Destruction of the BiH Border Police under the guise of alleged reform

By Sead Omeragić

Today, at 11 AM, in the building of the Directorate of the BiH Border Service, the new Rulebook on the internal organization of the Border Police will be presented to the Joint Commission for Defense and Security of BiH. Red tablecloths were set up the day before the start, and all positions were exceptionally decorated. This is yet another national victory over reason, under the guise of alleged reforms that have been undertaken in this country for several years. According to the new Rulebook of the BP, the public has been informed, there should be 11 regional offices: Bihać, Gradiška, Brčko, Bijeljina, Zvornik with Tuzla Airport, Višegrad, Trebinje, Čapljina, Grude, Bosansko Grahovo, and Sarajevo Airport. Thus, five new field offices would be created.

At 11 border crossings, mostly local residents would be employed. This would mean that ethnically homogeneous officers would be employed at all 11 border crossings. However, this is not the only problem with this reform according to the wishes of certain circles of power. The new Rulebook will be presented by Vladimir Popović, one of the highest-ranking officers of the BP, essentially a man strongly connected by family ties to the leadership of Čović's HDZ. Members of the Independent Police Oversight Board of BiH will also attend the presentation, although their motive and reason are unknown.

Everything will be covered up by alleged savings in the BP, as if a reform is needed to start making savings, which have not even been mentioned so far? In this alleged reform, the key person alongside Popović is Kristijan Majncinger, a retired officer of the German Federal Police. This same officer participated in creating the first Rulebook 16 years ago, and is now changing it based on other experiences. Many are wondering what these other German experiences are, although there are also doubts about the private reasons for this undertaking.

For example, no one has informed the heads of the field offices about this document, which speaks volumes about the undemocratic way of operating by Popović and his service in the BP. The reform of the BP was undertaken, according to the authors, for the sake of "efficiency and effectiveness," which is poor Croatian from Popović with a pleonasm. The Rulebook was drafted, the authors claim, in accordance with the Law on the Border Police of BiH, which again, in essence, means nothing. The ethnic structure of the management staff of the regional BPs, after Patria's reporting, has only slightly changed: there will be four Bosniaks, four Serbs, and three Croats. However, the problem of high-ranking officials does not solve the core issue, which is what the ruling parties, especially the Bosniak ones, are usually concerned with.

The ethnic structure will be devastating, because the regional centers, both in the short and especially in the long term, will be filled with uneducated border guards and become ethnically homogeneous outposts, which immediately suggests the defense of nationally and party-organized corruption, not citizens and this country. Where are the savings? In the human factor, it is claimed. The Border Police will lose 35 junior and 34 senior inspectors. For some time now, retirements and various losses of these highly educated officers of the BiH Border Police have been occurring. One might say the reduction is happening "naturally." So what are the savings if the intention was to reduce the number of these high-ranking officers?

At the same time, 292 ordinary BP police officers will be hired. These are mostly locals. Believe it or not, in the total number of officers, this will mean 17 more people. That is exactly what is written in this tragic document offered by Vladimir Popović. The tragedy is compounded by the fact that uneducated BP police officers are being hired while the number of educated and capable кадров is being reduced. Many are wondering if such a reform was carried out in the German Border Police. The work of the BP requires great experience and knowledge to make the border secure and prevent criminal activities. How will Popović's locals cope with this?

Many, however, see Popović's reform as the ruin of yet another state service by a part of the government managed from behind the scenes by Čović's party powerful figures. Some see it even more pragmatically and simply. Namely, high-ranking officials were accused before, not without reason, of hiring people for money. It was claimed that it was about twenty to thirty thousand KM per employee. If this figure of 292 new police officers is multiplied by some average amount, the sum of 6 million KM is obtained. Another tragedy of ruining statehood is ahead of BiH. It will be very interesting to follow what will happen with the nationalization and destruction of yet another state service.