Every week, an average of 12 to 15 minors are referred to the Tirana Prosecution Office. The figure was made public by a prosecutor who works with this age group, while signals emerging from the justice system point to a troubling mix of drug use, aggressiveness and the influence of social media. However, beyond the public alarm, the lack of complete official data still leaves the real scale of the phenomenon unanswered.
Prosecution speaks of a rise in cases involving minors
According to prosecutor Vitjuna Mata, part of the section that investigates cases involving minors, an average of 12 to 15 children are referred every week to the Tirana Prosecution Office.
She works daily with cases of minors in conflict with the law and, in her view, the justice system remains the last link to intervene in order to stop the escalation of violent behavior. That assessment itself raises a broader question about the institutions that should act earlier, before cases reach the prosecution office.
Drugs and social media at the center of concern
According to the material referred by the prosecution, drug use and addiction to social media are contributing to increased aggressiveness among minors.
According to the same assessment, minors who face the justice system or are subject to criminal proceedings are increasingly promoting the violence in which they are involved. No detailed statistical data has been provided, however, to clearly measure this trend at the national level.
Without full official figures, police seek reports near schools
One of the main problems remains the lack of official data on the number of children who use narcotic substances. This makes the public debate more dependent on individual cases and institutional statements than on a picture verified by complete statistics.
In this context, according to the source material, in one of the first orders issued by General Police Director Skënder Hitaj, subordinates were instructed to report periodically on the checks they carry out near schools, with the aim of combating drug distribution. It remains to be seen whether this mechanism will produce real transparency or simply formal administrative reporting.
One case under investigation and the limits of legal responsibility
Among the cases mentioned is the wounding of an adult, an incident now under investigation by the prosecution. According to the information made public, the minor involved was a user of narcotic substances.
For a large share of the cases that reach the prosecution office, proceedings are not initiated because of age below the threshold of legal responsibility. This shows that the system is dealing not only with a criminal issue, but also with clear gaps in prevention, treatment and early intervention.
The Tirana Prosecution Office, as the institution with the highest caseload in the country, is sending a strong signal about a phenomenon that appears to be deepening among minors.
But without complete statistics, without transparency on the results of checks near schools, and without preventive measures that go beyond penal reaction, the alarm risks remaining merely declarative.