Around 200 police officers have been subject to drug tests in the last 48 hours since the order was first signed by Chief of Police, Gledis Nano, which foresees their periodic screening.
The analysis was conducted through a random draw, whereas the first officers were selected by Local Police Directories in Tirana, Elbasan and Shkoder.
Drug tests are carried out by collecting urine samples and hair strands, which are used to see if the officer being tested has consumed narcotics like cannabis or cocaine in recent months.
There have been earlier discussions about applying these tests to motor vehicle drivers, as a way to reduce the number of roadside accidents. However, the state police will begin to run tests on its own officers first, because their behavior has often put citizens’ lives in danger.
The ban on the use of narcotics or psychotropic drugs is planned to be extended to the Road Coad as well, but at the moment tests will only be run in cases when drug use is suspected as the leading cause of an accident.
The application of these drug tests on police came into force after concerns of a rising number of officers involved in criminal activity linked to narcotics.
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