The National Assembly of Republika Srpska today adopted the Draft Law on Amendments to the RS Law on Police and Internal Affairs which provides for the establishment of a reserve police force.
This draft was voted by 51 deputies, 19 were against, and two were absent.
Opposition deputies were concerned by the Article 39a, which gives the police officer the opportunity to detain a person if there are grounds for suspicion that he has committed a criminal offense and if there is any reason specified in the Criminal Procedure Code of the RS.
“The Ministry is obliged to bring such a person without delay within the legally prescribed time limit to the competent prosecutor”, states the member.
The president of the “Together for BiH” delegate in NSRS Edin Ramic rejected the allegations of the RS MUP that the reserve police force is to be introduced due to problems with migrants.
There are currently 5,425 police officers in the Republika Srpska, out of a total of 5,745 as planned by systematization.
If the law would pass, this would mean more than 1,100 new armed men in reserve uniforms, with almost the same rights and powers as the regular police by engagement.
The government would give the reservists a salary of 80 percent of the average salary in RS.
The full control over the reserve composition of the police, in this case, would be in arms of Dragan Lukac, the RS Minister of Interior.
