Albania and North Macedonia announce police reforms and academy updates

Albanian Interior Minister Ervin Demo has announced a significant upcoming salary increase for all State Police personnel. Speaking at a ceremony for new students at the Police Academy, Demo stated that the government is on track to implement a new wage policy to better support and value police officers.

In North Macedonia, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Astrit Iseni reported that the Police Academy has been reactivated after a 26-year hiatus. However, Iseni noted a low level of interest among ethnic Albanian applicants, stating that only 29 out of 509 high school applicants were Albanian, representing just 5.7 percent of the total. To address this, the ministry plans to increase outreach and promotion within Albanian-speaking communities through school visits and informational brochures in the coming year.