POLICE OFFICERS SHOULD NOT BE SEEN MERELY AS ORDINARY CIVIL SERVANTS

BANJA LUKA, NOVEMBER 18 /SRNA/ – Former Minister of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska Tomislav Kovač told SRNA, on the occasion of the upcoming patron saint's day of the Ministry of Internal Affairs /MoI/ – Aranđelovdan, that society must establish a value system in which police officers are not viewed merely as ordinary state employees.

"Police officers protect the people, their safety and property, the state and its institutions. Such individuals must be adequately paid. They must be granted appropriate status. On the other hand, police officers must be strictly punished if they become involved in crime. It must also be recognized that the police of Republika Srpska defended this state, where there were no Serb police officers, there was no Serb army," Kovač emphasized. He noted that MoI's patron saint's day was introduced with the aim of strengthening the value foundation of Republika Srpska's security system. "I believe all of that has been preserved in a good way. Because if we had not laid the foundations back then, we would not have MoI today," Kovač said. He pointed out that one of the greatest achievements is that the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska has survived with its core competencies all these years, despite numerous and strong pressures to abolish it. Kovač said that the MoI today is well-equipped and trained, and that special attention should be given to improving police authorities and crime prevention. "The establishment of the High School of Internal Affairs is a positive development, because without education there is no future for the police. There is no prosperity in a state where police officers are not people predisposed to act preventively and protect the people, their safety, and property, rather than being seen only when the yellow tape has already been placed. By then it is too late and the crime has already been committed," Kovač stressed. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska marks November 21 – Aranđelovdan – as its patron saint's day. During the Defense–Patriotic War, more than 780 members of MUP gave their lives for Republika Srpska.