In the second half of 2022, a large number of criminal proceedings were initiated against police officers in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).
According to the available information, as reported by the Center for Security Studies (CSS) of BiH, the most indictments were brought within the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republika Srpska (RS), at least 10, which is somewhat understandable, because it is the largest organizational structure within the police forces in BiH.
”Next is the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Canton Sarajevo (CS) with 8 and then the Border Police of BiH with 7 incriminated members. Similar cases have been recorded in other police structures, which indicates the need for a systematic approach to these observed negative phenomena in the ranks of those services that are primarily responsible for protecting the safety of citizens from all types of criminal activity,” the CSS added.
Organized crime
As it is further stated, the recent statements of the Chief Prosecutor of BiH, Milanko Kajganic, are of even greater concern and far greater weight, who openly emphasize the contamination in the ranks of the police structures, which directly threatens the efficiency of the work of competent institutions in combating crime, especially the most serious form in the form of organized crime.
”It really sounds devastating when the biggest prosecutorial authority in BiH regretfully points the finger at the police structures that during the last year they did not document a single case of corruption in a country which, in the opinion of many, represents an example of a corrupt community and is ranked among the three worst countries in Europe according to the corruption perception index,” the CSS states.
The political elites have been occupied, as stated in the announcement, in recent years with a mere struggle for power and have completely neglected the democratic principles of supervision and control over the institutions responsible for law enforcement.
Political turmoil
”The voice of civil society was lost in the given political turbulence in the light of political turmoil, and the media, in addition to listing actions and indictments to combat crime within the police ranks, still pay more attention to political destruction and events in the field of the struggle for positions within the political arena,” the CSS adds.
Also, the CSS says that the legislative power is established at all levels in BiH, and they hereby appeal to all representatives and delegates to use all the democratic mechanisms available to them and analyze in detail what is happening within the police sector.
”If they do not pay adequate attention to this problem as soon as possible, they risk that our society and institutions will become captured by criminogenic persons who do not hesitate to use all available criminal activities in order to gain as much profit as possible, which is essentially their only interest,” the CSS concluded, Klix.ba reports.
E.Dz.
