Minister Katica: We insist on vehicle confiscation, practice needs to be harmonized

(Patria) - Minister of Internal Affairs Admir Katica and Police Commissioner Fatmir Hajdarević held a meeting today with the Director of the Center for Training of Judges and Prosecutors Arben Murtezić regarding the organization of a round table on harmonizing practices for vehicle confiscation.

At the end of April this year, Minister Katica initiated the organization of a round table at a meeting with Director Murtezić, which would gather representatives of all stakeholders in vehicle confiscation proceedings for repeat offenders of traffic violations. At today's meeting, it was agreed that the round table will be held at the beginning of September this year and will gather representatives of the Police Administration, misdemeanor departments of the Municipal and Cantonal Courts, the Prosecutor's Office, the Ministry of Communications and Transport of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Federal Ministry of Transport and Communications, as well as the Federal Ministry of Justice.

Commissioner Hajdarević emphasized the important role of police officers in the vehicle confiscation process, in which the police officer acts as the 'prosecutor' and requests vehicle confiscation from the court if deemed necessary.

Semir Šut, coordinator for the implementation of the Guidelines for improving traffic safety on the territory of Sarajevo Canton, will also play an important role in this process, as a long-time expert in traffic safety and former commissioner of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Zenica-Doboj Canton.

Also, the agenda of this round table will include the rulebook on deprivation of liberty, as well as the rulebook on community service, which do not currently exist at the FBiH level, and together with other bylaws, they represent an important segment in the process of ensuring traffic safety in Sarajevo Canton, as well as the entire Federation of BiH.

At the end of the meeting, Minister Katica emphasized that he will insist on concrete conclusions at this round table that will determine the path for harmonizing institutional actions and establish a uniform practice in the proceedings for confiscating vehicles of repeat offenders of violations.