Bosnia and Herzegovina is the only country in the world whose state-level police agencies do not have life insurance. Police officers in the Border Police of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Directorate for Coordination of Police Bodies and SIPA police officers have been without insurance for more than 10 years.
Police officers in the entity Ministry of Internal Affairs and in most cantons have such insurance. Despite numerous appeals from police officers, there is no solution. They asked the Ministry of Justice, but also the Finance of BiH for guidelines regarding the possibility provided by law for the collective insurance of employees from the consequences of an accident.
Deputy Director of the Directorate for Coordination of Police Bodies of BiH Ivica Bosnjak stated that the current regulations do not provide for the possibility of concluding a collective agreement.
”The police union has repeatedly addressed the relevant bodies in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but even today this has not been regulated,” said Bosnjak.
“In connection with the request from the Ministry of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina, it was suggested that the Agency submit to the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina information on the need to take out collective insurance, and determine the amount of insurance premium provided that the funds are provided in the Agency’s budget.”
“Police officers are in some way taken care of when it comes to collective insurance, that is, in the minimum amount, three BAM a month. When it comes to our work and the scope and hardships we face, of course it is very important to us. A new collective agreement is being signed, which extends the right when it comes to insurance “, said Mahmut Alagic, President of the Una Sana Canton Police Union.
Due to numerous problems in the service, the state’s neglect of police officers, more and more border guards are leaving the job. Even before the pandemic, several of them left their jobs, and some even left Bosnia and Herzegovina.
