Remarks by U.S. Ambassador Marcie Ries at the Donation Ceremony of Prosecutor General Implement Total Information Management System (TIMS) by the U.S. Department of Justice (June 21, 2006)

Today we recognize an important milestone in the development of a modern, professional law enforcement system in Albania. A couple of years ago, the United States, through our Department of Justice and ICITAP programs, got together with the European Commission (PAMECA) and the Albanian State Police, and decided that what Albanian needed was a modern computerized system to store and retrieve law enforcement information.

Today the TIMS (the Total Information Management System) for computer terminals are already being used throughout Albania in police and border posts as part of this $18 million, four-year project. Since 2005, when the TIMS Border Control Information System was implemented by ICITAP at the ten border check points in Albania, the number of Wanted Persons apprehended at the borders has more than doubled. The amount of seized stolen vehicles, stolen documents, and contraband seized has also increased dramatically. The system clearly works.

So, today we’re announcing that we’re going on to implementing the second part of the program. The introduction of TIMS, this computerized system, into the offices of prosecutors around the country. This latest effort to connect police and prosecutors with the information they need reflects our desire to support modernization, coordination, greater reliability, and transparency. By extending TIMS to prosecutors offices, prosecutors will be able to obtain timely and important information from the police, such as information about the whereabouts and the activities of a suspect. 

At the same time, the police also receive superior and timely information from prosecutors, such as immediate reports when a suspect fails to appear for a trial, or when prosecutors obtain an arrest warrant. This type of information sharing should make it easier to apprehend criminals, detect false identities, and obtain convictions in court. We hope that the introduction of modern technologies will enhance the capabilities of and coordination between Albanian institutions, and will establish new patterns of joint investigation between police and prosecutors.

This enhanced coordination should result in more arrests of fugitives and criminals, more and larger seizures of trafficked contraband, and stronger cases by which to convict criminals. Likewise, the project will permit greater international cooperation and enhanced transparency between countries, better enabling prosecutors and police to coordinate and cooperate with their counterparts in the region and beyond. As we have seen, regional cooperation is essential to dealing with organized crime.

As you have heard me say so many times, fighting organized crime and corruption and strengthening the rule of law are among the biggest challenges Albania must overcome to meet the standards of NATO membership and EU integration. It is our hope that through programs like TIMS, Albania’s front line law enforcement personnel – from police to prosecutors – will be better equipped with the technology and skills they need to do their jobs, and thereby help Albania progress in general toward the Euro-Atlantic community.

Faleminderit.

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