Municipal police to be established in election year: Solving Sarajevo's pressing problems or an opportunity for party employment

(Patria) - Coincidentally or not, in the last year of their mandate, the KS Government has submitted the Law on Municipal Police of KS to the parliamentary procedure. We have been hearing about this law since the parties of the Trojka formed the first KS Government back in 2019. Although a draft law was submitted to the KS Assembly during 2023, it was withdrawn from the KS Assembly session in April of the same year due to the need for further harmonization. This draft included, among other things, controversial powers for municipal police officers and the equipment they would use in performing their duties. The National and Justice Party (Narod i pravda) insisted the most on this law when the relevant Ministry was managed by a minister from that party.

After Sarajevo Canton faced numerous municipal problems in the last two years, such as leptospirosis outbreaks when mice appeared due to the lack of mandatory deratization in KS, insufficient hygiene, problems with waste disposal, and then everything escalated at the beginning of this year when snow caused the collapse of all municipal services, the story of forming a municipal police force has been reactivated.

According to the previous proposal, the Municipal Police would have several hundred municipal police officers, and these services would be abolished within KJKP Rad and KJKP Park.

The Ministry of Communal Economy, managed by Mladen Pandurević, stated that the new proposal submitted to the Assembly establishes the Cantonal Administration for Communal Affairs, thereby introducing a more efficient solution for maintaining communal order and cleanliness.

"The adoption of this law is a direct response to citizens' complaints regarding waste disposal outside designated areas and times, illegal parking on green areas, pollution of roads by vehicles from construction sites, removal of icicles from roofs, illegal posting of posters...

The main novelty is the establishment of a professional municipal police force that will be present in the field 24 hours a day, every day. It is planned that the current municipal wardens will become cantonal municipal police officers with the status of authorized persons. Unlike the current practice, they will have the legal authority, in addition to preventive action, to independently determine the identity of offenders and issue misdemeanor orders directly on the spot.

According to the Draft Law, the powers of municipal police officers include: verifying the identity of offenders and issuing warnings, issuing verbal orders, stopping and inspecting vehicles and items, temporarily seizing items, and audio and visual recording of the supervision process. Municipal police officers will undergo specific professional training with a final exam.

Current municipal wardens in the companies "Rad" and "Park", who do not pass the tender procedure or do not meet the requirements for municipal police officers, will be offered new employment contracts in adequate positions within those companies, thus ensuring social protection for these workers.

Municipal police officers will be equipped with body cameras, official vehicles, recording devices, and drones. Their cooperation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of KS will be regulated by a special Agreement, which provides for police assistance in the field in situations where it is necessary to ensure the unimpeded performance of municipal control.

The new cantonal administration for communal affairs will consolidate the work of current cantonal communal inspectors and the newly formed municipal police, thereby eliminating the inefficiency and poor coordination that has existed between the wardens of communal enterprises and inspections.

While municipal police officers will primarily be in the field, communal inspectors will conduct expert inspection supervision over the implementation of laws and regulations, issue administrative orders, and, in cooperation with municipal police officers, conduct more complex sanctioning procedures," explained the Ministry of Communal Economy.

Although the Ministry did not specify the planned number of employees, it is assumed to be at least one hundred people, especially since 24-hour operation seven days a week is planned. Mass employment in an election year carries a special risk, so the competent institutions should closely monitor the employment process in the new cantonal institution.