Albania’s State Police has ordered the creation of a special task force to conduct a comprehensive review of the security situation in the southern city of Sarandë, following a series of violent incidents reported over the past year.

The incidents have included alleged assassination attempts, shootings, serious injuries and property damage, leaving two people dead and three others injured, including an innocent passerby.

The decision comes after the killing of 44-year-old Artan Murtaj on September 20 in the center of Sarandë. A passerby was also seriously wounded in the shooting.

According to a statement from the Albanian State Police, the newly established task force will include senior experts from the Department of Criminal Police and the Department of Public Security.

The team has been instructed to carry out a full and in-depth reassessment of the criminal situation in Sarandë and to review the police response to the recent series of incidents.

The move follows growing concern over a succession of violent events in the city, which has become a focus of heightened police attention.

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Ervin Demo held a meeting with senior police officials from across Albania on Monday, with the recent events in Sarandë among the issues discussed.