What is the fate of the 14 candidates who failed the psychological assessment for work in the Border Police of Bosnia and Herzegovina?

The recruitment of candidates for the VIII class of cadets of the Border Police of Bosnia and Herzegovina is marked by a series of controversies and suspicious actions. Of the 84 candidates who underwent a medical examination at the Institute for Health Protection of Employees of the Ministry of Interior of Sarajevo Canton, 14 were assessed as medically unfit to perform police duties, reports the Patria agency.

The management of the Border Police of Bosnia and Herzegovina wrote to the Institute for Health Protection of Employees of the Ministry of Interior of Sarajevo Canton seeking an opinion on the appeals of candidates who did not meet the health and psychological criteria for the position of police officer. The Institute responded to the Director of the Border Police of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zoran Galić, stating that the selection of police officers in all EU countries and the region is carried out in reference centers that possess specific psychometric instruments and methodology for that specific purpose.

- In continuation of our cooperation, it is important that you are aware that our selection methodology will move towards greater objectification of the entire process of selecting individuals who perform highly risky and specific work in police agencies - it is stated, among other things, in the response.

Although the candidates are under codes, according to information available to the Patria agency, among them are those with strong political recommendations. Because of this, pressure is being exerted for subsequent examinations and psychological tests to be conducted in Mostar.

The Border Police of Bosnia and Herzegovina confirmed that after the medical examination, the competent health institution submits a report on the results of the medical examinations, which is forwarded to the Commission for the Selection of Candidates.

Incidentally, an anonymous letter sent to the Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina specifically problematizes the procedure for the admission of candidates, stating that the ruling political parties, through their representatives, demanded from the President of the Commission for the Admission of Cadets, Fahrudin Ibrić, and his assistant Kemal Barjaktarević, that a certain group of cadets be provided with the questions that would be on the written test in advance, but that they refused to do so.

The same letter mentions the name of Zijad Srabović, Deputy Director of the Border Police of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as one of those who exerted pressure for certain individuals to be admitted to the ranks of the Border Police.

The Institute for Health Protection of Employees of the Ministry of Interior of Sarajevo Canton covers all police agencies at the state level: SIPA, the Directorate for Coordination of Police Bodies, the Intelligence-Security Agency, and the Border Police of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Institute has the final say when it comes to the recruitment of new police officers, assessing the health and psychological condition of a person who will carry a weapon every day in the future and have special powers.