Nezavisne novine, 4 February 2010. – The actions conducted by the police agencies from BiH on Tuesday in Gornja Maoca village near Brcko and RS demonstrated that BiH police officers are capable of dealing with the most serious and complex operations, stated Head of EU Police Mission (EUPM), Stefan Feller.

Feller refused to comment on the entire operation in Gornja Maoca, explaining that the operation is still ongoing.

“Another significant police operation regarding combating trafficking of drugs, which was lead by RS Ministry of Interior (RS MoI) occurred on the same day, which means there were actually two very important operations. Both operations were conducted in a very professional manner and I would like to use this opportunity to congratulate all police agencies on the State, entity and cantonal level, as well as people from Brcko District Police,” said Feller.

Feller pointed out that the issue of terrorism in BiH is not being exaggerated, adding that the competent institutions in this country are capable of coping with this problem. 

NN: 600 police officers from different police agencies in BiH participated in this operation. Are you of the opinion that this joint police action – the biggest since the wartime period – shows that BiH police officers are capable of dealing with the biggest professional challenges?

Feller: Yes, you might say that. They are capable of dealing with the most serious and complex police operations. We saw that the police leadership as well as the leading figures within juridical structures coordinated the activities in a very good way.

NN: 15 years have passed since the war. Still, the cooperation between police agencies in BiH is being considered as a “miracle”. Such great operations are being pointed out as a good example instead of being the usual occurrence?

Feller:  The situation was completely different when I have arrived in BiH a year and a half year ago than it is now. I have witnessed the situation of the police making a huge improvement in a very short period of time, especially considering the coordination as well as the readiness to coordinate. This wasn’t the case when I arrived in BiH.

We have to be aware of the fact that 15 different police agencies are currently operating in BiH, and that it is not always an easy task just to conduct any operation and let them work together and expect that everything will proceed without any problems. Such a process requires time, which is the reason why we support every kind of progress and every step that leads towards the general improvement of the situation. One of the critical elements important for the progress is the need to constantly promote and develop internal communication that develops mutual trust. This is not always the case and it wasn’t always the case, which is a part of the explanation why 15 years were needed to reach the point where we are today. But I am an optimist.

NN: How much is terrorism actually present in BiH and are you of the opinion that this issue is being manipulated?

Feller: If you fight terrorism and extremism in a way that you use intelligence and police methods, that does not mean that this issue is being exaggerated or over-emphasised, but that the issue exists and that it is being worked on. The most important message is that BiH fights terrorism with the most significant capacities this country currently has and that it will not allow this issue to escalate. I am very satisfied with the readiness of the police structures and BiH Prosecution to deal with this issue. And I think that the citizens of BiH should be proud of them too.

NN: Police forces are often pointing to statistical data according to which crime in BiH is not more prevalent than in developed, European countries, but the citizens still feel unsafe. Why is this case?

Feller: That paradox is present not only in BiH, but in all societies. There is a difference between the feelings of the citizens and the statistical data on paper. Situations in which the citizens do not feel safe cannot be conquered by presenting the data to citizens and saying: “You are not right. You should not feel that way”. The task of security structures dealing with law enforcement is not only to conduct concrete activities to combat crime, but also to create an atmosphere that will make the citizens feel safe. Police structures in BiH are doing a very good job in combating of crime, but this does not refer to their capability to work on improving the feeling that citizens have in regard to their safety.

The feeling of safety that the citizens have is directly linked to the responsibility of politicians. In some cases, there are attempts to divert the attention of the public to the police instead of taking responsibility and keeping the issue where it is supposed to be – on a political level. As far as I am aware, this is no secret in BiH.

NN: Is it a secret that many politicians in BiH do not want to have a professional, strong, serious and efficient police?

Feller: I will abstain from making any assessments with regard to politicians who do not want the police in BiH to be strong and capable. There are some examples of people in BiH striving to have more political control over the police as it should be, but I am convinced that if the communication and exchange of information continues, they will soon realise that there are many people who are capable, but also those less qualified.

Departure of EUPM

NN: When will the BiH police structures be ready to take over full responsibility for security in BiH and in that sense close the EUPM office in our country?

Feller:We are making efforts in order for our assistance and presence here to become part of history. We are guests here and are doing everything we can to help the structures in BiH to do their job and conduct their activities in the way it should be done. We have a two-year mandate which is focused on the fight against organised crime and corruption and based essentially on the invitation submitted by the BiH Presidency. It is difficult to say when the time will come for the EUPM to leave. That is something that depends on you.