On 24 September 2026, the Directorate for Coordination of Police Bodies of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the support of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, organized the first expert workshop in Sarajevo as part of the three-year project "Prevention and Suppression of Large-Scale Disturbances of Public Order and Peace."
The workshop gathered representatives from police agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina responsible for public order and peace, as well as representatives from organizational units in charge of legal and regulatory matters. The aim was to jointly review the existing regulatory framework, exchange experiences regarding its practical application and to identify key operational and regulatory challenges in this area.
At the beginning of the workshop the Ambassador Richard Holtzapple, Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Goran Amidžić, Deputy Director of the Directorate for Coordination of Police Bodies of Bosnia and Herzegovina adressesed to participants. They emphasized the importance of inter-institutional cooperation and collaborative efforts to improve professional standards of policing.
The core technical session of the workshop presented a comparative analysis of public order and peace legislation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, followed by an expert discussion on the experiences of police agencies in applying current regulations. Particular attention was paid to differences in legal provisions and their impact on policing, the planning of police interventions, the selection and use of police powers and means of coercion, as well as inter-institutional cooperation in situations requiring coordinated action by multiple police agencies.
Representatives of police agencies also presented key indicators regarding the state of public order and peace within their respective jurisdictions for 2025, including data on recorded offenses, misdemeanor warrants and court rulings, assaults on police officers and instances of use of force. Through the exchange of experiences, attention was drawn to specific issues encountered in the practical application of regulations, as well as to matters requiring further joint consideration and the improvement of police practices.
The workshop presents the initial activity of a project that will be implemented by the Directorate for Coordination of Police Bodies of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the support of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, during 2026, 2027, and 2028. The project aims to strengthen the capacity of police agencies to respond lawfully, proportionately, professionally and in a coordinated manner to large-scale public order disturbances, while upholding international human rights standards and the principles of democratic policing.
In the next project phase the establishment of an inter-institutional operational working group is planned, it will serve as an expert and operational mechanism for the continued joint work of police agencies. Project activities will encompass the development of curricula and training materials, standard operating procedures, the strengthening of instructor capacities, the implementation of specialized training, as well as inter-institutional simulation and field exercises.
The conclusions of the first expert workshop and the experiences of representatives of police agencies will serve as a starting point for the continuation of project activities, aimed at developing common professional standards, improving inter-institutional cooperation and strengthening the long-term capacity of police agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina to handle matters of public order and peace.