Law enforcement officers from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina gathered in Sarajevo to mark the Police Day, a special occasion dedicated to honouring their commitment to public safety and community service.

The highlight of the event was the prestigious “Golden Badge” awards ceremony, recognising officers who have demonstrated exceptional courage, dedication and professionalism in the line of duty. Among the recipients of this important acknowledgment were police officers who participated in the capacity building activities organised under the EU and Council of Europe actions in the field of deprivation of liberty, and who now serve as trainers for human rights modules.

The Council of Europe was recognised as one of the Ministry of Interior’s main international partners for its continued support to promoting policing aligned with human rights standards. The chief areas of co-operation over the past few years include joint activities aimed at designing new methodology for conducting police interviews, developing operational guidance for policing the rights to freedom of expression, assembly and association and, in general, protection of human rights of persons deprived of liberty.   

“I am proud of everything we have done as a team over the past few years. We have started processes which initially were only visible from the inside, but now they are becoming visible also from the outside of the system – the citizens can now feel effects of these changes as well“, said director of the Federal Police Administration.

The ceremony concluded with a call for continued partnership between police forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina and international agencies, including European Union and Council of Europe, to further build a safer and more human rights-oriented policing in future.

The action “Further strengthening the treatment of detained and sentenced persons in line with European standards in Bosnia and Herzegovina” is being implemented as part of the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme, "Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye."

The action is expected to improve the protection of human rights of persons deprived of liberty by equipping the law enforcement, prison, and forensic staff with the knowledge, skills, and tools to prevent ill-treatment and impunity, and facilitate detainees' and inmates’ reintegration in the community upon release from custody through, among others, electronic exchange of information and enabling conditions for the preventive monitoring of custodial practices.