Most of the cantons in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina have the problem of a deficit of police officers, and this problem could come to a special expression in the next three years when there will be a complete change of generations in most of the cantonal police administrations. One of the cantons facing a shortage of police officers is Zenica Doboj Canton (ZDC), in which, at least according to the authorities’ announcements, a competition for the recruitment of new police officers is expected soon.
The latest systematization determined that the Police Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of the Zenica-Doboj Canton currently lacks 202 police officers and 135 civil servants and employees. If we take into account that in the next three years more than 500 police officers will be retired, the Zenica-Doboj canton can reach an unenviable position when it comes to the number of active police officers who, among other things, work every day to preserve the safety of citizens.
RUSMIR ŠIŠIĆ, Police Commissioner of the Police Administration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, ZDC: “So, if now, at this moment and in the next two years, we do not plan and carry out the recruitment of police officers in a timely manner, we will end up in a very difficult situation that will not be resolved in a short period of time. In this regard, I addressed the ZDK Government with a request – to act promptly in terms of approving the admission of new police officers”.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the ZDC is also aware that the problem of the lack of police officers can reach an uncontrolled stage. At the last session of the Assembly, the line minister emphasized that it is necessary to increase the number of personnel in the Police Directorate more quickly. That, according to the minister, will not come into question.
BENJAMIN SINANOVIĆ, Minister of Internal Affairs ZDC: “The commitment of this government is to solve it promptly. In this year, one competition for the recruitment of police officers should be announced, at the earliest. If next year we do not announce again a minimum of 100 or 150 police officers to be recruited, that later situation could become alarming in terms of, to tell you the truth, the deterioration of the security situation in ZDC”.
The problem of lack of police officers is present, not only in Zenica-Doboj, but in all cantons, according to the opinion of the profession. The former director of the Police Academy of the Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs points out that the cantonal governments in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, that is, their relevant ministries, did not continuously recruit police officers.
TAIB SPAHIĆ, former director of the Police Academy of the Federal MIA: “Given the fact of the complex implementation of competition procedures and the limited capacities of the police academy to meet all their needs, I think that the ordinary citizen should think that in two years we can take care of the objective and subjective safety of each of our citizens in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina”.
In addition to the lack of police officers in the rank of police officers, a major problem that the cantonal police could face in the coming period is the lack of leading police officers with adequate ranks for these types of police work. Because of all of the above, apart from the daily political struggle for supremacy, politicians at the cantonal level in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina should pay more attention to solving the potential threat of a serious breach of security in the territory of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
