Cetinje – a final alarm for authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina

(Patria) - The tragic massacre in our neighboring country, Montenegro, has certainly left no one indifferent. Like the previous bloody rampage, which occurred two and a half years ago and was thought to never happen again, to the general sadness and grief of the residents of Cetinje, was disproven in the worst possible way for that small community. Citizens are frustrated and scared, and are looking for culprits, including among the authorities, who, according to their understanding, should take some responsibility, according to the Center for Security Studies.

These events in the immediate neighborhood, as well as a similar massacre in Mladenovac, Serbia, in May 2023, should certainly finally serve the authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina to take more active steps regarding the presence of weapons in our society. Increasing citizen safety should primarily focus on reducing illegal weapons, which are used in over 95% of criminal offenses involving weapons.

It would be necessary to establish a body composed of representatives of the executive, legislative, and judicial authorities as soon as possible, which would propose concrete measures to finally and permanently improve the normative and practical aspects, as well as the system of sanctions related to the possession and carrying of weapons in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Improvisation, which we witnessed in the famous and populist conclusions of the Sarajevo Canton Assembly on the security situation a few months ago, is no longer acceptable. This problem needs to be approached seriously, and perhaps radical measures should be followed, which the Montenegrin authorities intend to implement in the coming period, or as Serbia did at one time.

In the interest of citizen safety, authorities must demonstrate a significantly more proactive approach than the alibi policy pursued so far. No one can guarantee with certainty that similar tragic cases cannot happen in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The wisdom contained in the folk proverb that "wise people learn from the mistakes of others, and fools from their own" should serve those in power to take urgent steps.

Citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina rightly expect those to whom they have entrusted the exercise of power in their name to carry out all activities that will improve their safety in that capacity. In a challenging time of modern threats, such a move would mean a lot to citizens to proactively protect their safety and the environment in which they live. It is unnecessary to mention that this is also one of the long-standing conditions that the EU requires from Bosnia and Herzegovina on its path to integration.