Chronic indifference of authorities to improving security!

(Patria) - An alarming letter, sent by representatives of the Border Police of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BP BiH) to the High Representative, Christian Schmidt, perhaps best reflects the lack of attention, and perhaps political will and knowledge regarding the situation in the security sector.

After persistent disregard for the representations of the non-governmental sector and academics pointing to citizens' security problems, as well as the endangerment of state interests due to insufficient fight against organized crime and corruption, the appeal in question perhaps best illustrates the attitude of politicians in power towards this issue.

The chronic shortage of BP BiH officers is reaching alarming proportions, especially considering the announced retirement of additional police officers by the end of the calendar year. The recent admission of 98 new cadets for work in BP BiH is only a small step towards filling the vacancies in this agency, which, commendably, took into account gender balance when admitting these employees and increased the number of female employees, thus contributing to the implementation of UN Resolution 1325 “Women, Peace and Security”.

Within the regular cooperation between the Center for Security Studies and the leadership of BP BiH, we had the opportunity to become acquainted with these problems, just as the representatives of the executive and legislative authorities are also well aware of them, but unfortunately, they are not taking any necessary steps to resolve these accumulated problems.

Some of the possible solutions include amendments to relevant laws that would allow for the extension of the working life of police officers in certain positions that require years of experience, such as officers working at border crossings controlling passengers.

These positions cannot be filled in a short period, and admitted cadets will acquire the necessary skills only after several years. Filling the missing staff is also not realistic or possible to achieve with the existing capacities of the Agency for Education and Professional Training of Personnel. However, by amending certain legal solutions, it is possible to enable the transfer of police officers from other agencies and police structures at lower levels of government, who are largely already trained for demanding positions in BP BiH.

We hope that in the coming period, we will also see some concrete activities from the actors in power to enable the unimpeded operation of this police agency, which is very important for the interests of BiH, as well as for fulfilling European obligations in protecting the borders of both BiH and the EU.