Bosnian Police Reform is Burdened by Various Political Interests

One of the key problems in the police reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina is overlapping jurisdiction of police structures.

By Luka Ličina (BCSP) / Photo: Mirela Hodović (Media Centre, Belgrade) 

Six members of the Special Police Unit within the Ministry of Interior of Republika Srpska were arrested on suspicion for robbery at the beginning of 2016. They used automatic rifles to stole 300.000 Euros from an armored vehicle. Media reports said that one of the six arrested failed to pass a lie detector test and that two of them refused to take a polygraph.

Police reform process in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH) is ongoing, but still without appropriate results and proper policing. Biggest challenge is the complex policing system in BIH. There are 16 different law enforcement agencies in BIH. Today, the POINTPULSE Network is talking with the Centre for Security Studies researcher Mirela Hodović about the issue of police integrity in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

─ What are the consequences of police corruption in Bosnia and Herzegovina?

The corruption undermines the core values of social relations in every society. The consequences of police corruption are a serious problem in BiH. According to the results of the research conducted within the EU project “Mapping the risk of corruption in the security sector of BiH” almost 40% of citizens believe that the phenomenon of corruption in the police structures in BiH usually takes place during the employment process. This research estimated traffic police as most vulnerable to corruption (62.7%), followed by the work of the police for public law and order (33.2%) and the administration service (30.5%).

─ What are the main three problems in police reform process in your country?

The process of the police system reform in BiH was burdened by various political interests, which led to further fragmentation of the police structure in BiH. One of the key problems in the police reform is overlapping jurisdiction of police structures in BiH. Further, the problem lies in the fact that the policing system in BiH is based on the principle of coordination rather than subordination, which means that, for example, the Ministry of Security of BiH and the state-level agencies have no command over entity MIAs and agencies. The problem is also the political influence in the appointment of heads of police structures in BiH. Members of the committees may be influenced by certain political parties making the independence of appointment of executives very questionable.

─ Is there an example of good practices in tackling police corruption in your country?

The improvement of anti-corruption instruments in the fight against corruption within the police at certain levels in BiH represents an example of good practice. In the fight against corruption in the police, in addition to the existing mechanisms for reporting corruption, the MIA of Sarajevo Canton on its website created the online application in order to encourage the public but also the employees themselves to report corruption in the police. A similar practice is carried out by the MIA of Republika Srpska, which has created an android application that allows citizens to report corruption in this area through a mobile phone.

─ What are the main three recommendations to foster police reform process in your country?

The last police reform in BiH has not yielded acceptable results. This conclusion is shared by many national and international organizations, while citizens point to the concrete problems as the major sources of corruption in this area. Recommendations for improving the police reform process in BiH are related to the need to: change the legislation in order to define clear responsibilities for all police organizations in BiH; strengthening cooperation and coordination between police organizations at all levels in BiH, as well as strengthening the overall capacity of police structures in fight against corruption, particularly with regard to the non-transparent recruitment and promotion processes in the police structures in BiH.