Representatives of 10 police agencies and 14 prison establishments in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) joined forces over the past four months to develop Guidelines for dealing with persons deprived of liberty that would be applicable across the local law enforcement agencies.

The result of the final meeting of this comprehensive group of law enforcement professionals, held from 8 to 10 March in Banja Luka, is finalised draft of detailed Guidelines ensuring upholding of human rights, structured around four key competence areas in closed environment: introduction international norms and standards, efficient communication, safety and security and human rights and public safety.

The Guidelines were drafted by a group of prison staff trainers accredited to deliver human rights based training programmes for custodial environment developed within the Council of Europe implemented projects in BiH. Expert advice harmonising the draft Guidelines with local legislation and best practices was provided by a group of police professionals, while international consultants provided advice on the alignment with European and international standards.

The Guidelines will now be prepared for printing and publication while the subsequent training of trainers designed thereof will be delivered in the period September 2017-March 2018.