Šaljić: Boots first, then body cameras for our police

(Patria) - The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Sarajevo Canton announced that police officers on duty will wear so-called body cameras next year, and that almost 500,000 KM will be allocated for this purpose, with the explanation that these cameras enable audio and video recording that will provide clear evidence in unforeseen situations. Cantonal delegate Jasmin Šaljić (SBiH) reacted to this information, asking whether cameras are a priority compared to footwear, in this case winter boots.

"Or compared to new winter and summer uniforms, procurement of specialized vehicles, procurement of functional bulletproof vests, announcing competitions for recruitment. It is known that Sarajevo Canton lacks about 700 police officers. As for footwear-boots, every citizen can notice this deficiency if they look carefully that a police patrol, usually consisting of two officers, wears different boots. This is because they most often procure them themselves, i.e., buy them, as this problem has been evident for the last few years.

Gentlemen from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Sarajevo Canton, boots first and everything else that police officers lack, then cameras. And the best option would be to urgently procure the aforementioned priorities, simultaneously equip those who break the law, who run over citizens, who drive recklessly through the city, or equip those who steal cars or those paid assassins from Sweden and neighboring countries who kill on demand because they have established bases in our city. You should equip them with cameras," Šaljić states.

He says that how this will affect the work of police officers, who are already burdened by constant internal controls and giving statements for everything and anything, is a separate issue.

"And has anyone surveyed the police officers at all and asked for their opinion regarding this procurement.
Even those police officers who instill a sense of security in citizens because of the cameras will be constrained, they will be distracted by the procedure of how to breathalyze a drunk or drugged driver or how to complete an intervention during a breach of public order and peace due to a fight or particularly rude behavior, etc. As a former member of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, I do not think that the so-called body cameras will help in any way, I think it will be the opposite for several reasons.
The main reason is that we as a country are far from European developed countries and their systems and respect for their police," Šaljić concluded.