Former General Director of Prisons, Klevis Qose, has responded following his removal from duty yesterday. Through a post on the social network Facebook, Qose thanked a number of individuals and institutions for the trust shown in him.
Initially, he thanked all police employees for their dedication, professionalism, and responsibility demonstrated in fulfilling their duties, despite all difficulties and challenges.
Qose thanked Prime Minister Rama for his trust and appreciation, former Minister Ulsi Manja for his professionalism, Minister Besfort Lamallari, and the current Minister of Justice, Toni Gogu. He also expressed gratitude to religious communities and a number of ambassadors. Finally, he wished success to the new director, who will hold the position of General Director of Prisons.
With gratitude for the trust given to me to lead the General Directorate of Prisons, at this moment of concluding my duty, I want to share with all of you a sincere thank you for everything we have achieved together. First, I want to thank and convey my full appreciation to all employees of this system for their dedication, professionalism, and responsibility shown in fulfilling their duties, despite all difficulties and challenges, which in our work have been more specific and with considerable burdens.
With special consideration, I thank Prime Minister Mr. Edi Rama for his trust and appreciation, former Minister Mr. Ulsi Manja for his professionalism, continuous support, and close cooperation throughout the period of duty, Minister Mr. Besfort Lamallari, and the current Minister of Justice Mr. Toni Gogu. I thank Ambassador Ms. Nancy Vanhorn and her staff from the American Embassy, Ambassador Mr. Nicholas Abbott and staff from the Embassy of the United Kingdom, Ambassador Mr. Marco Alberti and staff from the Italian Embassy, Ambassador Mr. Reinout Caspar Vos and staff from the Dutch Embassy, Ambassador Mr. Tayyar Kağan Atay and staff from the Turkish Embassy, Ms. Giulia RE, Head of the Council of Europe Office, and Mr. Michel Tarran, OSCE Ambassador, for their sincere support and contribution to strengthening the penitentiary system and bringing it closer to the best European standards.
I thank the religious communities for their valuable role in the spiritual and social support of persons deprived of liberty, as well as all institutions and organizations with which we have closely cooperated during this period, contributing together to the improvement of the penitentiary system. I thank the prosecutors of the Special Prosecution Office (SPAK), the judges of the Special Court (GJKKO), as well as the prosecutors and judges of the general jurisdiction for the cooperation and understanding shown during this time.
During this period, we worked to build a more transparent, modern, and functional system. We opened and guaranteed transparency in the processes of grading and career progression for every employee. We invested in increasing security and improving infrastructure, through the installation of anti-drone systems in high-security prisons, securing armored vehicles for transporting high-risk individuals, and expanding the ambulance fleet. We took concrete steps in improving infrastructure: we reopened the Ali Demi institution as an open prison, built the new prison in Kukës, restored and thermally insulated 9 Pre-trial Detention Centers, and continued with the full restoration of the Fushë-Krujë Pre-trial Detention Center. Simultaneously, we secured buildings from floods and earthquakes and closed the depreciated facilities from the communist period.
Special attention was paid to improving working conditions and professional development of staff. We created training centers and developed professional programs, opened workshops in REC, Fier, and Korçë, signed agreements with private universities for free scholarships for employees, and provided soft loans for them. In the direction of modernization, we renovated the monitoring hall in the General Directorate of Prisons and digitized electronic systems, including the registry and radio systems. Also, we ensured health security and protection from workplace accidents for all employees of the penitentiary system and SHKBB. We also facilitated soft loans for employees of the General Directorate of Prisons.
As part of institutional improvements, beyond existing agreements with religious communities for exercising their activities in penal execution institutions, representatives of religious communities have now become part of our organic structure. Additionally, a dedicated psychologist for staff was included in the structure, guaranteeing psychological support and well-being for employees of every institution. We established a laboratory for rapid testing of every pre-trial or convicted person entering penal execution institutions for infectious and sexually transmitted diseases.
Furthermore, we drafted the project for building a new psychiatric and forensic hospital for those sentenced by judicial decision, and signed agreements with municipalities for their reintegration after completing their sentence. Even with all the great commitment made, evaluation and communication to the public would have been impossible without the work of journalists, to whom I express my gratitude. In conclusion, I wish success to the new director, Ardiatik Kupi, in fulfilling this duty with high responsibility, in the continuity and further strengthening of reforms in the penitentiary system. Thank you all! I am grateful to everyone who, on this two-year journey, has placed a stone in this institution of special importance.