An Albanian State Police officer has contacted JOQ Albania to raise concerns about working conditions during the summer at the Plazh Police Station in Durrës, asking for his identity to remain confidential over fears of consequences at work.
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According to his account, the situation lasted for around two months and officers felt unable to refuse the orders.
“We were kept working 16 hours a day for two months during the summer, by force, without any rights and outside the law governing the State Police,” the officer wrote in his complaint.
He attributes the orders to the head of the Plazh Police Station, whom he identifies as Romeo, and claims officers were pressured with the possibility of being transferred if they refused.
The officer also alleges that the additional hours were not compensated, while employees were reportedly required to report for duty even on scheduled days off.
“He forced us to stay 16 hours at work without pay and even made us come to work on our days off,” he claimed.
The officer says complaints have been submitted to several institutions, but alleges that no solution has been reached so far.
He also described the working conditions as increasingly stressful, saying the workload has made it difficult for officers to continue their duties.
“Behind the police uniform are people with families and responsibilities,” the officer said, calling for the conditions in which police personnel are required to work to be taken seriously.
JOQ Albania published the complaint while protecting the officer’s identity and remains open to a response from the Albanian State Police or other responsible institutions regarding the allegations of extended working hours, work on days off and unpaid overtime.
The allegations have not been independently verified.