BiH needs a new police reform: The current one is corrupt and as guilty as politics!

The failed police reform is the key problem of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the international community must pay attention to it, according to an extensive report by the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) based in Canada.

This reputable organization monitors and oversees the work of international structures, and in the case of BiH, they have prepared a detailed study confirming that the police reform in BiH, agreed upon in 2007, has not yielded results. Moreover, its failure is the cause of many problems that the country is still facing.

- The recent protests have shown the depth of the problems facing the country. Many have analyzed the political, economic, and social causes, but too little attention has been paid to the role of the police in these events. Police confusion, inability to respond to protests in a timely and professional manner, and accusations of excessive force are clear evidence that the failed police reform must be revised – the report states.

Discussions on police reform in BiH began as early as 2005, but no agreement was reached until 2007, despite strong pressure from the international community. Ultimately, in order to unblock the signing of the Stabilization and Association Agreement with the European Union, a compromise was reached, but as experts say, the problems have not been resolved, especially the interference of politics in the work of police structures.

- The international community has been in BiH for twenty years, but numerous police agencies in BiH have remained divided and non-transparent. Even worse, the lack of harmonization, coordination, and civilian oversight leads to political interference – it was highlighted.

Therefore, according to CIGI, the EU and other international organizations, such as the OSCE, should focus on initiating a new reform concerning accountability, cooperation, and civilian oversight.

- This does not have to include major changes like centralization, but this new strategy must establish better supervision and control of the police, restoring public trust in an institution that many see as equally corrupt and responsible as other political structures – it was emphasized, reports NAP.