Albania: ICITAP Launches Inaugural Inspection Training in Partnership with Albanian Police Oversight Agency

On January 8, the ICITAP-Albania mission commenced the first iteration of a newly designed eight-week Police Inspection Training Program in partnership with the Albanian Police Oversight Agency (POA). The ICITAP training is designed to build police inspection capacity, share common and proven practices, methodology, and lessons on the critical importance of civilian police oversight. The training is being delivered to 20 POA officials and leaders representing POA regional directorates across Albania.  The first phase, four weeks focusses on theoretical knowledge, shared proven practices and lessons of western democratic police inspections, while the second phase, four weeks will focus on practical field inspections, analytical findings, and producing inspection reports.  In his opening address, the POA General Director said, “this training comes as an added value, not only as an expression of continuous partnership and strengthening of cooperation with the ICITAP Program, within the framework of reforming and improving the Agency's professional capacities, but also in order to meet the standards of EPAC (European Partners Against Corruption), an organization to which POA has been a member since 2007.” The training is another milestone in Albania's path to justice reform, as one of the indicators of democracy in a modern state and its ability and willingness to hold accountable law enforcement officers who do not enforce it properly. A salient theme for the course is the democratic principle of policing in a modern state and its ability and willingness to hold to account law enforcement and public officials who fail to uphold the rule of law. Throughout the eight weeks, POA officials will receive interactive instruction on: the Modern Practices of Proactive Oversight of Law Enforcement Agencies; Inspection Skills; Designing Inspection Protocols; Data Analysis; Implementing Field Visits; Drafting Inspection Reports; and Formatting Executive Inspection Reports. During the four-week, field inspection phase, participants will carry out inspections of units of State Police, the Guard of the Republic and Directorate General for Fire Protection and Rescue, with the aim of implementing the knowledge gained within the framework of improving the inspection activity, as an effective prevention mechanism for the function of police oversight and accountability.  The 2020 law establishing the POA was an important landmark in the history of Albania justice reform. In close cooperation with ICITAP, the POA is fully implementing the law and its vision of ‘holistic’ oversight.  The training is a critical step towards the efficacy of prevention through inspections, as a first tool in spotting irregularities, corruption indicators, and misconduct. Combined with more traditional “reactive” criminal and administrative investigations of individual misconduct. The proactive inspections methodology taught in the course is a proven approach to anti-corruption. With support and guidance from the U.S. Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), the ICITAP-Albania mission designed a unique interactive “Training Guide” endorsed by the Albanian Ministry of Interior, POA Director General, and General Prosecutor’s Office.  Drawn from U.S. and international policing experience, “the Guide” outlines effective oversight for law enforcement agencies, and the need for both prevention and reactive principles to managing misconduct by individuals and groups of officers. The goal of the training is too pro-actively examine police organizations directly, evaluating their compliance with relevant laws and procedures, and report conclusions and recommendations. The ICITAP training program will enhance, and improve POA’s holistic oversight of the State Police, Guard of the Republic, and Fire and Rescue agencies, thereby reducing corruption and misconduct in their ranks, and improving the service they provide to the citizens of Albania and gaining trust of Albanians throughout the country. POA social media: www.facebook.com/share/v/ai5NTeRhqucYQw3k/?mibextid=WC7FNe