Introducing Community Policing in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Following the peace agreement in 1995, a vast programme of capacity-building of the local police forces was undertaken by the International Police Task Force and its successor the European Police Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina. During that time, police were sensitized in community policing and specific practices were taught by international police advisors and trainers. It was not, however, until a community policing policy document was adopted by the national government in 2008 that it community policing became defined as a clear set of practices and institutions.
Given the constitutional feature of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the entrenched policing competencies in cantons and entities, the policy document had essentially of a guiding nature. The inclusive drafting process of the policy had ensured that cantons and entities were actively engaged. The policy document was also based on the experiences acquired during a piloting phase of community policing projects in a few cities including Zenica. The British development agency (DFID) and the Swiss Cooperation Agency had supported this process.
The community policing doctrine adopted by Bosnia and Herzegovina includes two levels of practices. A more institutional level is situated at municipalities and so-called Local Security Forums are established more or less based on a British model (the Crime and Prevention Partnership Boards). These Forums are inclusive institutions with a large participation of city council, civil society and the local police chief. At a more micro level, community policing is viewed both as a philosophy and a specialist task. First, all police officers are trained in communication skills and a philosophy of service. Second, a small but dedicated section within each police station is entrusted with community relations, problem-solving, and prevention campaigns.
Neighbourhood officers in local police stations are only the “surface” or the visible part of a much larger undertaking. New laws need to be drafted, new human resource criteria for the evaluation of the community policing work, a reorganization of the police station, the integration of community policing in the training, including a sensitization for senior officers, all this needs to happen as new friendly community policing officers are progressively introduced.
Community Policing
Policing experienced a progressive historical shift of paradigm, moving from a state-oriented police to a community-responsive police. The shift often accompanies decentralization of policing; creates platforms and forums of consultation with communities; recognizes the “soft power” of communities; revitalizes local and municipal policing and reorganize the competencies between the national and the local level of policing. There is no one-size-fits-all community policing model. Community policing is embedded in local political culture, constitutions, and the dimensions of the security problems.
» read our research papers on community policing