Beyond the Uniform: The Technology Helping Albania's Border Police Protect the Green Border

UNDP Albania

June 25, 2026

A project called "Integrated Institutional Approach and Strengthening Cross-Border Cooperation to SALW Control (Phase I)" — implemented by UNDP Albania in coordination with UNDP SEESAC and in the framework of the The Roadmap for a sustainable solution to arms control in the Western Balkans.

UNDP Albania

When we see a police officer, we see authority. We see the uniform, the badge, and the responsibility that comes with it. We respect the difficult work they do to keep communities safe.

But how often do we stop and ask what that work actually looks like? What challenges do they face every day, and what tools do they rely on to protect some of the most remote and difficult stretches of a country's borders?

In northern Albania, along the rugged mountains and isolated valleys of Kukës, the answer is more demanding than most people imagine.

The Kukës Border Police Directorate watches over 269 kilometers of border with Kosovo*** Montenegro, and North Macedonia — one of the country's toughest environments to patrol. Officers cover steep mountain slopes, dense forests, and remote trails where the weather can turn in minutes. Rain, snow, frost, and thick mud can cut off entire sections of the border without warning.

Photos of the training countering FAE smuggling tailored to frontline staff.

UNDP Albania

And these are exactly the areas where vigilance matters most. The rough terrain creates openings that can be exploited for illegal activity, including the trafficking and smuggling of small arms and light weapons. For years, officers had little more than conventional vehicles, which could only reach the routes accessible by road — leaving long stretches of the green border largely unwatched.

That's starting to change.

A project called "Integrated Institutional Approach and Strengthening Cross-Border Cooperation to SALW Control (Phase I)" — implemented by UNDP Albania in coordination with UNDP SEESAC and in the framework of the The Roadmap for a sustainable solution to arms control in the Western Balkans. The project is funded by Germany, Sweden, France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Norway, through the Western Balkans Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) Control Roadmap Multi-Partner Trust Fund and is supported by the European Unions.
Thanks to this support, Albania's Border and Migration Police already have received new tools built for the realities of modern border work. The goal is to curb firearms trafficking, tighten border security, and deepen cooperation between Albania and Kosovo against illicit arms flows.

In Kukës, that support is changing how officers actually do their jobs.

Five rugged 4x4 vehicles now let patrol units reach spots that were once simply out of reach. Long-range binoculars, thermal cameras, and night-vision gear let officers watch wide stretches of terrain day and night — extending their eyes well past what's naturally possible and helping them spot suspicious movement faster.

The most striking change, though, comes from the sky.

Two surveillance drones, capable of flying both day and night, give officers a completely new vantage point. Each can stay airborne for up to 60 minutes, sweeping over rugged terrain and feeding back real-time footage from places patrol vehicles — and even officers on foot — struggle to reach.

What once took hours of hiking and driving can now be checked in minutes.

For officers, that means clearer situational awareness and safer patrols. For the communities nearby, it means stronger defenses against trafficking networks that prey on isolated, hard-to-watch border crossings.

The upgrades don't stop at surveillance. New portable and document scanners are helping officers check documents faster and catch irregularities at border crossing points that might otherwise slip through.

Albania's Border and Migration Police already have received new tools built for the realities of modern border work.

UNDP Albania

But technology is only half the story — the project is investing in people too. More than 130 border police officers have gone through advanced training on spotting firearms, recognizing illegally converted weapons, identifying explosive precursors, and carrying out specialized inspections. Others have learned to fly the drones and run the new scanning equipment.

Together, these interventions— vehicles, eyes in the sky, sharper inspection tools, and well-trained officers — are shaping a new model for border management, one built on mobility, technology, and expertise.

"By combining technology, training, and cross-border cooperation, we are helping transform border security from a reactive approach into a proactive one — strengthening Albania's capacity to prevent illicit trafficking while contributing to a safer Western Balkans," says Randi Davis, UNDP Resident Representative in Albania.

The impact reaches well beyond Kukës. As one of Albania's most strategically important border regions, what's being learned here could shape how other green border areas across the country are protected. The mix of better equipment, focused training, and cross-border teamwork shows how modern technology can sharpen security without slowing things down.

Most people crossing the border will never notice the drones overhead or the thermal cameras scanning a distant mountain trail. They won't see the long hours spent patrolling isolated routes in freezing temperatures or brutal weather.

But behind every secure border is a team of people working around the clock, often far from anyone's view.
The next time we see a police officer, we may still see authority first.

But maybe we should also see something more: someone equipped with real skill, modern tools, and a quiet, steady commitment to protecting communities in places where few others would ever go.

*All references to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).