The Republic of Srpska

Today, at the regular annual Extended Staff Meeting held by the Minister of the Interior, it was agreed that the security situation on the territory of the Republic of Srpska was at satisfactory level – over the first 11 months of 2018, the total number of 7,107 criminal offences was recorded, which is 12.1% less than during the same period in 2017. Regarding the structure of the committed criminal offences this year, the most numerous ones were the criminal offences of general crime (5,880), which is 82.7% of the total number of criminal offences. The number of criminal offences of general crime (5,880) was reduced by 11.5% compared to the same period in 2017, and simultaneously, the rates of solved cases in that field have also increased. Additionally, indicators show that criminal offences against property (3,431) have decreased by 20.7% whereas the rates of solved cases in this field have increased. One of the pieces of information presented at the Staff meeting is that, during the period from January to November 2018, 3,654 cases of disrupting public order and peace were recorded (5.6% less), and 4,734 persons committed 4,780 minor offences against public order and peace (6.8% less than in the same period the previous year). Furthermore, it was pointed out that, despite numerous preventive and repressive police activities, the number of traffic accidents (9,376) is by 657 or 7.5% higher than during the same period last year. Also, the number of people who got hurt in those accidents (112 persons died, 576 persons suffered serious injuries, and 2,559 persons suffered light bodily injuries). The analysis showed that the most common causes of traffic accidents were driving above speed limit and regardless of road conditions (19.6%) and not keeping the necessary distance (17.2%). At the meeting, the activities related to the movements of migrants were also analysed, and it was stated that, to that point, the police officers had detected about 4,400 migrants who had illegally crossed the border of Bosnia and Herzegovina.  Over the first ten months, the Republic of Srpska Ministry of the Interior submitted to the Prosecutor’s Office of BIH 35 reports against 45 persons based on suspicion that they committed 37 criminal offences of ‘People smuggling’. Therefore, the conclusion was that police activities in this segment should be intensified in future and that the Ministry is not going to allow unmonitored movements of migrants.   Normal