A ceremonial parade of police forces passed through the streets of Sarajevo today, marking the 35th anniversary of the mobilization of the reserve police force of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The program “From the first call to the defense of the state” was organized by the Sarajevo Canton Government and the Union of Federations – Police Associations of the MUP of RBiH 1991-1995.
The parade started at 2 p.m. from the Eternal Fire and reached the Skenderija plateau along the route through the Institute of Hygiene. At the head of the column was the state flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina, followed by police vehicles, motorcycles and equipment, cadets of the Police Academy of the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the Federal Police Administration and the police administrations of the cantonal ministries of the interior. The last to pass were veterans of the police force from the period 1991-1995. year. Nearly 1,500 members of police structures, cadets and veterans took part in the parade.
Titova Street was decorated with the flags of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the flags of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina with lilies, and citizens greeted the participants along the entire route. Police officers of the Police Administration regulated traffic from 10 o’clock and directed vehicles to alternative routes.
After the parade, a formal academy was held in the “Mirza Delibašić” hall in Skenderija. Police forces and cadets from the FMUP Police Academy lined up in the hall, and the program opened with the national anthem of Bosnia and Herzegovina performed by the Sarajevo Philharmonic; this was followed by a minute of silence in honor of fallen and deceased police officers and all those who gave their lives for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Denis Bećirović, Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, emphasized that the parade demonstrated the strength of Bosnia and Herzegovina and its police force.
“We saw people of different generations united by the same sense of responsibility. The parade sent a powerful message that Bosnia and Herzegovina has people ready to serve their homeland.”
He added that the people who defended Bosnia and Herzegovina would never be forgotten and that future generations would learn about them.
“It is time for the proponents of division to realize that an unconquerable people and an unconquerable state exist here.”
Vahid Alagić, President of the Union of Associations of the RBiH Ministry of the Interior (1991–1995), recalled the circumstances surrounding the decision made on September 19, 1991, to raise the combat readiness of the police force. He noted that, prior to the declaration of a state of war in mid-June 1992, police forces were the only organized formations with a clear command structure resisting the aggression, and that the police were among the few state institutions that never ceased operations.
“The mobilized police structures of the RBiH Ministry of the Interior served as the nucleus for the creation of the Armed Forces of BiH, encompassing everything from personnel to equipment and weaponry.”
Alagić requested that police veterans get their place in the coordination of veteran associations at the level of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Chief Inspector Dejan Barić, who has been working on the streets of Sarajevo for 28 years, spoke on behalf of the Police Department of the MUP of Sarajevo Canton. He reminded that 35 years ago this city needed people who would say “We are here”, and that police veterans were there.
“Without any fanfare, without big announcements, you put on your uniforms and did what was only right at that moment: you defended law, order and your neighbors.”
Speaking about today’s police, he said that the importance of its role is no less, only the challenges are different.
“We wear different emblems, but our oath is the same: protection of life and the constitutional order of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
Cadet Belma Bećirović from Zenica, born 12 years after the date that is celebrated today, spoke on behalf of the cadets of the FMUP Police Academy.
“I was born in Zenica, a city made of steel. That’s why I can freely say that the foundations of the police service, which I myself will soon join, are made of steel. And you, respected police veterans, made them like that.”
She thanked the veterans for the foundations they laid.
“Along with our colleagues who will meet us in the police departments, we will now take over the shift.”
In the musical and stage part of the academy, the Orchestra of the Sarajevo Philharmonic and the Choir of the Sarajevo National Theater Opera under the baton of maestro Darij Vučić, opera champion Ivica Šarić, Mustafa Čizmić Čizma, Tarik Mulaomerović and the Dino Mangafić Quartet performed.
The parade and the academy were broadcast live by the Federal Television and the Sarajevo Canton Television.
On this day in 1991, the decision of the Presidency of the then Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina ordered the mobilization of the reserve police force of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, one of the key defensive moves that enabled Bosnia and Herzegovina to have an organized force capable of protecting citizens, institutions and territorial integrity at the beginning of the aggression.
Thank you to all the citizens of Sarajevo who took to the streets today and greeted the parade participants. Your presence gave this day its true meaning – it was not just a date marking, but a meeting of generations of the police service with the people for whom the service exists. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the organization of this celebration with their work and support.
