The Police of Republika Srpska () is the executive and operative agency of the Ministry of Interior of Republika Srpska, and is headquartered in Banja Luka.
Duties and law regulations of police officers Police officers are uniformed members of the Ministry of Interior and its executive agency that act objectively to the Constitution, laws, and other regulations of Republika Srpska. There is a group of women in the Ministry of Interior that focuses on providing better conditions for female officers. Besides the uniform, every police officer has an ID card and badge that must be shown when required. The "Law about police officers" gives regulations to police officers.
History
After the fall of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, most institutions, including the Ministry of Interior and Special Unit, were disbanded. The Police of Republika Srpska was founded on April 4, 1992, when the Ministry of Interior established the Special Anti-Terrorist Unit.
After a conflict between Bosniak police forces, Croats, and police forces of Republika Srpska, special units from the Ministry of Interior of Republika Srpska fought and won on April 5, 1992, when Serb police officers wanted to enter a school. Mile Lizdek and Milorad Pupić were killed in action, Duško Jević, Miodrag Repija, and Risto Lubura were wounded and Miroslav Marić was injured. The first police parade was organized in Banja Luka on May 12, 1992. The Special Anti-Terrorist Unit participated in the Bosnian War. Most of its members were volunteers, or members from the Army of Republika Srpska or police reserves.
After the war, the Ministry of Interior and the Police of Republika Srpska were planned to be merged into the Ministry of Interior of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Police of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the merge was drafted in a referendum in 2006. The police force was criticized by Dragan Mektić: its uniform was deemed to be "the same as Ustaše uniform" and was called a "drug-dealing and criminal organization". In 2018, a member of the Serb Democratic Party fired a projectile from a M80 Zolja at the Agrama building in Banja Luka to blame the Police of Republika Srpska and Ministry for the incident.
A plan to form a reserve of the Police of Republika Srpska comprising 20% of the force was proposed to protect borders and citizens to address the migrant crisis, though it was replaced with the formation of the Gendarmerie of Republika Srpska.
Organisation
Director of Police The head of the police is the director. The director's responsibility is to control, conduct, supervise and plan all police activities, consolidate police work, make decisions about police employers, and report to the Minister of Interior and the government.
Administration of the Police The Administration of the Police is the organizational unit of the Police of Republika Srpska, and is responsible for work coordination; following and directing police administrations, police stations, the Gendarmerie, traffic security police stations; helping carry out police missions; following public order and peacekeeping and traffic security situations; tracking and analyzing traffic penalties; lesson organization; participating in emergency security shifts; inspecting and controlling police work; making teaching plans; and cooperating with other institutions. The administration has its chief, currently Dalibor Ivanić.
Police administrations
The police is geographically organized into ten administrations: Banja Luka, Prijedor, Mrkonjić Grad, Gradiška, Doboj, Bijeljina, Zvornik, East Sarajevo, Foča and Trebinje. Each police administration is headed by a chief of police administration.
Police Administration Banja Luka Police Administration Banja Luka is located in the Banja Luka region, and it contains the City of Banja Luka, Laktaši, Čelinac, Kotor Varoš, Kneževo, and Prnjavor municipalities. There are 12 police stations (six of them are in Banja Luka).
Police Station for Interventions Police Station for Interventions of the Police Administration Banja Luka is the only police station of its kind in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The station was founded in 2008 and it has 38 police officers that work in this station. Police officers of this police station are known because of the Dacia Dusters they drive in.
Police Administration Prijedor Police Administration Prijedor is located in the Prijedor region, and it contains the City of Prijedor, Kozarska Dubica, Kostajnica, Novi Grad, Krupa na Uni, and Oštra Luka municipalities. There are ten police stations.
Police Administration Mrkonjić Grad Police Administration Mrkonjić Grad is located in the Mrkonjić Grad region. and it contains seven municipalities: Mrkonjić Grad, Ribnik, Šipovo, Jezero, Petrovac, East Drvar, and Kupres (RS). There are five police stations.
Police Administration Gradiška Police Administration Gradiška was formed in 2017 in the Gradiška region. It contains two municipalities: City of Gradiška and Srbac. There are four police stations.
Police Administration Doboj Police Administration Doboj is located in the Doboj region. Othern than Šamac, it administers for the City of Doboj and the Stanari, Teslić, Petrovo, Derventa, Modriča, Vukosavlje, and Brod municipalities. There are nine police stations.
Police Administration Bijeljina Police Administration Bijeljina oversees Bijeljina, Ugljevik, Lopare, Šamac, Donji Žabar, and Pelagićevo. It has eight police stations.
Police Administration Zvornik Police Administration Zvornik is located in the Zvornik region. It oversees Zvornik, Osmaci, Šekovići, Vlasenica, Milići, Srebrenica, and Bratunac. There are nine police stations.
Police Administration Istočno Sarajevo Police Administration Istočno Sarajevo administers the Istočno Sarajevo and municipalities Rogatica and Han Pijesak. There are nine police stations.
Police Administration Foča Police Administration Foča was formed in 2017 in the Foča region, and administers Foča, Čajniče, Novo Goražde, Višegrad, Rudo, and Kalinovik). It has seven police stations.
Police Administration Trebinje Police Administration Trebinje is located to the south of Republika Srpska and has seven police stations. It oversees Trebinje, Ljubinje, Berkovići, East Mostar, Nevesinje, Gacko, and Bileća.
Crime Police Administration Crime Police Administration is an administration whose duties include processing most complex crimes; controlling, supervising, and directing activities of all organizational parts and support units of crime police; detecting criminal offences; fighting narcotics producing and trafficking; suggesting and determining deadlines of police administration obligations; monitoring, studying and analyzing situations, crime activity, forensic techniques, crime-intelligence analyses, and special operative duties; finding and arresting criminal offenders; providing criminal evidence; publishing arrest warrants and sub-law documents; cooperating with other state organizations; and acting on relevant information by security intelligence services. The administration has two units: General Crime Unit and Economy Crime Unit.
Organized and Serious Crime Administration Organized and Serious Crime Administration is an administration with duties to prevent, detect and investigate criminal offences defined by Counter Corruption, Organized and Serious Crime Law; collect intelligence information and evidences about crimes; analyze security levels; organize and govern actions against most complex and serious criminal offences and their offenders; cooperate with other state organizations; and assist other police administrations. This police administration has four units: Counter Organized Crime and Narcotics Unit, Special Affairs Unit, Unit for Operative Analytics and Unit for Operative Support.
Counter Terrorism and Extremism Administration Counter Terrorism and Extremism Administration processes criminal offences in field of terrorism and extremism, war crimes and criminal offences according to International Humanitarian Law, for needs of analytic investigations uses all usable data bases of the Ministry and also all public informations, follows realization, studies and analyzes situation and moving of crimes and use of crime-intelligence analyses, crime-technical methods and special operative affairs, prepares sub-law documents that regulate acting against terrorism and extremism and cooperates with other state organs. The administration has two units: Counter Terrorism and Extremism Unit and Prevention and Analytics Unit.
Police Support Administration Police Support Administration is a police administration that improves legal action and work of suborganizations under the Ministry, works on certain operative-instructive duties, educates preventively police officers, monitors laws and regulations linked with police affairs, helps to other police organization parts and coordinates with them, monitors legal acting of police structures, coordinates, monitors and collects informations against crimes (particularly high technology crimes), collects crime intelligence data, and helps other police administrations. The administration has three units: Coordination Unit, Operative Support Unit and Forensics Unit – Crime Technical Center .
Administration for Protecting Persons and Objects The Administration for Protecting Persons and Objects duties include: monitoring, directing and coordinating of units in its structure, police administrations, police stations and Support Unit in duties of business protection; organizing and performing special security of persons and objects that are decreed by the government or minister, protecting foreign persons and delegations while in Republika Srpska; monitoring security situation of objects and persons; establishing data collecting systems for operative and preventative protection; controlling and making plans for protection; taking anti-terrorist protective measures; making direct connection between cabinets and protocols that are protected by administration members; and overseeing police officers' professional improvement and education and material-technical equipment. It was formerly called the Unit for Protecting Persons and Objects until 2013.
Units All units of police are under the control and command of the Minister of Interior and Director of Police. Units of police are: Policija opšte namjene (General purpose police) Saobraćajna policija (Traffic police) Posebne snage policije (Special police forces) Kriminalistička policija (Crime police) Žandarmerija (Gendarmery) Specijalna antiteroristička jedinica (Special Anti-Terrorist Unit)
New units New units formed in police and Ministry of Interior are the Honour Unit and the Police Orchestra.
Uniforms and ranks Regulations about uniforms (parts of uniform, look, colours, and material) are given by the minister as recommended by the director.
Uniform and ranks today
Uniforms had changed several times. Last time ranks and uniform were changed in 2018 when blue peaked cap with a blue-white checkered ribbon as those in London Metropolitan Police replaced the field cap. New police ranks added are: mlađi policajac (junior police officer), policajac (police officer), viši policajac (senior police officer), samostalni policajac (independent police officer), glavni policajac (chief police officer), mlađi inspektor (junior inspector), inspektor (inspector), viši inspektor (senior inspector), samostalni inspektor (independent inspector), glavni inspektor (chief inspector), generalni inspektor policije (general inspector of police), glavni generalni inspektor policije (chief general inspector of police).
Director of police is always the chief general inspector of police and after the end of their duties as director, they are moved back to their previous rank.