Through strategic planning, material and technical equipment, training, and the employment of new personnel, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Canton Sarajevo (CS) – Police Administration is concluding 2025 as the most stable police agency in the country. This trend will continue in the coming year as well, which is also confirmed by the budget for 2026, amounting to nearly 180 million BAM. The plan includes not only additional equipping and strengthening of the police, but also capacity-building through new police officers, who will likewise be provided with everything necessary for work, stated the Minister of Internal Affairs of CS, Admir Katica, while presenting the plans of the CS Ministry of Internal Affairs for 2026.
He stated that in the past three years, 461 new police officers have been employed within the ranks of the Police Administration of the CS Ministry of Internal Affairs, and by the end of 2026, that number should reach 839 newly employed police officers.
“I want citizens, when they think of the police in CS, to feel safe and trust. The image of our police that we presented to citizens during the ceremonial oath-taking of new cadets in Ilidza – hundreds of lined-up police officers in new uniforms and the presentation of the material and technical equipment that the police possess – is something I would like them to carry in their memory forever and for it to be their first association with the police,” Katica said.
He added that work on strengthening the capacities of the CS Ministry of Internal Affairs will continue in 2026 as well.
Katica announced the delivery of the long-awaited helicopter along with the first helicopter unit, the arrival of six special armored vehicles, and the launch of procurement for two more, new radars, as well as new facilities.
“We monitor on a daily basis the dynamics of production of our helicopter in the United States (U.S.), and now I can say with certainty that only months separate us from its arrival in Sarajevo. At the same time, our pilots are making excellent progress; in the December examination period, they passed five exams each and accumulated 160 flight hours, and have already received dates for the continuation of their training in the U.S., while the aircraft mechanics are awaiting the results of the exams they recently took. Everything is going according to plan, and 2026 will be the culmination of the realization of this capital project of the CS Ministry of Internal Affairs, as well as of the Government of CS,” Katica emphasized.
Among other things, in 2026, the continuation of the trend of equipping the police with special equipment is planned, in order to ensure that police officers are adequately equipped and safe while carrying out intervention activities. The procurement of two additional special armored vehicles is planned, intended for a wide range of operations. Their key role includes patrol and reconnaissance missions, command, transport, and support to special operations units, and they can also be used in cases of general danger or large-scale threats to public order and peace.
The CS Ministry of Internal Affairs currently has four special armored vehicles; in 2026, the delivery of six more is expected, and procurement for an additional two will be launched, which would ultimately bring the total to 12.
In 2026, the equipping of the police with new official vehicles will also continue, in order to ensure the necessary technical prerequisites for the successful performance of tasks within the jurisdiction of the uniformed and criminal police.
In mid-2024, 76 new official vehicles were procured; however, the renewal of the vehicle fleet must be continued with the aim of achieving savings on the costs of repair and maintenance of old vehicles.
The budget for 2026 also plans funds for the expansion of the system of stationary radar devices in CS, as well as the system for checking and acquisition of license plates, with a total value of more than two million BAM.
“I want us to finally implement in 2026 the project of procuring and installing radar systems along the main city traffic artery, from Ilidza to Bascarsija, because due to public procurement procedures, we were not able to complete this earlier,” Katica explained.
One of the projects planned for 2026, which could be among the first to be implemented, is the construction of a modern facility for forensic vehicle examinations. This is a partnership project of the CS Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Institute for Construction of CS, for which funds have already been secured and the main project prepared, and construction should begin immediately after the completion of the contractor selection procedure.
“It is certain that in 2026 we will build a new modern facility that will primarily serve for the forensic examination of vehicles that participated in or originate from criminal offences. In addition, the new facility will also serve as: an auto service, a tire workshop, a warehouse for spare parts and other types of materials, and office space, and it will be located in Stup, in the municipality of Ilidza,” Katica added.
This year, the Police Administration of the CS Ministry of Internal Affairs carried out the largest procurement of police uniforms in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), in which 1.260 sets of summer and winter uniforms with footwear were purchased, with a total value of 4.4 million BAM. In 2026, the procurement of additional uniforms is planned, Katica stated, the CS Ministry of Internal Affairs announced.
