TIRANA, Feb.2 – Police officers in Albania will soon be required to wear body cameras that will keep rolling throughout their entire shift. The capital Tirana will be pioneering the use of body-mounted cameras on 2000 police troops, whereas the project will later on be expanded to cover all of Albania. The cameras will be connected 24/7 with the police control room, and are meant to increase the accountability of police officers as well as that of citizens.
The project was unveiled on Tuesday during a ceremony at Tirana Police Directorate which was also attended by Prime Minister Edi Rama. Premier Rama said that the reform will increase transparency related to police activities and that citizens, in particular those who feel to be above the law, will no longer be able to shift the blame on police for violations they have committed themselves.
While Interior Minister Saimir Tahiri said that the cameras will first and foremost constitute an element of security for the officers, while adding that with the camera on officers will no longer be able to do favors as it will be impossible for a monitored officer to disobey the law. However, the leader of the opposition Lulzim Basha questioned the project by saying that any technology that increases the security and fight against crime is welcome, but all can go in the opposite direction in case it falls into ‘the wrong hands’.
Meanwhile, police have released footage of patrols’ body cameras, one showing a lawyer who has his license suspended for driving beyond speed limits and another citizen who gets arrested after offering a bribe to the officer. A day earlier, the Interior Minister informed that police uniforms will also undergo change in order to easily differentiate between the different police units. Thus, traffic police will be wearing a yellowish green top, state police blue, whereas the uniforms of the quick intervention police unit “Shqiponjat” will be red.
According to Tahiri, the State Police will now have a standardized version of uniforms putting an end to the chaos that has characterized until now the uniforms worn by police in the country. The uniforms will also be featuring the eagle and Scanderbeg’s helmet as national elements in addition to the police emblem and the officer’s rank. In the meantime, a legal initiative by the Interior Ministry which made video surveillance mandatory for all institutions, businesses and means of public transportation in the country has been blocked by the parliamentary committee on national security with the motivation that the financial cost of the project is unclear.
