[4] Following the collapse of the Albanian economy in January–February 1997 in the wake of the implosion of the Ponzi pyramid banking schemes promoted by the government,[5] increasing insurgency in early March led to the Police and Republican Guard deserting en masse because it became clear they were unlikely to be paid, leaving their armouries unlocked,[6] which were promptly looted by parties unknown, believed to mostly have been the local crime bodies and self-appointed militias: many of the weapons eventually surfaced in the ethnic fighting in Kosovo.

The resulting anarchy led a number of nations to use military forces to evacuate citizens,[7][8] culminating in the UN authorising Operation Alba ("Daybreak"), a short-term military stabilisation force led by the Italian Army, tasked with facilitating the repatriation of foreigners and laying the foundations for another International Organisation to undertake the longer-term stabilisation.

The political debate eventually settled in Europe within the body responsible for the defence diplomatic coordination of the Continent, the Council of the Western European Union.

Four phases followed, assessment, reconstruction, support of the Albanian Police control during the Kosovo Crisis, and finally build-down and handback in early 2001, which was somewhat accelerated ahead of the transfer of the WEU's operational responsibilities to the Council of the EU on 30 June 2001.

From 2014 to 2016, the Albanian State Police conducted several operations in criminally active regions, such as Lazarat, to restore public confidence and encourage support for law enforcement actions.

In June 2014, approximately 800 police officers raided Lazarat, a village notorious for large-scale cannabis cultivation, seizing over 10 tonnes of marijuana.

[12] However, the initiative to use body cameras began to decline due to high operating and maintenance costs, as well as time constraints, ultimately leading to their discontinuation for field officers.