Corruption, Governance and the Challenges of the Rule of Law: Law Enforcement and Corruption: An Assessment of the Functioning of the Albanian State Police

By Kevin S. MYRTO

Abstract
Corruption remains one of the most severe and persistent afflictions in Albania,
having continued unabated for more than three decades since the country embarked upon its initial democratic transformations. The first democratic governments that emerged following the collapse of the communist regime—which had isolated Albania from the rest of the world for over forty-five years—proved largely incapable of preventing or containing this destabilizing phenomenon. Its spread, akin to a
virulent pathogen of the highest severity, within national security institutions—most notably the State Police—led not only to nationwide instability in the security environment but, during particularly dark periods, brought these institutions to the brink of total collapse under the pressure of newly formed criminal gangs and an increasingly rampant local organized crime. The steps and policies undertaken by
successive governments in pursuit of Albania’s integration into the broader European family could not exclude the State Police, which faced an urgent need not only for restructuring and improved operational effectiveness, but also for a profound institutional reform aimed at purging its ranks of compromised and corrupt elements. The formulation and implementation of such policies constituted a major challenge not only for governments and the State Police as a frontline institution, but also for the very principle of the rule of law and its enforcement in the Republic of Albania, in the interest of citizens and justice alike. Despite these ambitious reform initiatives, political interference within the structures of the State Police remains a deeply troubling phenomenon which, beyond its broader negative implications, directly undermines the effectiveness of law enforcement and the professionalism of the police force. The methodology used in this paper is based on the interpretation of the theoretical framework and the analysis of different authors’ approaches and perspectives, as well as various studies.

Key words: state police, corruption, governance, rule of law.

https://doi.org/10.58944/yayq2724