The Sarajevo Canton Assembly (KS) adopted a set of laws from the field of internal affairs, which, among other things, introduce the auxiliary police and the Helicopter Unit, speed up the employment and advancement of police officers, and tighten the conditions for the acquisition and carrying of weapons, while harmonizing with international standards and acts of the European Union. At the proposal of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the KS, the Law on Amendments to the Law on Internal Affairs, the Law on Amendments to the Law on Police Officers and the new Law on the Acquisition, Possession and Carrying of Weapons in Sarajevo Canton were adopted today.
Amendments to the law will achieve more efficient filling of vacant positions in the police, staffing and strengthening of the police, clearer determination of the terms of school and vocational training required to work in the police, and the opening of opportunities for the education of police officers in higher education institutions in the country and abroad. The law on the acquisition, possession and carrying of weapons in KS was adopted in a new form and is now harmonized with international standards and EU acts
– We worked in detail, analytically, coordinated and comprehensively on making these changes and included all interested subjects. The laws were supported by the KS Government, we held a public debate, accepted all constructive proposals and suggestions and held talks with all party clubs in the KS Assembly – said KS Interior Minister Admir Katica.
Among the biggest changes compared to previous laws is the introduction of auxiliary police in Sarajevo Canton, which will be an integral part of the regular police. It will be made up of members who, for a limited period of time, help regular police officers in carrying out police tasks.
With the amendments to the Law on Internal Affairs of the KS, the work of the Helicopter Unit is introduced into the Law for the first time as a special organizational unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the KS and regulates the use of the aircraft. MUPKS has just completed the two-year training of its first pilots and aircraft mechanics in Montenegro, followed by professional training in the USA and Singapore. S
Also important is the change that enables employment in the police for persons with a university degree, so that now candidates who have completed at least 240 ECTS credits in criminal, criminological, security and legal professions can apply for “junior inspector”. The amendments also make it possible for the police commissioner to be replaced by more police officers in the future in the event of his disability or termination of his mandate.
Amendments to the Law on Police Officers of the KS created the conditions for faster advancement in the police. Until now, for some ranks, it took four years to advance from a lower rank to a higher rank. Now this period is shortened to two years. This is also important because new staff cannot be hired until the positions that have been filled are ‘vacated’.
The changes will enable the KS MUP Police Directorate to send police officers to higher education institutions in the country and abroad in the future, which will provide the Police Directorate with professional, educated personnel. Canton of Sarajevo today also received a new Law on the acquisition, possession and carrying of weapons, which, in addition to increasing the safety of citizens, also means harmonization with international standards and acts of the European Union.
– In the future, it will not be possible to obtain a permit to carry a weapon against persons who are under criminal investigation for crimes for which a prison sentence of five or more years has been prescribed. Persons against whom an investigation is being conducted for the committed violence or if, in accordance with the Law on protection against domestic violence, a protective measure has been imposed on them will not be able to get approval – said Minister Katica.
One of the key changes in the law is the control health examinations of persons who have authorization to acquire weapons.
– From now on, everyone who has permission to acquire weapons will undergo health examinations every five years to determine their health capacity, instead of every ten years as the law provided until now – explained the minister.
Also, the time during which a family member or guardian needs to report and hand over the weapon to the police has been reduced from 60 to 30 days, reported the KS Protocol and Press Service.
