Dahić: If Lukač Knew, and He Did, He Should Have Reacted Earlier!

Former Minister of Interior of Sarajevo Canton and security analyst Ismet Dahić told the Patria news agency (NAP) that on February 7 there were clearly failures in police work, but also that it is evident that the burning of the buildings of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Government of Sarajevo Canton was organized.

Asked whether the Federal Police Administration could have reacted earlier and protected the building of the Presidency of BiH even before Bakir Izetbegović, a member of the BiH Presidency, called the FUP director Dragan Lukač, Dahić said that if the police have knowledge of a possible escalation of unrest, they have an obligation to act on their own initiative.

That the FUP had information about possible unrest is proven by the crisis staff that Lukač established the day before the riots.

- As a rule, when one has information that there could be a large-scale disturbance of public order and peace, commission of criminal offenses, serious misdemeanors, etc., the police take all measures and actions on their own initiative to prevent this. All prior knowledge, i.e., operational information pointing to this, is a condition for taking these measures and actions – says Dahić for NAP.

He further notes that it is now certain that a mistake was made at the BiH level when the police reform was carried out, and emphasizes that the police should have been organized according to the principles of the Armed Forces of BiH.

- In the RS, this was done well, as has now been shown, but in the FBiH, where there are cantonal police forces, the legislation does not precisely define the conditions for coordination, networking, use of police forces, etc. There were some failures, but this is also a lesson for the future to take measures so that this does not happen again – says Dahić, adding that probably a good assessment was not made either, and such organized arson and destruction were not expected.

Dahić claims that there is an organized group against which the FUP has also filed criminal charges.

- The public will be informed about who brought them, who organized them, where they got the Molotov cocktails, why exactly the most sensitive hotspots were set on fire. It is not excluded that there was support from within. Why did the fire protection systems in those buildings not function? This time, all the weaknesses of both the police and the firefighters were shown. People need to be equipped, trained, and motivated to confront the attackers – added Dahić.

He further noted that police officers should not be blamed for protecting the constitutional order, because by law that is their right, duty, and obligation.

- In such cases, the police use coercive measures against those who undermine the system. Let's not talk now about how the police used force, while these people can beat them as much as they want. That is not okay – added Dahić.

The former minister also commented on the „war of charges“ between Goran Zubac, director of SIPA, and Dragan Lukač, director of FUP, and other heads of police agencies, saying that what they are doing to each other „is not correct“.

- But, this is probably also a reflection of certain policies that align themselves on one, second, or third side in the control of police representatives. This only adds fuel to the fire at this moment. Because, in this way, the police are being burdened with responsibility for what happened on February 7, while politics avoids its own responsibility – added Dahić.