The Minister of the Interior, Albana Koçiu, presented today the 2026 budget for the institution she leads, emphasizing that the allocated funds will be used for technology, digitalization, and automation.
“This is a budget that allows us to elevate to a new level the overall standards for citizens. We will strongly support technology, digitalization, and automation. We will advance the transformative project of installing intelligent security cameras in the 20 largest cities of the country, as well as in strategic points, main road axes, and schools,” Koçiu said.
The minister added that automatic monitoring will not only uncover but also efficiently prevent all types of violations related to order, public safety, and rule compliance—from traffic regulations to community coexistence norms.
According to Koçiu, the 2026 budget also focuses on improving conditions for employees of the State Police, the Republican Guard, the fire service, and the Ministry of the Interior itself.
“State Police officers, in addition to inflation adjustments, will also benefit from a change in the seniority formula, which provides an opportunity for wage increases based on work experience. For the first time, a food bonus will be included as an integral part of the salary and no longer given as a coupon,” she said.
The minister mentioned that the salary of a regular inspector will increase from 80,500 lek to 100,000 lek, while significant increases will also apply to deputy commissioners, commissioners, chief commissioners, and senior officers.
Koçiu emphasized that the budget will also support the police’s technical capacities by providing more advanced equipment and more sophisticated capabilities for officers.
“The investments enabled by this budget will further shorten the State Police’s intervention time, increasing our strike power as well as our preventive abilities,” the minister added.
Among the specific objectives of the 2026 budget are increased road safety through more patrols, reduced response time to crime, enhanced proactive investigations into serious crimes and corruption, strengthened cybercrime capabilities, and improvements to the National Civil Registry to provide 24/7 digital services to citizens.
“The 2026 budget is not only the largest in terms of allocated funds, but also the largest in our ambitions. It raises public order and security standards and supports the list of tasks for concluding negotiations by 2027,” Koçiu concluded.
