Last year, the Directorate for the Coordination of Police Bodies of Bosnia and Herzegovina secured a total of 26 persons in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
As stated by the Directorate, immediate physical protection is carried out, in accordance with the competences prescribed by law, for the members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Željko Komšić, Željka Cvijanović and Denis Bećirović.
“The Chairperson of the Council of Ministers of BiH, Borjana Krišto, as well as the members of the Collegium of the House of Peoples and the Collegium of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH are under protection,” said the Directorate.
In addition to the above, the Directorate provides protection to the President of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Chief Prosecutor of the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as ministers in the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as other VIPs who are directly insured based on the decision of the Director of the Directorate, and in accordance with previously prepared expert security assessments.
The Directorate points out that persons who protect themselves in accordance with their competences have continuous physical protection 24 hours a day, while the extent and method of protection are determined according to the degree of threat, valid by-laws, security assessments and internal procedures.
“Two people who have the right to immediate physical protection are currently not using this type of insurance, and at their own request,” said the Directorate for “Nezavisne novine”.
When it comes to financial aspects, the Directorate clarifies that the costs of insurance for protected persons are planned, recorded and reported within the budget of the Directorate for the Coordination of Police Bodies of BiH, as a total amount that includes all forms of protection.
“Total funds intended for these purposes are shown at the level of the budget item of the Directorate and are not classified by individual protected persons, which is in accordance with the valid legal regulations and budget procedures in Bosnia and Herzegovina”, the Directorate concluded.
Radislav Jovičić, the former Minister of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska, previously told “Nezavisne novine” that the mistake in the system in Bosnia and Herzegovina is that our politicians have no feeling for the people who deal with their personal security, but, as he says, they try to interfere in that professional part, that is, to determine how that work will be done.
“It is one of the most responsible jobs because, you know, when someone attacks such a person or, God forbid, succeeds in an assassination or some other illegal act, it has a heavier symbolism, in terms of an attack on state institutions,” explained Jovičić.
According to him, the one who secures a VIP is the one who, after all, has to stand in front of the protected person and, as one would say in jargon, take a bullet instead of the person he is protecting.
“Those who do the job of protecting VIPs are constantly under pressure, under stress, they are constantly in maximum concentration and have to pay attention to every detail that could cause danger to the person they are protecting,” Jovičić told “Nezavisne”.
Let us remind you that in November, the Directorate for the Coordination of Police Bodies of Bosnia and Herzegovina implemented training in the field of protection of VIPs.
As stated on the Directorate’s official website, the training included fundamental principles of protection, planning and organization of security measures, risk assessment, as well as dealing with situations of increased security threat, with a special emphasis on practical exercises.
As stated, the training was attended by 18 members of the Directorate, who demonstrated a high professional standard and commitment to tasks through intensive activities.
