State Police Agencies Have Had Staff Shortages for Years, Politics Wants Control of Processes But Not Responsibility!

By: Amra Vrabac

The discussion held in the House of Representatives of the BiH PA on the urgent procedure for the Bill on Amendments to the Law on BiH Police Officers, which was suddenly introduced into the procedure by representatives of the Trojka parties, showed that political structures have a serious influence on the work of state police structures.

And it is not only about the appointment of the heads of the State Investigation and Protection Agency, the Border Police of BiH, and the Directorate for the Coordination of Police Bodies, which we witness with every competition and political agreement, as was the case with the recent appointment of the Deputy Director of SIPA, Dragan Andrić, following a prior political agreement between Trojka, HDZ, and SNSD, but also about internal relations, promotions and appointments, transfers...

The unions of these three agencies were united in their stance that the proposed amendments to the law are not good and do not benefit all police officers, but rather those with the highest ranks in the police structures, whose working lives would be extended. The urgent procedure did not pass; the law will go through the regular procedure.

And it is no secret that the unions have approached parliamentary groups, which they have also informed the public about. It is a secret that certain individuals, both management and those aspiring to these positions, have used and exploited their connections with the Trojka parties and pushed through a law that does not have the support of the majority of police officers.

And that all political parties have their people in police structures is shown by the statement of the head of the SNSD Caucus, who said they would rather believe the police officers they spoke with about the law than the proposers from Trojka. The difficulty in defending the proposed amendments is also evident from the fact that Nihad Omerović and Jasmin Imamović took the floor, while the third proposer, Predrag Kojović, remained silent during the discussion. However, given that they inquired about which ranks actually exist in the police, it is clear how little they know about the subject.

Predrag Kožul from HDZ also pointed out that the unions had approached them and that they also could not support the urgent procedure.

The proposers' attempt to push the narrative of a collapse of the three state police agencies because 500 officers are retiring at the beginning of the year, most of whom are Bosniaks, was not successful. This data is simply not accurate. SIPA previously provided data that throughout 2026, 58 officers will retire, and recently 14 police officers and 14 junior inspectors were hired.

When it comes to the Border Police of BiH, which has been led by cadres close to HDZ for years, it has been facing a staff shortage for years. The only solution for this agency would be to increase the intake of cadets starting from the next competition, so that instead of 150, they would admit 250 cadets.

In that case, a key question arises, which HDZ cut off at the root in October 2023 regarding the increase in the capacity of the Agency for Education and Training of Personnel. The head of that agency is an HDZ cadre, Marko Vujević.

In October 2023, at a session of the House of Peoples of the BiH PA, Kemal Ademović's initiative to increase the capacity of the Agency for Education and Training of Personnel in Mostar from 150 to 200 cadets, in order to train a larger number of cadets and start employment, was rejected. At that session, delegates of HDZ BiH, and primarily Dragan Čović, said that the Council of Ministers of BiH was invited to start solving this problem, not to do it through initiatives. More than two years have passed since then, and in the Council of Ministers of BiH, although HDZ held the position of Minister of Security, Ivica Bošnjak, throughout 2025, the issue of amending the Law on Police Officers or increasing the capacity of the Agency was never raised. A devastating attitude is also seen in the decision on the plan for admitting cadets to the three state agencies for 2025, which was made only at the end of July 2025.

Even during the "public confrontation" of views between the proposers of the amendments to the Law and the heads of the Unions of SIPA, DKPT, and GP BiH, Bošnjak did not comment.

It is no secret that the Border Police of BiH lacks police officers, but it is unclear why HDZ is hindering the strengthening of state police agencies, especially the Border Police of BiH, which is responsible for the security of BiH's borders.

Discussions about the need to amend the Law on BiH Police Officers have been ongoing for more than two years, but the Council of Ministers of BiH has not initiated such a procedure.

Given that the proposal of the Trojka parties still lacks support, it is time for the BiH Ministry of Security to finally take the initiative and propose comprehensive amendments that will truly help police agencies, regulate the rights of police officers, and provide equal opportunities for advancement for everyone, rather than depending on whether they are close to a certain political party and the director and deputy director. Politics wants to manage processes in police agencies, but it does not want to take responsibility and provide conditions for normal work.

It is no secret that lists for promotions are made in advance and lobbying is carried out in state police agencies. Even as this text is being written, plans are being made for the rotation of certain personnel, both within these agencies and for transfers to others in agreement with political structures.