Mektic is blocking appointment of Department of complaints: How will police agencies function

Department of complaints for police officers ceased to exist at the end of 2016 and there has been no willingness on the part of relevant authorities to form this important body, Patria writes.

Union of syndicates of BiH police has urged Dragan Mektic, BiH security minister and the chairman of Council of Ministers, Denis Zvizdic to rectify the situation but there has been no changes thus far.  

The non-existence of this department is a big issue for the employees of police agencies as its scope of work involves important issues relating to various legal aspects of jobs and retirement.

Mandate of members of the department for complaints expired in December 2016, followed by some kind of blockade as the mandate was not extended by appointment of a new board nor the board has ever been formed. Functioning of police agencies has come into questions, while police employees have been deprived of their right to complain in second-instance procedure within legally set time frame.  

This has prevented police employees in all agencies under the umbrella of Ministry of security BiH to solve their issues relating to job contracts, our source says.

According to unofficial sources, the coalition partners seem unable to agree on names of the board members! It is likely that somebody is stalling so that some disciplinary actions until their limitation period.

Same sources reveal that minister Mektic, in his proposal that is going to be submitted to the Council of Ministers, wants to replace a Bosniak police officer with a Serb police officer, and to replace a Serb state official with a Bosniak state official.  

Ministry of security BiH is mandated to render administrative and technical support to the Department for complaints for police officer, and it reports to the Council of Ministers BiH.

The first board was appointed in 2008, by appointment of the Board for complaints of police officers, by which started the implementation of police reform in BiH, as one of important conditions for its EU integration.