Central Ceremony in Visoko Marks Police Day of ZDK MUP: Over 30 Million KM Invested in Security

(Patria) - The central ceremony on the occasion of Police Day of the Ministry of Interior of Zenica-Doboj Canton, traditionally marked on 15 May, was held today on the plateau of the "Altindag" Cultural Center in Visoko.

A demonstration exercise, review, and solemn parade of police teams and units with vehicles and special equipment were held, with the support of combat vehicles and drones.

Premier of Zenica-Doboj Canton Nezir Pivić congratulated police members on their day, emphasizing that citizen security is one of the main priorities of the ZDK Government and that over 30 million convertible marks have been invested in equipping and strengthening the capacities of the Ministry of Interior in the past two and a half years.

- When we took office, investments in MUP equipment amounted to around one million KM annually. Today we are talking about several times greater investments, because we believe there is no economic development, quality of life, or future without citizen security. That is why we have invested in equipment, vehicles, uniforms, armament, and everything needed for the police to respond to modern security challenges - said Premier Pivić.

He emphasized that investment in security must be accompanied by improvement in the material status of police officers and announced the soon signing of a new collective agreement.

- Our police officers need to be satisfied and adequately valued for the work they do. Unfortunately, Vlatko Popov, President of the ZDK MUP Union, recently passed away, to whom I promised in our last conversation a new salary increase for police officers. I am sorry he did not live to see it, but we will fulfill that promise and sign a new collective agreement within the next month - said Pivić.

He added that the ZDK Government continues investments in other sectors, especially health and education, with the aim of creating better living conditions for citizens and retaining youth in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

ZDK Interior Minister Emir Vračo highlighted that investments in the security system over the past three years have been historic and that the goal of the ZDK Government was to build a modern, professional, and equipped police force.

- Three armored combat vehicles worth 4.7 million KM were procured, armament was completely replaced after nearly three decades, and more than 2.3 million KM was invested in the vehicle fleet through the purchase of 46 new vehicles. More than five million KM was allocated for uniforms, while more than 1.5 million KM was invested in information technology - explained Vračo.

He added that special attention has been devoted to strengthening police personnel.

- In the previous period, we employed 223 new police officers, while currently 193 candidates are at the Police Academy in Sarajevo.

We are building a new generation of police ready to respond to all security challenges - said Vračo.

Police Commissioner of ZDK MUP Admir Gazić said that the Police Administration successfully responded to all security challenges over the past year and continued the process of modernizing police capacities. He noted that they were the first in Bosnia and Herzegovina to start using modern drones in traffic, which represents a significant step forward in modernizing police traffic surveillance and control.

He emphasized that the achieved results would not have been possible without the continuous support of the ZDK Government and ZDK Assembly.

This year's "Golden Police Badge" award was given to Edina Memišević, Head of the Criminal Police Department of Police Administration I, Elvedin Fišek, Head of the Criminal Police Sector, and posthumously to Vlatko Popov, member of the Special Police Unit and President of the ZDK MUP Union.