Albanian Police deploy RENEA special units amid violent protests in Tirana
For six consecutive days, the State Police of Albania have been facing continuous attacks lasting for hours, carried out by groups of masked individuals who have assaulted police officers with stones, stone slabs, metal balls, screws, hard objects, pyrotechnic devices and Molotov cocktails.
In addition to attacking the police, these groups have targeted and damaged state institutions, judicial institutions, banking institutions, and public and private property, CE Report informs via the State Police of Albania's official website.
"At the same time, calls for the killing of police officers and the burning of police vehicles continue to circulate daily in public groups on online platforms and social media.
Yesterday, the operations room of the Tirana Local Police Directorate received a telephone call reporting that there were armed individuals among the protesters and that gunshots were being fired while the police were being attacked with pyrotechnic devices.
In the face of this violence and calls for killings, and given that the attacks on the police were unprecedented yesterday, the State Police took additional measures.
To protect the lives of police officers deployed on the ground, who are unarmed, special RENEA units were also deployed in accordance with the law on public assemblies. Based on the telephone call received by the operations room, there was a risk to the lives of police officers.
Meanwhile, yesterday, specialised State Police units used crowd-control equipment in a limited manner, in accordance with standard procedures and the level of risk they faced. They were confronted with attacks involving metal balls and screws, pyrotechnic devices, Molotov cocktails, stones, stone slabs and other hard objects that injured police officers and endangered their lives.
The State Police have repeatedly called on protesters to distance themselves from violence and masked individuals and to exercise their constitutional right to assemble peacefully.
The law on public assemblies prohibits participation in demonstrations wearing clothing or other items, such as masks, scarves and other garments, intended to conceal one's identity.
When individuals concealing their identities in violation of the law are identified during assemblies and engage in violence, the State Police act within their powers and in accordance with the relevant legal procedures, intervening to disperse the assembly when the legal conditions for doing so are met.
We emphasise that masked and violent groups have dispersed across several streets in Tirana, setting fire to public and private property and destroying road signs.
They also set fire to the entrance of the Supreme Court building.
Despite the continuous attacks, police units have continued carrying out their duties and have detained 54 people in Tirana. Of these, 27 have been arrested, while criminal proceedings have been initiated against the other 27, in connection with acts of violence, property destruction and attacks on police officers.
During investigative operations, authorities seized a magazine containing live ammunition, two Molotov cocktails and doses of cannabis, as well as screws, metal balls and other material evidence allegedly used by masked and violent individuals during attacks on police officers.
Meanwhile, police operations were also carried out in Shkodra and Vlora, where criminal proceedings have been initiated against 19 people over unlawful actions during demonstrations held in the two cities yesterday.
Yesterday, 37 police officers were injured in attacks in Tirana.
The State Police call on parents not to allow their children to participate in protests, as their lives could be put at risk.
The State Police support the constitutional right to protest and assemble peacefully. Exercise your right to protest, but immediately distance yourselves from violent elements who are endangering the lives of police officers and peaceful demonstrators, as well as destroying public and private property.
All these individuals are being identified, despite having their faces covered, through the examination of video footage and other investigative activities being carried out to establish the legal evidence of these criminal acts.
Finally, I would like to clarify for the public that reports claiming that officers from partner police forces have arrived to manage the demonstrations are entirely false.
The dissemination of these completely false and malicious reports is intended to exploit nationalist sentiments, create an atmosphere of confrontation and undermine public trust in the State Police.
The State Police are determined to protect the constitutional order, public safety, and public and private property," said in the statement.
Photo: State Police of Albania
