters may have.
The position of the Albanian government is clear: we are open at every moment to sit down and dialogue with anyone who seeks dialogue on specific issues that can be addressed by the Albanian government.
I must also briefly touch on the use of minors during protests.
Minors have been used by organizers, who placed them on the front line of the attack, on the front line of violence, while standing behind these minors themselves. The accompaniment figures also clearly show that the number of minors who took part in the protest is very worrying. There are 269 people under the age of 18 who were escorted. This shows best the great challenge we have, inter-institutional, to address this worrying phenomenon. And here I am speaking about the role that schools, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Health will have in addressing a wound that is in fact a phenomenon, to which we must give the right response to prevent it at its source. It is certainly not a solution, the actions of the State Police regarding the detentions we make of minors, but above all for minors we must find the right path, the right communication channels and the right support for families and for the minors themselves, so that this phenomenon becomes a bitter memory of these last few weeks.
Also, the Albanian government has already approved the Normative Act regarding new legal instruments made available to the State Police for managing unlawful gatherings or violence exercised at these gatherings. I will start with minors, which is a measure that has in fact also been undertaken in European Union countries, starting with Italy and France, where it is established that if a minor takes part in vandalism, if a minor takes part in violence, the damages caused as a result of these actions will be covered by their families.
Also, those who take part in violent protests will face administrative measures, starting from fines and other elements, with particular mention of the national register of violent individuals who have taken part in demonstrations in the territory. Naturally, these are important acts, and we will very soon come out with detailed information on each of the measures, which are already in force. And I am convinced that these will help the work of the State Police to have a proportionate response regarding individuals who take part in violent protests.
One thing is certain: from these protests we have observed that the need for technological strengthening of the State Police is now imperative, and we will work vigorously to move forward with rapid steps regarding the use of technology in the work carried out by the State Police. I would like to mention one first element, which will be very important for the transparency of the State Police’s actions, which are body cameras that we will very soon put into operation, starting with State Police officers in the Municipality of Tirana, where we will already use these images to document violence or unlawful acts undertaken by certain individuals, but at the same time, to guarantee that the actions of the State Police are always within the legal framework.
We are looking into the opportunity to strengthen both communication within State Police structures with new radios, and also new digital technology tools for the investigative work that the State Police undertakes. Here I would like to mention one fact regarding the technology we are already using to help the State Police identify violent elements during the protest, especially those who are masked.
As you can see from the materials, these are some of the examples that we have already identified. The material has been referred to
the Tirana Prosecution Office, where individuals who are clearly masked have been seen using violence against institutions, using violence against private businesses, and using violence against State Police employees. Meanwhile, thanks to technology, we have already identified their identities, and all legal steps are being taken regarding the legal and criminal responsibility these individuals must bear.
Here I would like to call on the Tirana Prosecution Office and the court to provide a uniform response in defense of the state, property and collective security, so that those elements who have actually carried out violence against the capital of Albanians are certain to face a standard of legal accountability.
And I am convinced that the role of the State Police must be not only to guarantee order and security, especially when there are situations we are facing, but certainly the role of the State Police must also be to prevent certain situations, as a very important measure, which can also be supported by technology so that we can reduce, often, the unnecessary confrontations with the acts of violence that we observe.
I will not dwell any longer, because what is important for us as Minister of Internal Affairs, to conclude, are certainly the guarantees we offer to citizens: the State Police is there to help citizens, to support citizens, to guarantee the lawful, peaceful gatherings of every citizen throughout the territory of Albania.
The State Police is there not to confront anyone violently, but the State Police will certainly react at the moment there is violence directed against public institutions, against business, against financial institutions or individuals who may happen to be part of a protest.
Therefore, once again, I would like to thank all State Police employees for their commitment during these weeks, and I would certainly ask for the cooperation of citizens to follow and comply with the calls that the State Police directs to them in certain situations. Order and security is a responsibility of everyone. It is also a responsibility of society. Therefore I would like to conclude by referring to all the injured, not only State Police employees, but anyone who has been injured in these difficult weeks, I wish you a speedy recovery, and certainly all of us must draw the appropriate lessons from this situation that we have already experienced together.