Community Policing in a Changing World: A Case Study of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract

This paper presents a case study in the transition from authoritarian to community policing in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). In this case, reform was organized in compliance with internationally recognized standards through the United Nations Mission in BiH. The European Police Mission continues with the same role in oversight and assistance. Significant progress has occurred by this means. The process entailed staff reduction, demilitarization, depoliticization, new selection and training standards, appointment by merit, gender and ethnic representation, establishment of state border control to prevent trafficking in human beings and illegal commodities, and a focus on fighting against organized crime. However, democratization and transparency of the law enforcement agencies cannot be achieved without the effective control of the parliament and the more active role of the non-governmental sector. Further challenges remain in obtaining the cooperation of the community and police, building mutual thrust, and developing problem-oriented police work.

The Laws Have Changed, But What About the Police? Policing Domestic Violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina

“…Empirically, not a lot is known about police DV practice in Bosnia. Rather, most research has focused exclusively on the overall police reformation process in Bosnia (Aitchison, 2007;Collantes-Celador, 2005Hansen, 2008;Rosga, 2010), police corruption (Ivkovic & Shelley, 2008Maljevic et al, 2006), and community policing initiatives (Deljkić & Lučić-Ćatić, 2010;Vejnovic & Lalic, 2005). Similarly, DV research from the region has focused primarily on DV incidence (Avdibegović & Sinanović, 2006;Ćopić, 2004;Muftic & Bouffard, 2010;Smailkadić, 2008;Zene Zenama, 2008) with little to no mention of policing practices.…”

Tailoring model in reforming police organizations towards community policing

“…In order to conduct crime‐preventing mission effectively, police organisations are required to realize and manage these factors as much as possible. That is, CP means that policing is not exclusively the police job rather it includes partnerships and co‐operation with the governmental and non‐governmental sectors, public and private security, and the whole public (Vejnovic and Velibor, 2005, p. 371). Another assumption underlying CP is that police are expected to be not just law enforcement actors, but also problem solvers, employment counsellors, order maintenance workers, fear‐reduction experts, and mediators (Plotkin and Narr, 1993, p. 58).…”

“…The process should include not only the training of the police on how to work with the community, but also the education of the community on the principles and strategies of working with police and making police accountable (Vejnovic and Velibor, 2005, p. 371).…”

The space between: negotiating the contours of nodal security governance through ‘Safer Communities’ in Bosnia–Herzegovina

“…These descriptive accounts focus on the role that the US International Criminal Investigative Assistance Program (ICITAP) played in contributing to the development of early training courses on community policing (Vejnovic and Lalic 2005) and later DFID's role in developing the 2007 national 'Strategy for Community-based Policing in Bosnia-Herzegovina' (Collantes Celador 2007. Also, Deljkic and Lučić-Ćatić (2011) provide an empirical evaluation of community policing practices in Sarajevo that reviews the work DFID and the SDC in managing pilot projects however their analysis primarily focuses on the question of effectiveness.…”