IDM, in framework of the regional project ‘Private security companies in the Western Balkans’ supported by DCAF, organized on May 17th 2017, in Tirana, a roundtable analyzing the trends in the Albanian private security market since the adoption of the Law 75/2014 on ‘Private Security Services and Impact on Private Security Sector: 2014 -2017.
This discussion-table brought together representatives from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, State Police, the State Labor Inspectorate, the Public Procurement Agency, the Public Procurement Commission, the Albanian Association of Banks, representatives of private security companies, as well as other relevant stakeholders. During the activity, participants discussed issues directly related to the implementation of Law 75/2014, as well as issues related to public procurement. In the period of two and half years since the adoption of the law there have been no major changes or improvements in the almost none of the areas the law sought to address.
In the area of training and certification of the personnel there has been no progress at all. The private training centers have not started to function yet blocking thus the way for the certification of 8000 employees. In this context, the discussion highlighted a number of law-related issues that need to be addressed in order to ensure its successful implementation.
Key findings based on roundtable discussion:
It is obvious that the adoption of the Law 75/2014 has not contributed in improving the overall situation in the private security market. The failures are either inherent to the legal provisions, namely the introduction of certain provisions and deadlines in the law with no sound analysis of their implementability and outcome, or stem from the poor administrative capacities, lack of coordination among the different institutions and agencies and almost an nonexistent oversight. The State Police, which has most of the controlling competences on PSCs, has only around 50 people in charge performing a range of tasks such as licensing of personnel, of weapons, of transportation means, vetting, control of implementation of contractual obligations, and so on, of 2721 contracts. The situation with the Labour and Social Inspectorate is somewhat better as this agency has around 150 people directly involved in the performance of inspection tasks.
However this has not contributed to having an improved situation with regards to fulfilling payment obligations and labour rights.
More importantly there seems to be no coordination between the State Police and the Labour and Social Inspectorate while such cooperation would help complement their separate efforts and yield better outcomes.
Cooperation is lacking, or it is not satisfactory even among the State Police, the PSCs and their major contractor, the banking sector. The Albanian Association of Banks has called for better such cooperation as a means to make security measures more effective.[1]
Another important factor that has inhibited the better implementation of the law and reversal of negative trends discussed above is the inability of the PSCs to get organized in active and effective associations. Issues such as corruption and negative competition, in which the success of one company depends entirely on the failure of the other involved company, more evident in the public procurement but also in other areas, could be better tackled in the PSCs were organized and pursued their interested in a collective manner.
For more information, download the full document: An outlook on the Albanian private security market since adoption of the law on Private Physical Security Services in 2014.
Media coverage:
[1] Etleva Xhajanka. “Sfidat e sigurisë fizike në banka, AAB apelon për më shumë bashkëpunim”. Albanian Telegraphic Agency. 21 September 2016 https://www.ata.gov.al/sfidat-e-sigurise-fizike-ne-banka-aab-apelon-per-me-shume-bashkepunim/