Imbalance of Bosniaks also in state police agencies

(Patria) - Research prepared and presented to the public by the Media Center of the Islamic Community reveals a devastating imbalance of Bosniaks in the institutions of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Out of the 72 analyzed institutions, with seats in the RS entity, Mostar and Sarajevo, Bosniaks are underrepresented in 59 institutions considering the number that belongs to them according to the laws of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Of the total number of employees, there are 717 fewer Bosniaks.

The imbalance of Bosniaks is also present in the police bodies of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Unlike other state institutions, which use the 2013 Population Census as the basis for employment in the service, the structure of police officers in police bodies reflects the national structure of the population of Bosnia and Herzegovina according to the 1991 census. This is stipulated by the Law on Police Officers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Article 4.

According to the 1991 Population Census in Bosnia and Herzegovina, there were 43.5% Bosniaks, 31.2% Serbs, 17.4% Croats, and 7.9% Others. This includes 5.54% Yugoslavs, and 2.36% Others and unspecified.

In five out of seven police bodies, a total of 54 Bosniaks are missing, as the number of Bosniaks should be significantly higher, specifically: in the Border Police by 24 positions, in SIPA by 12 positions, in the Service for Foreigners' Affairs by seven positions, in the Agency for Forensic Examinations and Expertise by five positions, and six positions in the Agency for Education and Professional Training of Personnel of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In the Directorate for Coordination of Police Bodies of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Agency for Police Support of Bosnia and Herzegovina, there are more Bosniaks than the law prescribes, but this does not diminish the fact that 54 are missing in the other five police bodies, because the national structure of police and state officers and employees applies to each individual body.

At the same time, Croats are employed in 118 positions more than necessary, Serbs in 98 positions more, while Others are underrepresented by 249 positions.

Furthermore, the Law on Police Officers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which prescribes that the structure of police officers in police bodies generally reflects the national structure of the BiH population according to the 1991 census, is a lex specialis and is not harmonized with other laws, primarily with the Law on Administration.

The question justifiably arises: how to comply with the filling of police bodies in the part concerning Yugoslavs? In Bosnia and Herzegovina, namely, as much as 5.54% of the population declared themselves as "Yugoslavs" in the 1991 Population Census.

If the law were amended and the 2013 Population Census were applied in police bodies, there would have to be at least 200 more Bosniaks, considering the current staffing levels, and even much more if the number of systematized positions in each police body individually were taken into account.