Sarajevo, 20 December 2012 – A theoretical elements refreshing knowledge on 'do's and don'ts' in crisis communication and practical examples in coordinating and communicating were discussed in the seminar organised by the Directorate for Coordination of Police Bodies on 19 December 2012.
The seminar brought together Chiefs Operations’ Centers and Spokespersons of various levels of BIH law enforcement agencies to exchange experiences with the Romanian, Slovenian and Polish colleagues.
The key to successful crisis communication is thorough preparations, clear division of responsibilities and cooperation. A crisis in general is characterized by its uncertain nature, the resulting insecurity of the public and suddenly growing need for information. The situation gets further complicated when the response to a crisis require coordinated work of several law enforcement agencies. Who speaks to media?
“In such cases, harmonised statements are of particular importance", says Halid Emkić, Brčko District Police Spokesperson. “Unfortunately, there is no procedure in place which regulates cooperation and coordination among spokespersons. We coordinate statements sometimes but it is more an act of good will.“
When a crisis develops, time is of the essence - if true and precise information does not reach the public timely, it might significantly hinder the crisis’s solution and reduce institution’s credibility.
“The spokesperson has a very important role to play in this case,” said Wili Apreutesei, a police expert from Romania. “In order to properly advise the management on response, their role needs to be duly recognized and access to all information provided.”
The workshop was organized as part of the Twinning Project “Assistance to the Directorate for Coordination of Police Bodies”, aimed at leaving in place fully developed capacities of the Directorate to gather, share, manage and analyse security related information of relevance for BiH and fully functioning mechanisms for continued cooperation with relevant police and other bodies.
*The attendees were representatives of the Directorate for Coordination of Police Bodies of BiH, State Investigation and Protection Agency, BiH Border Police, Brčko District Police, Federal Administration of Police, and Ministries of Interior of Republika Srpska, Sarajevo and Herzegovina Neretva Canton.