Britain heads EU's Albania police mission

26/02/2008

Britain voiced hope on Monday that its leadership of the EU Police Mission to Albania over the next three years will help improve the Balkan country's capacity to fight crime.

(British government, Balkan Insight, AFP, AP, DPA - 25/02/08)

Albanian special force members demonstrate their skills as part of January commemorations marking the Albania police's 95th anniversary. Britain announced on Monday that it will lead an EU mission aimed at helping local police fight organised crime and other threats. [Getty Images]

Britain will lead the EU Police Mission to Albania (PAMECA) over the next three years, the British Home Office announced on Monday (February 25th). It will replace Germany, whose interior ministry oversaw the implementation of the second phase of the European Commission-funded police project in Albania until the end of December.

"The mission will work with the Albanian police to deal with the threat from organised crime in the country, reducing the threat to the United Kingdom and other EU member states, and helping to improve Albanians' confidence in their police service," the Home Office statement said.

The PAMECA project was launched in December 2002 as a continuation of previous EU-assisted efforts aimed at reinforcing the operational capacity of the Albanian police following massive civil unrest in 1997.

Naming the fight against serious organised crime as a priority for his government, British Minister for Counter Terrorism and Policing Tony McNulty said on Monday his country's new role in the PAMECA project would also meets its "commitment to help the Albanian authorities address this issue".

Operating on a budget of 5.5m euros over the next three years, Britain said it would focus on enhancing the institutional and operational capacity of the Albanian police and enabling them to professionally and accountably investigate and counter criminal activities, notably organised crime. It would also work in full co-operation with the judiciary, which is expected to help restore public confidence in the police.

Achieving those objectives would help reduce the risk of organised crime originating in Albania to confront Britain.

According to Monday's statement, London hopes that the efforts will cause significant progress in several key areas, including increased detection, arrests and conviction of those responsible for organised crime, as well as improved co-ordination of law enforcement agencies.

Britain also wants to see further progress in the fields of border management, regional law enforcement co-operation and co-ordination of international efforts in the fight against organised crime, people trafficking and drugs.

"The successful British bid for PAMECA will further influence Albanian policing and political thinking and complement ongoing assistance provided through work already undertaken by the Metropolitan Police Service, Serious Organised Crime Agency, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and other Whitehall partners," the statement said.