The General Director of the State Police, Ilir Proda, along with the directors of the Criminal Police, Public Order and Security, and Border and Migration Departments, participated in the annual work analysis of police structures in the districts of Vlorë and Fier.
He praised the efforts of police structures throughout 2024 in successfully managing the tourist season, ensuring an incident-free period for tourists, intensifying efforts to prevent cannabis cultivation—leading to a significant decrease in cases compared to previous years—and responding promptly to issues raised by citizens.
Proda also highlighted the strong cooperation with the respective Prosecutor’s Offices and encouraged newly appointed police leaders to further strengthen this collaboration, not only with law enforcement agencies but also with citizens, whom he described as the most important allies in fulfilling the mission of the State Police.
Despite numerous challenges, 2025 must mark an improvement in performance indicators, with maximum engagement from police leadership and a special focus on preventing crimes against individuals.
A key priority will be gathering intelligence on individuals with criminal records, as well as reopening and solving past criminal cases, which often serve as the root cause of new incidents.
Police intelligence gathering and proactive investigations are essential in combating cannabis cultivation, production, and trafficking of hard drugs, as well as in fighting economic and financial crimes and illegal trafficking.
Another issue addressed by Director Proda was the importance of English language proficiency for officers in the Traffic Police, General Patrols, and Border Police at crossing points. He emphasized that this is essential for improving service to both citizens and tourists.
Given the continuous increase in the number of foreign visitors and the police’s role as their first point of contact, he urged measures to be taken for officers in these sectors to attend a basic English language course.
In this regard, the Security Academy will increase English language learning hours for the Police College and provide additional classes for students in the Investigation and Security Faculty.
The General Director was firm in his directives regarding the strict and impartial enforcement of electoral laws by police officers, who must remain detached from any political influence or activity and focus solely on fulfilling their duties, ensuring order and security during the election campaign.
“Anyone who damages the image of the State Police will be immediately removed from its ranks,” Proda stated.
Furthermore, he instructed police structures to prioritize electoral crimes alongside investigating other illegal activities.
The heads of the respective Prosecutor’s Offices praised the ongoing collaboration between Local Police Directorates and Prosecutor’s Offices and assured the General Director that this cooperation would be further strengthened.
They emphasized that improving the quality of investigative and operational work will be a priority in the fight against organized crime, street crime, and any illegal activity that threatens citizens’ lives, health, and property.
