Ministry of Security and OSA Unresponsive to RS Reserve Police Force

SARAJevo, (Patria) - The Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the Intelligence-Security Agency (OSA), have yet to officially react to the Draft Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Law on Police and Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska (RS), which also foresees the formation of a reserve police force in that BiH entity, as well as the engagement of foreign police officers on the territory of RS.

Speaking about the amendments to the Law on Police and Internal Affairs in RS, RS Minister of Internal Affairs Dragan Lukač stated that it is necessary in the future to have a sufficient number of organized people with authority, who can implement and assist, as Lukač said, the active police force "in all needs that will arise on our path."

"And this is certainly the migrant crisis that has been ongoing for several years and will not end soon. We must be prepared to respond to an increased number of people who may appear in the territory of Republika Srpska. We must have a sufficient number of organized people who can protect our citizens, prevent the commission of criminal offenses, and protect the property of our citizens," said Lukač.

Political parties from the Federation of BiH first called for the abandonment of the formation of a reserve force in RS, considering it a threat to peace in BiH, after which they called for the Federation to respond in kind.

The Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the Intelligence-Security Agency, have not yet officially commented on the formation of a reserve force in Republika Srpska, although both institutions are responsible for assessing the security situation in BiH.

The Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina, among other things, is responsible for: collecting and using data of importance for the security of Bosnia and Herzegovina; it is responsible for the protection of international borders and internal border crossings, and deals with the prevention and detection of perpetrators of criminal offenses of terrorism, drug trafficking, counterfeiting of domestic and foreign currency, human trafficking, and other criminal offenses with international or inter-entity elements.

The Intelligence-Security Agency of BiH is responsible for collecting intelligence data related to threats to the security of Bosnia and Herzegovina, both within and outside the country. The Agency is responsible for analyzing collected data and transmitting it to authorized officials and bodies (highest authorities and their representatives), as well as for collecting, analyzing, and transmitting intelligence data for the purpose of assisting authorized officials.

The Ministry of Security of BiH and OSA did not wish to comment on Patria's inquiry as to whether the amendments to the Law on Police and Internal Affairs in RS give the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska equal opportunities for intelligence-security work in the country that OSA already has, and whether the new entity law in RS is taking over security competencies in BiH.

Minister of Security of BiH Dragan Mektić previously stated for Face TV that the reserve police force in RS is unnecessary, reminding that the wars of the nineties in Bosnia and Herzegovina also began with the establishment of reserve units.