Vučković: Special Police Units of the RS MoI - Praetorians or Highway Robbers

By Mr. Vladimir Vučković, Security Expert / Patria

I read with disbelief a text that discusses and definitively states a series of arguments indicating that members of the Special Police Unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska, like a gang of highway robbers, have plundered an astronomical 600,000 KM.

Certain public figures have, on several occasions, characterized this police formation as the pillar of the security system and the pride of all citizens of Republika Srpska.

Now I will try to elaborate on this comparison a bit. At the very beginning, I cannot help but mention an ancient civilization I have read about many times and admired anew each time. The Roman Empire! We have all heard well of the Roman legionaries, professional soldiers, who in their formation on the battlefield looked like a combine harvester in a wheat field. But the citizens of Rome were proud of another formation, the famous Praetorian Guard, which even the Roman legions were jealous of. For hundreds of years, this guard honorably protected the emperors and earned great fame in the writings of ancient chroniclers.

It is not only the Praetorians who remained a famous "security" formation; perhaps more famous than them were Leonidas' Spartans and their magnificent feat at Thermopylae. And so, as the political map of the world changed throughout history, nations took pride in their elite units. The situation is similar today: Russia has the VDV, Britain the SAS, America the "Navy SEALs".

The current situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, embodied in various forms of corruption, gives arrogant individuals enough room to become emboldened and start fishing in troubled waters. Imagine a situation where an elite police unit becomes a gang of highway robbers.

This highly ranked and very conservative formation is isolated and independent enough that, based on its authority, it could engage in various malversations. I believe that the case of the 600,000 KM robbery is just an isolated incident and that members of this formation are involved in numerous machinations and malversations. 

We must also consider the fact that workers in Republika Srpska do not all have the same rights. A large number of workers have minimal and irregular salaries. The priority among priorities is the police; various officials have often said that the first salary from the budget in Republika Srpska goes to police officers. Apparently, even that is not enough for them. Most police officers can't wait to get out on the street and, outside of any regulations, stop vehicles and look for ways to take 10 or 20 KM.

The question arises: "How will the citizens of Republika Srpska trust such a security agency?". Many times before, police officers have been linked to various criminal activities. Drug and human trafficking are a good additional source of income for them. To be fair, there was a series of arrests of inspectors involved in drug trafficking, but it seems the rot starts from the head.

The basic principle of the existence of the police is that it should be a service to the citizens. That its actions protect the property, bodily integrity, and rights of all citizens in the territory covered by such a police organization. Police officers must be highly moral, responsible, dedicated, and educated individuals, as the complexity of their work demands. Political interference in police work must be stopped, because if it exists, it is not the police but a party's iron fist.

I do not want to hear any more eulogies about the Special Police Unit of the RS Ministry of Internal Affairs, because it is clear that they still have a long way to go to become "Praetorians".