As of April 10, the Director General of the Police, Skënder Hita, has decided to abolish road patrols, arguing that, through radar and drone technology, road violations are easily identified without the need for unreasonable stops by the police.
"I issued a telegram that we should not stop cars on the main roads at least, so the stop should not be without any reason. From the comments I have seen in the media, there has been a positive assessment from the vast majority of citizens," said Hita.
The aim of this decision, according to the police, is to increase road safety parameters and prevent any abusive acts in the field. The latter seems to have been prevented, but the figures for increasing road safety speak differently.
According to INSTAT data, in March 2026, a total of 10 victims of accidents and 107 injured were recorded in a 4-week period.
According to a research conducted by A2 CNN from April 10, when the order was issued, to date, i.e. in a 2-week period, at least 36 accidents reported in the media have been recorded in our country, with 14 fatalities and at least 62 injured people.
The figures are only for accidents reported in the media in just two weeks after Hita's telegram, a fact that shows that the situation still remains concerning in terms of road safety even after the new order from the police chief.
Compared to March, where 10 victims were recorded, after the removal of patrols on main road axes, in April, in just two weeks, 14 victims were recorded.
The high number of accidents may be a coincidence, but also an indication that, as a society, we do not feel the danger if the pressure in front of us is not physical and, as a result, we even risk our lives. / A2 CNN