BiH Border Police Announces Competition for 150 New Cadets: 59 Bosniaks, 47 Serbs, 35 Croats, and Nine for Others

By A. Vrabac

The BiH Border Police has announced a competition for the admission of the XII class of cadets, including 125 for the rank of police officer and 25 for junior inspectors. We remind you that at the beginning of October, 122 cadets (100 for the rank of police officer and 22 for the rank of junior inspector) began training at the Agency for Education and Professional Training in Mostar. This relates to the competition announced in November 2020. Due to a corruption scandal that accompanied that competition, the elimination of certain cadets, as well as the withdrawal of a larger number of candidates who had found other jobs in the meantime or left BiH due to the lengthy and uncertain process, the procedure itself took almost three years. Although 150 cadets were sought then, ultimately only 122 cadets met all the required conditions.

Currently, the BiH Border Police is short of almost 600 police officers. The union points out that they have a greater outflow than inflow of staff, and by the end of this year and in the next two years, several hundred police officers will be eligible for retirement. Cadet training in Mostar lasts about eight months. And they could start their employment only in the middle of next year.

The new competition, which closes in the middle of next month, cannot be completed in less than six to nine months, provided there are no problems like with the previous competition. However, due to the vacuum created in the past three years because there were no new hires, the BiH Border Police will have significant problems performing regular tasks for a period, especially in border surveillance and combating the new migrant wave. That is why other police agencies are assisting them.

Despite all the problems faced by the BiH Border Police, and the limited capacity for training personnel, the House of Peoples of the BiH Parliament rejected the initiative of delegate Kemal Ademović to expand the capacities of the Agency for Education and Professional Training, and it remains at its current capacity of 150 places, which are now filled by BiH Border Police cadets.

Regarding the current competition published on the BiH Border Police website on October 17, candidates for junior inspectors must have at least a VI level of education, and police officers must have at least a IV level of education.

Of the 25 junior inspectors, eight positions are allocated for Croats, seven each for Serbs and Bosniaks, and three from other ethnic groups. Two inspectors for investigations and covert operations are needed in the Central Investigation Office. In the Field Office East, based in Višegrad, two positions are vacant – shift leader and border control inspector. In the Field Office South, based in Čapljina, a shift leader and a border control inspector are also needed.

In the Field Office Northeast, based in Bijeljina, two shift leaders and a border control inspector are sought.

Four positions are planned in the Field Office Northwest, based in Gradiška, nine in the Field Office West (Bosansko Grahovo), and three in the Field Office for Airports, based in Sarajevo, including shift leaders at Sarajevo and Tuzla Airports and one border control inspector (Sarajevo Airport).

Regarding the admission of police officers, the following national quota is foreseen: 52 Bosniaks, 40 Serbs, 27 Croats, and 6 from other ethnic groups.

As announced in the Public Call, the basic cadet training for the first level of access for the rank of "police officer" lasts 34 (thirty-four) weeks, and for the second level of access for the rank of "junior inspector" lasts 21 (twenty-one) weeks, and will be conducted at the Agency for Education and Professional Training in Mostar.

After successfully completing the basic training, within 90 days at the latest, cadets are admitted for a probationary period of 12 (twelve) months in the organizational units of the Border Police of Bosnia and Herzegovina and assigned to positions in the rank of "police officer" and "junior inspector".