BDI: Fewer Than 40 Albanians Among 549 New Police Officers

BDI announced today that the latest data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs point to a serious decline in the representation of Albanians within the police force.

According to the party, fewer than 40 of the 549 newly recruited police officers are Albanian, accounting for around 7 percent of the total.

BDI stressed that a similar disparity was also evident during Police Day commemorations, as only one Albanian was among the 30 officers honored as the best.

The statement said these figures clearly show the direction taken by recruitment and personnel management policies at the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The party recalled that the police were among the key institutions in which the Ohrid Agreement brought about a profound transformation in terms of Albanian representation. According to BDI, fair and adequate representation was established as a constitutional standard to ensure that state institutions reflect the country’s multiethnic character.

However, BDI believes that today, 25 years after the Ohrid Agreement, information from the Ministry of Internal Affairs signals a reversal in this process.

As concrete evidence of this policy, the party cited the fact that fewer than 40 of the 549 new police officers are Albanian, while only one Albanian is among the 30 decorated officers.

BDI said it would monitor every recruitment process, promotion and appointment at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and other state institutions, making public every case in which fair and adequate representation is undermined.