An exchange of best practices on the functioning of Local Public Safety Councils (LPSCs) between the municipality of Elbasan and those of Lushnja, Cërrik and Gramsh took place in Elbasan, on 12 July 2023. The OSCE Presence in Albania organized the event in partnership with Elbasan Municipality with the aim to enhance the LPSCs effectiveness in tackling public security issues and promote co-operation between local institutions and non-institutional stakeholders to prevent and address security challenges within the community.
"Since its establishment with the Presence's support in 2016, the Local Public Safety Council of Elbasan - the first of this kind in Albania - has demonstrated remarkable effectiveness in increasing community safety and security. It now stands as an example of best practices that can be shared with other LPSCs across the country", the Head of the OSCE Presence, Ambassador Bruce Berton, said at the opening of the meeting. He stressed that the success of LPSCs depends on the active engagement of all stakeholders - local officials, law enforcement agencies, civil society organizations, youth and media.
The event was attended by senior representatives of Elbasan, Lushnjë, Cërrik and Gramsh municipalities, including the mayors, the Head of Prosecution Office of Elbasan, the Director of Elbasan Local Police Department, and other representatives of various institutions and non-institutional actors, such as youth councils and civil society. They engaged in interactive discussions on the importance of LPSCs in preventing and addressing local security threats and best ways to make them act as bridges between the police and local institutions and communities to address public safety and security concerns. Security mechanisms established by Elbasan LPSC, as well as and civil society and youth initiatives on local safety and security were also presented at the roundtable.
Elbasan Mayor Gentian Llatja said: "We cannot be an island in Elbasan region or in Albania, thus we should share our experience with these community structures, be it good or bad, with each other, and create a safer environment not only in Elbasan municipality, but in the entire region and across the country".
The Local Public Safety Councils - established in 56 out of 61 municipalities of Albania - are structures with consultative competencies, which bring together local stakeholders, such as local government, law enforcement agencies, civil society, youth, religious leaders and media, to discuss and improve the multi-agency co-operation in addressing local security and safety issues. The OSCE Presence in Albania has supported their establishment and functioning since 2016 and will continue to support these mechanisms with the aim to further institutionalize and strengthen their role in enhancing community safety.
