Alpha (Police Unit)
{{Expand Macedonian|ЕПОИ „Алфа“|date=April 2025}}
{{use dmy|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox law enforcement agency
|agencyname = Alpha (Macedonian: Алфа)
|abbreviation = UFRI (Macedonian: (ЕПОИ))
|seal =
|sealcaption =
|logo =
|logocaption = Patch of Unit for First Response and Intervention Alpha
|nongovernment =
|country = North Macedonia
|countryabbr =
|federal =
|map =
|mapcaption =
|legaljuris = Ministry of Internal Affairs
|governingbody = Government of North Macedonia
|governingbodyscnd =
|constitution1 =
|speciality =
|oversighttype =
|oversightbody = Ministry of Internal Affairs
|headquarters = Skopje
|minister1name = Oliver Spasovski
|minister1pfo = Ministry of Internal Affairs
|chief1name =
|chief1position = Minister
|parentagency = Government of North Macedonia
|uniformedas =
|award1 =
|website = [http://www.mvr.gov.mk// www.mvr.gov.mk]
|footnotes =
|reference =
}}
Unit for First Response and Intervention - Alpha, commonly referred to as the Alphas or Alfas, was a plain-clothes police and emergency first response unit in North Macedonia. They often received a reputation for mistreatment of prisoners. They were disbanded in 2020.
History
The Alphas were a plain clothed unit of the Macedonian police. Due to several reports of police brutality mentioned in a report from the Council of Europe on FYR Macedonia, the Macedonian Ministry of Interior announced that they were temporarily disbanding all Alpha units except the one based in the capital Skopje in 2008.{{cite web |url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52009SC1335 |title=THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA 2009 PROGRESS REPORT |publisher=European Commission |accessdate=2025-04-01}} They also announced that during re-run elections during the 2008 Macedonian parliamentary election, they announced that only uniformed police would be deployed to polling stations.{{Cite web|url=https://balkaninsight.com/2008/06/12/macedonia-police-pulls-disputed-units/|title=Macedonia Police Pulls Disputed Units|date=12 June 2008 |work=Balkan Insight|accessdate=1 April 2025}} In a 2009 follow-up review, the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture noted that the disbanding of the majority of the Alpha units in FYR Macedonia led to a significantly reduced number of police mistreatment complaints.{{cite book |page=1658 |title=Country Reports on Human Rights Practices |author=House Committee on Public Affairs |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I7fIAx1vCSAC&dq=%22Alfa%22&pg=PA1658 |year=2009}}
In 2014, the Skopje Alpha unit was granted a status by the government of FYR Macedonia as a separate unit to the police for first response purposes within the city boundaries.{{Cite web|url=https://nezavisen.mk/the-head-of-the-alpha-unit-drove-an-official-vehicle-for-a-weekend-in-ohrid/|title=The head of the Alpha unit drove an official vehicle for a weekend in Ohrid|date=14 August 2018|website=Независен Весник|accessdate=1 April 2025}} In 2016, the Alpha unit conducted an unannounced training exercise outside the Embassy of the United States, Skopje which put the embassy into lockdown given they were informed "this is not a drill" and they had not been informed. The captain in charge of the Alphas was reprimanded after a meeting between the police and the embassy.{{Cite web|url=https://meta.mk/en/exercise-conducted-by-alfa-police-unit-activated-security-protocol-at-us-embassy/ |publisher=Meta MK|title=Exercise Conducted By "Alfa" Police Unit Activated Security Protocol at US Embassy|date=29 September 2016|accessdate=1 April 2025}} In 2020, the North Macedonian Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that the Alpha units were to be disbanded and replaced with a new Intervention Unit based upon the Croatian Police's equivalent first response unit.{{Cite web|url=https://telegrafi.com/en/alfat-shkojne-ne-histori-promovohet-njesiti-ri-policor-ne-maqedoni/|title="Alfas" go down in history, the new police unit in Macedonia is promoted|date=31 December 2019|website=Telegrafi|accessdate=1 April 2025}} The former Alphas commander Primislav Dimovski was appointed as the head of the replacement unit.{{Cite web|url=https://telegrafi.com/en/primisllav-dimovski-te-jete-komandanti-njesise-se-re-policore-ne-maqedoni/|title=Primislav Dimovski will be the commander of the new police unit in Macedonia|date=31 December 2019|website=Telegrafi|accessdate=1 April 2025}}