The Kosovo Academy for Public Safety have signed a Cooperation Agreement with the Academy for Public Safety of Albania

Vushtrri, April 25, 2019 – Today the continuation of the Cooperation Agreement between the Kosovo Academy for Public Safety (KAPS) and the Academy for Public Safety of Albania (APSA) was signed. The signing of the agreement took place at the KAPS by Director General of KAPS Mr. Ismail Smakiqi and by Director General of APSA Mr. Bilbil Mema.
 

During the signing, it was stated that the purpose of the agreement is to establish mutual cooperation between the two institutions to support strategic objectives in the areas of training, studies, research and development as well as in public relations.

In honor of the delegation from Albania initially was organized the morning parade of the 54th generation of cadets of the Kosovo Police. The delegation was headed by the Director General of the Academy for Public Safety of Albania Mr. Bilbil Mema accompanied by Mr. Gentian Shehaj, Director of Directorate of Planning and Control, Mr. Ilirjan Mandro the Dean of the Faculty of Security and Investigation and Mr. Ahmet Matoshi, Head of Human Resources.

Director General of Kosovo Academy for Public Safety Mr.Ismail Smakiqi thanked Albania and Director Mema for their readiness to cooperate.

Mr. Smakiqi while talking about cooperation that KAPS has with many academies in the region, Europe and beyond, he stated that the Kosovo Academy and the Academy of Albania have a close cooperation by exchanging many experiences in the field of public safety.

Director Smakiqi speaking to the cadets said that the Academy during the year that we left behind has achieved great successes.

"The year 2018 for the Kosovo Academy for Public Safety was a great year after a long process of evaluations by national and international agency teams' experts, the Kosovo Academy was accredited  by national, the National Qualifications Authority and International Accreditation by the International Association Directors of Standards and Law Enforcement Training 'IADlEST' of the United States of America, said Mr. Smakiqi, informing the delegation that the public safety research program was accredited in 2014 and re-accredited in 2017 by the Accreditation Agency of Kosovo.
"In April of last year, the National Qualifications Authority accredited the Academy and validated professional programs, new Police Officer, PIK inspector, customs officer, correctional officer and probation officer", said Smakiqi who also spoke about international accreditation of The Academy by IADLEST of the United States of America. While talking about the numerous training being held at the Academy, Mr. Smakiqi informed the above-mentioned delegation that at the Academy are currently attending basic training 418 cadets of the Kosovo Police, 120 cadets of the Correctional Service and 16 cadets of the Police Inspectorate of Kosovo.
Whereas Director General of the Academy of Public Safety of Albania Mr. Bilbil Mema congratulate Mr. Smakiqi for the work on the development of the Academy.
Mr. Mema while talking about the cooperation that both countries have, said that the Kosovo Academy for Public Safety has marked major positive changes. He assessed that co-operation is a fruit of good results for both institutions
 

“Cooperation has been at  high level, I would propose that within this cooperation we have cooperation at the level of the trainees, cadets, students directly, as we need to get to know as closely as possible the requests, the needs of how to approach the studies to you and us. This is good to be done through a ten-day program and the program is not spontaneous, but to be like a matrix of cooperation, since we must do the study motivation, said Mr. Mema and also saying that cooperation should be very open to help each other also in view of the different approaches, the academic approach that is done by the Kosovo Academy for Public Safety. Director Mema also expressed his readiness for cooperation in the exchange of experiences between the pedagogues of both academies.
   
Director Mema highly assessed the achievements of the Kosovo Academy for Public Safety. "I'm glad that you have made positive changes and we are ready to come here and learn from you because there are many things that you have more than we do," said Mema. Otherwise Mema expressed readiness for cooperation with KAPS.

While the Dean of the Faculty of Public Safety at Kosovo Academy for Public Safety Mr. Bejtush Gashi highly appreciated the signing of the agreement between KAPS and APSA. He thanked the above-mentioned delegation for mutual cooperation in exchange of experiences between students and pedagogues of both institutions.
Meanwhile, Kosovo Police Representative at KAPS Mr. Agron Rrukiqi thanked Albania for support; while he appreciate that the signing of the cooperation agreement between the two institutions is very important for the Kosovo Academy for Public Safety.

Otherwise, the agreement states that the institutions declare their support for joint benefits and their willingness to contribute to the enhancement of cultural laws, educational research and development between Kosovo and Albania; Development and co-ordination of education at three levels - vocational education, continuing vocational education and higher education;
Research links such as exchange of information and results, visits of research staff and research funding bids from the European Union and other international agencies in the fields of policing, internal security and law enforcement; Exchange and visits of person for advice and co-ordination of standards, courses and curriculum development and other educational and pedagogical issues. Support mentoring, counseling and training for academic, professional and administrative staff.

Exchange of training programs and study programs in the field of public safety; Collaboration in the development of didactics and pedagogical methodology in the existing and new areas of internal security at all levels of education; Collaboration and counseling in the implementation of new electronic platforms to support learning and training processes, including e-learning choices and innovative learning technologies.

Counseling, support and training in continuing vocational education within the internal security field, including the preparation of instructors and training materials, cooperation on research and development, academic exchange between the two institutions will be encouraged within the framework of the overall agreement and will be used for further research and development of trainings and studies in defined areas of common interest etc.