Vise-Commisar Englantina Petrollari
After a year of rigorous classroom and physical pre-deployment training in Albania and France, Albanian State Police Officer, Englantina Petrollari joined 10 colleagues bound for Herat, Afghanistan. Officer Petrollari became Albania’s first female civilian police advisor, 14 days after Helmand, Afghanistan’s top female police officer, Lieutenant Islam Bibi, was assassinated; and almost a year and a half after two Albanian military were ambushed and killed in Afghanistan.
After a year of rigorous classroom and physical pre-deployment training in Albania and France, Albanian State Police Officer, Englantina Petrollari joined 10 colleagues bound for Herat, Afghanistan. Officer Petrollari became Albania’s first female civilian police advisor, 14 days after Helmand, Afghanistan’s top female police officer, Lieutenant Islam Bibi, was assassinated; and almost a year and a half after two Albanian military were ambushed and killed in Afghanistan.
The 30-year-old wife
of a police officer, and mother of a five-year old daughter, volunteered to
risk her life training female police in war ravaged Afghanistan as part of
Albania’s participation in NATO’s International Stabilization and Assistance
Force.
Soon after her
arrival, Officer Petrollari initiated a joint Afghan/International training
event for the first female police officers in Heart where her camp has received
incoming rocket attacks.
As a direct result of
Officer Petrollari’s initiative, persistence, and training received from the
Department of Justice International Criminal Investigative Training and
Assistance Program, she brought together Afghan, American, Canadian and Italian
advisors to conduct a unique training event which included female
officers. Previously the advisors were
working independently.
Her dedication and commitment is helping create opportunities for women within the Afghan National Police. Her performance also highlights the benefits of improving gender equality in the Albanian State Police.
In honor of her
outstanding courage, dedication and leadership in
promoting gender equality and advancing the status of women and girl,
Vise-Commissar Englantina Petrollari – Albanian State Police, was awarded with
“The 2014 National Women of Courage” award, given by the Ambassador of United
States Embassy in Tirana/Albania.
During the Awarded ceremony
