Prime Minister Edi Rama, while participating in the inauguration of the Monitoring Center for the "Smart City" project, stated that the project is the institutional response to the tragic murder of a student at the "Fan Noli" school, emphasizing that the system aims to prevent serious events through artificial intelligence and real-time monitoring.

During the presentation of the project, Rama said that he has not forgotten the tragedy that, according to him, was politicized and misused, while underlining that a state is not measured by the events that occur, but by the way it reacts to them.

"Our response is systemic and in honor of the memory of an innocent victim. This mechanism, supported by artificial intelligence capabilities, will raise prevention to another level," he said.
According to Rama, the first phase of the project includes 20 schools selected based on the number of students, the intensity of surrounding activity, and the need to draw initial conclusions before expanding the system throughout the country.

The head of government said that the system is not designed only to record events, but to signal danger in real time. He brought as an example the case when a person pulls out a knife in a public place, emphasizing that the monitoring center will be notified immediately. Also, according to him, the technology will make it much more difficult for wanted persons to hide and will help in identifying vehicles used in criminal activities.
Rama also announced that the body cameras of police officers will be directly connected to the monitoring center, with the aim of increasing transparency and control during communication with citizens.
He said that, after the incident at the "Fan Noli" school, there has been increased engagement in educational institutions with the presence of police, security guards, and cooperation with parents' councils, but he assessed that technology will take prevention to a new level.
In conclusion, the Prime Minister announced that the Ministry of Education will draft a new protocol for informing parents and that citizens will have a dedicated communication channel with the Smart City system to report their concerns and problems.

Rama's statement:

"Today everyone has forgotten the tragic murder of a student at the "Fan Noli" school, which created a convulsive situation with the extreme politicization of the event and bloody journalism.

The government, the Ministry of Education, and the Police were put at the center of the accusations.

I have not forgotten, as those who used, misused, and abused that tragedy to the end have, because I remember it every day while following this project, because it is my response to that tragedy.

A country is not measured by what happens every day, because even in the most consolidated countries such events occur, but a country is measured by the reaction to everything that happens. Our reaction is systemic and, in honor of the memory of an innocent and unnecessary victim, will enable many children, who may one day be at risk, to be protected, because this reaction will leave behind a sophisticated mechanism with the unrivaled capabilities of AI and will enable prevention to be raised to another level.

With the first 20 schools selected based on the density of the number of students, the intensity of the activities around them and the necessity to draw the necessary conclusions. Parents should feel good that the government, unlike what is described in everyday life, without a minute of algorithmic sleep, does what it says and says what it does. There is no project without obstacles, but today the project comes to life and will not stop, with its extension to the entire territory, entering a new phase of public safety management.

The entire project is built so that the system notifies in real time about the risk and not simply stores information when the fact has occurred.

If a knife comes out of a pocket, in any public place, the system immediately provides information to the monitoring center.

If a wanted person today has a high chance of hiding, the system makes it impossible.

The story of cars committing criminal acts and being found burned no longer happens, as the system sees the car before the car stops.

The parking of cars is accompanied by exchanges of indulgences, this no longer happens, because the system is notified when a car that has not paid its dues leaves the parking lot.

Body cameras will be connected to the center and it is impossible to play games. Ethical communication with the citizen is forwarded to the center, not that nothing will happen anymore, but the risk will decrease and detectability will increase exponentially.

We have had an increased commitment in schools, thanks to the police, parent councils, and security guards, but it has been hard work to prevent extreme events and, fortunately, we have only had one other incident, and that one outside the schoolyard.

Today, when we are in the era of the enemy of children, the danger of the neighborhood bully that is the algorithm, this system will support us and will focus on cooperation with parents. A protocol will be drafted by the Ministry of Education to keep parents informed, with the aim of increasing vigilance.

"We are giving citizens a weapon they didn't have. We will work to ensure that citizens have an inbox for their troubles, related to the system," he said.