The police mission in Bosnia refocuses on organized crime

(BRUSSELS2) Sarajevo (Bosnia-Herzegovina), 2009, Christmas is not far away. And the police mission of the European Union (EUPM or EUPM) is about to experience a change. Established in the country since 2003, the mission now headed by German Brigadier-General Stefan Feller will refocus over the next two years on one objective: the fight against organized crime and corruption. An essential objective! Bosnia has a vocation to enter the European Union, sooner or later, and it is a question of avoiding having in the heart of the Member States, a new canker to mafia or corruption as is the case with the Bulgaria

time for change

For Stefan Feller - who took office a year ago (read: Stefan Feller, new head of the Eupol Bosnia mission) - a milestone has indeed been crossed. " We have emerged from the post-conflict crisis situation. (…) When we arrived, everything had to be rebuilt… Today, there is no longer a need for reforms but for harmonization. This is why we have decided to focus our efforts on the fight against organized crime, on developing the capacities of the Bosnian police ».

Launched in 2003, the operation effectively had the ambition of providing Bosnia-Herzegovina with a police stable, professional and multi-ethnic, able to meet European and international standards” and to fight against the main local scourge: organized crime. She got there… in part! Bosnia and Herzegovina does have a police force, which is somewhat effective - the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) has thus been transformed into an efficient agency endowed with expanded powers against organized crime - but it's still a bit of a mess: the country has as many police forces as administrative structures (*), each with an organization and a security manager. This causes many difficulties. Stefan Feller confirms this: “ Our biggest concern has been to deal with the lack of collaboration and strategy between the different levels of power.”

The difficulty of the mission

As French policeman Yves Arcana (**) explains: “ the biggest problem remains the lack of cooperation between the different police forces (federal, federation, etc.). But also with agencies and justice. Thus, trust is broken between justice (prosecutors) and the police”. And " the instructions, most of the time, are very summary ". " At present, “only the police of the Serbian Republic centralises its data and has a computer system similar to ours. ". " Our goal is to reach European standards with a fully operational police at the level of exchanges and without corruption ».

Difficult ! knowing that the average salary of a young officer does not exceed 900 Konvertibilna marka (the local currency, a little less than 400 euros). " The good point is that the local police have more and more young graduates. In the long term, this should make it possible to restore confidence with the population but also, in priority with the judicial system. continues Arcana.

The new organization

For 2010, the staff of the mission will be reduced (read: The police mission in Bosnia reduces the airfoil, but not the budget). And its experts refocused on one main objective: the fight against organized crime. In each region (Tuzla, Mostar, Banja Luca, Sarajevo), there will be set up a team of investigators (6 to 9) specialized in investigations relating to organized crime, an international prosecutor, a police officer/lawyer in relation with local prosecutors and two political advisors (one national and one international).

EUPM's joint action has also been reviewed with this objective in mind. The new mission will thus take on certain 'residual' tasks in the area of ​​police reform and accountability - notably support and mentoring at senior officer level. But his priority task is going to be to help the law enforcement services to fight against organized crime and corruption, by emphasizing cooperation between the police-prosecution-prison services, and regional cooperation. Its tasks will include facilitating the development of investigative capacities in criminal matters, providing support and assistance in the planning and conduct of investigations into organized crime and corruption, strengthening the operational capacity of the services concerned. »

(report and photos: Savine Cornu - revision: NGV)

(*) There are, in fact, several police forces: a Serbian police force in the Republika Srpska, a Bosnian-Croat police force in the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, and a police force in each of the ten cantons of this Federation.

(**) Yves Arcana is head of operations for the head of mission. He joined the EUPM in 2005. French, gendarme since 1987, member of the Research Brigade, he joined, in June 2005, the OHR, the office of the United Nations High Representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina. He works in an anti-corruption unit alongside international prosecutors.