Čampara: The political situation created by Milorad Dodik is concerning

(Patria) - Aljoša Čampara, Minister of Interior of the Federation of BiH, stated in the show "Rezime" that the security situation in FBiH is satisfactory, and that there were no situations where the police could not respond to the task.

"However, when you look at the overall political situation in BiH, then we really have reasons to be concerned. At this moment, that is the biggest security challenge. Even the migrant crisis and everything behind us is not as concerning as the political situation created by Milorad Dodik and his satellites, who are simply violating the constitutional and legal order of BiH in this way, threatening certain moves that are unilateral and that violate the constitutional and legal system of BiH. From that aspect, I think we should all be concerned in BiH, first of all we, the citizens of BiH, but of course also the international community that has a mandate here in BiH".

He emphasizes that they have a correct cooperation with the Ministry of Interior of the RS.

"You have a kind of police solidarity among all police agencies, of which we have many in BiH. I think that system still functions well, cooperation is correct, there is a possibility of information exchange, etc. Of course, all investigations are led by the prosecutor's offices, but at this moment I can say that we have good cooperation among police agencies. Both I and the Minister of Interior of the Republika Srpska have a correct relationship. The political situation has not disrupted our relations, and I think that is good".

When asked why he advocates for the reform of the FBiH police, Čampara responds: "I think that police reform should always move towards some standards that European countries have. We have a completely atypical example of a decentralized police. But above all, I believe that our police should be depoliticized in every segment. The police should, first and foremost, answer to the citizens, not to certain political parties. As long as we are in a situation where police structures are not completely depoliticized or where there is no political influence, I think we will have a problem in BiH, because we are witnesses that even after 20 years or more, we still haven't solved the problem of crime or corruption".

He emphasizes that the US Embassy and the OHR are international partners and that is why he insists that the police reform be done with them.

"They have invested a lot in the security sector in BiH. They are part of that system, and I think that all police agencies and police structures have confidence in the US Embassy when it comes to the security sector, but of course also the OHR, which has its mandate here and which has done all the laws on internal affairs in the last 20-25 years. I think we need international partners to help us, and I think that in some segments of society, they left too early".

He explains that because the situation is serious, in a negative sense, a meeting was held in BiH with the cantonal ministers of interior.

"First of all, we held that meeting precisely to prevent certain events or occurrences that could happen, especially on the territory of FBiH. So we are most interested in preserving peace here. For that reason, we sent a significant message that police structures should try to prevent any incident that some warmongering policies or policies that believe BiH cannot survive as it is would welcome. Precisely for that reason, we held certain meetings and of course we said that we are always there and that we will be there in case of protecting the constitutional and legal order and territorial integrity of BiH. If some incident eventually happens, it can escalate into serious conflicts and then you find yourself in a situation where you cannot control some things. That is why we need to take this situation seriously and take serious measures when it comes to the security situation".

Regarding the murder of two Sarajevo police officers, he says that the Ministry of Interior of the Sarajevo Canton submitted a supplementary report and that several persons are already suspected.

"It seems to me that they have also discovered the potential killers, as well as the accomplices. This was a very complex case where a lot of work was done and where there was a lot of international legal assistance. The Cantonal Prosecutor's Office and the Ministry of Interior of the Sarajevo Canton worked on that case, but I still think the most important thing is that the killers of our police officers were discovered".

Regarding the Memić case, Čampara states that the competent institutions are dealing with that issue and that he sincerely hopes that the family will get to the truth.

"This case is certainly one of those cases where the entire judicial system is being tested. I still hope that the truth will prevail, that it must prevail, and that justice will be attainable. Sometimes it is slow, but I think that the truth ultimately wins".

He emphasizes that he requested information about the implementation of the competition procedure in the FUP.

"Certain insinuations appeared in the media, i.e., articles stating that the competition was not conducted in a transparent and efficient manner, that there were certain abuses, that children of high-ranking police officers were admitted in that procedure, that the final list was not published with names but with codes, that people who turned 35 during the competition procedure, which lasted a long time, and at the moment they submitted their application for the competition they were not 35, which was a condition. These are all pieces of information that need to be checked. I asked Mr. Korman to provide me with that information. Every competition should be transparent".