The image of the police in Bosnia and Herzegovina is divided – while the opinion of some is quite positive, others list corruption, lack of politeness as things that first come to mind.
The report examines five groups of questions: (1) the level of citizens’ trust and confidence in institutions; (2) the perception of the police as an institution, but also of policemen and policewomen as individuals; (3) the perception of corruption in the society and the police force; (4) opinions of citizens regarding the fight against corruption; (5) opinions of citizens on the work of civil society organisations.
The police happens to be most trusted part of the system of Bosnia and Herzegovina – more than half of the population has confidence in this institution. However, the image of the police among the population of Bosnia and Herzegovina is divided – while the opinion of some is quite positive, others list corruption, lack of politeness and discomfort as things that first come to mind at the mention of police officers.
In the opinion of the population, one of the biggest problems with the police is the excessive influence of politicians on their work. The police officers are, thus, perceived as protectors of the interests of political parties instead of those who are there to serve the citizens.
Citizens believe that corruption in the police force is widespread, but when we look at individual parts of the institution we see that this assessment varies and pertains mostly to traffic police, border police (especially the customs officers) and the closest associates of ministers of interior affairs.
Citizens say that the process of employment in the police also happens to be problematic, i.e. that employment is gained through friends, family members, political connections and bribery.
The number of those who say that they would report cases of corruption in the police, if they had the opportunity, is quite small. Such an attitude best illustrates the image of the police in public, that is, its disappointment with their work and lack of interest in their affairs.
The research in Bosnia and Herzegovina was conducted in April 2016 by IPSOS Strategic Marketing on a representative sample of 1,000 adult citizens. A questionnaire created by the POINTPULSE network was used as a research instrument and interviews were conducted using the “face to face” technique, which involves direct contact with respondents.. You can download technical report of the survey on following link.
Civil society organizations
dedicated to oversight of police integrity.