Šaljić: Cameras, apps and technology cannot replace a live police officer, it's time for a reserve police force in the Sarajevo Canton

(Patria) - Jasmin Šaljić, a representative of the Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Sarajevo Canton Assembly and a former police officer, spoke via social media about a topic that has come back into focus due to announcements from the RS entity that they have started the procedure for forming a reserve unit of the RS Ministry of Interior. Šaljić believes it is also time to form a reserve police force in the Sarajevo Canton.

"A reserve police force in the Sarajevo Canton would be of great benefit - for several reasons.
The Sarajevo Canton Assembly must urgently hold a session on this topic, meaning the collegium and leadership should schedule an emergency session.

One of the reasons for action is also the announcements from the Republika Srpska entity about forming a so-called auxiliary police unit. However, our response should not be merely a reaction, but also a rational answer to existing security challenges.

There is already a chronic shortage of police officers in the Sarajevo Canton. The lack of coverage on the ground is obvious - citizens see it too. And with the current capacities of the Police Academy in Vraca, it would take at least three years for cadets from the Sarajevo Canton alone to complete training, start employment, and fill vacant positions according to the systematization. At the same time, the academy is used by other cantons facing the same problems.

Additionally, the police sector is undergoing a natural generational shift. Many officers employed during and immediately after the aggression, the generation from 1996-1997, are meeting retirement conditions. It is expected that only this year, about 150 police officers from the Sarajevo Canton Ministry of Interior will retire. Similar numbers are expected in the next two years," states Šaljić.

He emphasizes that the shortage of personnel directly affects the safety of citizens, their property, and public order and peace.

"In the last two weeks, we have witnessed robberies, fights, murders, violent behavior, use of firearms, and even the throwing of a hand grenade in a populated area. Although the media reported on the aforementioned events, the lack of official police statements opens space for speculation and various rumors, which further undermines citizens' trust.

Cameras, apps and technology cannot replace a live police officer. Citizens value the feeling of security that comes only when they see a foot or car patrol unit in their neighborhoods, streets, parking lots, and intersections.

Even without the announcements from the RS, as a representative in the Sarajevo Canton Assembly, I call on the leadership of the Sarajevo Canton Assembly to, for the reasons stated above, schedule an emergency session and seriously consider the option of establishing a reserve police unit of the Ministry of Interior of the Sarajevo Canton.

It is not a problem to form a reserve police unit; only political will is needed to issue a public call, because capacities exist in all Police Administrations. The public call can state that priority will be given to candidates who participated in previous public competitions, achieved good results in testing, and are recorded in the documentation held by the Ministry of Interior, provided they are not older than 30 years.

A reserve police officer will be assigned a mentor, i.e., an active police officer, and depending on their work and commitment, the heads of Police Administrations will send them for mandatory and regular training as soon as conditions are provided at the Vraca Police Academy," concluded Šaljić.