With the presentation of the names of the new government, Interior Minister Albana Kociu aroused interest in the fact that she will be the first woman to lead this important institution. Although she tried to minimize the role of the minister in directing order and security by limiting it to addresses and internal affairs, Edi Rama and most Albanians are clear that the head of this institution also holds and has responsibility for the order situation in Albania. Also for the role and policies of the State Police.
The experience of the last 30 years has shown that the Minister of Interior and his political will (and not only political) is responsible for the fight against crime, gangs, security but also cooperation with other law enforcement agencies. In this case, Albana Kociu is an Albanian state official with a high administrative but not political profile. Meanwhile, the State Police has long been led by Ilir Proda, a controversial figure with a dubious past and whose personal phone is still under review by the Special Prosecution. Mr. Proda has recently been at the center of direct conflicts with SPAK.
Although silent as clashes, the case of the disclosure of a police action in Elbasan when he was the leader, the one of allowing the violation of the perimeter of the SPAK building when the process for Erion Veliaj was taking place or the omission of important actions to capture State Police gangs are indicators that Ilir Proda is no longer the least bit cooperative with the Special Prosecution. His suspected connections with organized crime figures and with political connections in the government or the silence of the main part of the media about the failure of the police in many cases raise questions about his role and power in leading the police.
So the question that arises in this case is: can the will of Albana Kociu be superimposed on the real power that the current director of the State Police has? Or will it simply be a facade of Proda's decision-making that has recently been viewed with a critical eye even by international partners. This is one of the most interesting issues of the new government. Which, dressed in the Sun and the debates around it, has overshadowed one of the most important problems that Albania faces: organized crime and its tentacles spread throughout the government. And why not, even in the high-ranking structures of the State Police.
