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Rebuilding Bosnia
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| 17 September 2004 |
By Kevin Weaver
The European Union Police Mission (EUPM) took over policing in the country from the United Nations at the start of 2003. It is due to finish its task to provide 'sustainable policing under Bosnian ownership and bring working practices up to EU and international standards' in 2005.
Det Supt John Hester, 45, of Merseyside Police, has been serving as chief adviser to the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) since December 2003 although initially he was chief of the unit, which fights major and organised crime. 'Originally, SIPA was a separate body but it quickly became clear that it would be better to merge with the [Bosnian] War Crimes Unit and the Organised Crime Unit as there was an overlap and a shortage of staff,' says Det Supt Hester.
The main roles of SIPA, which is the first state-wide policing agency in Bosnia and Herzegovina, are:
'We have begun by drafting laws and by-laws establishing pay scales, ranks, job descriptions, roles and responsibilities,' Det Supt Hester says.
At the moment, SIPA has only 131 staff, but the target is to arrive at 1,700 officers with a budget of £22 million paid for by the Bosnian government. It will be a multi-ethnic force based on the pre-war 1991 census with the aim of helping to overcome the effects of ethnic cleansing. Most local police earn about £150 per month, but it is less in Republika Srpska since it has been accused of refusing to implement the Dayton agreements and has, consequently, missed out on much financial help.
Det Supt Hester says there is still a problem with corrupt officers and SIPA intends to pay twice the normal local wage to attract the best and to weed out corruption.
Another of SIPA's jobs is to prepare for the most serious war crimes cases from the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague and to track down war criminals indicted by the tribunal. Many of these are now in senior positions in the police and government and their presence and influence is one of the biggest obstacles Bosnia faces as it seeks to progress towards EU membership.
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