The Republic of Srpska

The meeting of the Republic of Srpska Ministry of the Interior expanded collegium was held today in Istočno Sarajevo where it was concluded that the security situation in the territory of the Republic of Srpska was satisfactory. 

The Republic of Srpska Ministry of the Interior recorded a decrease in the number of criminal offences last year, along with a higher clearance rate, which shows the effective and professional work of its police members. 

 ‘’The Republic of Srpska Ministry of the Interior implemented 117 major operational actions last year, 19 of which were implemented in cooperation with foreign police agencies. This demonstrates that the Republic of Srpska Ministry of the Interior is recognised as one of the best partners in cooperation in the security field within BiH’’, the Republic of Srpska Minister of the Interior, Mr Željko Budimir said. 

In addition, he stated that the Republic of Srpska Ministry of the Interior was not facing the shortage of police officers, unlike other police agencies in BiH and the region. 

‘’Last year, 361 members of the Republic of Srpska Ministry of the Interior retired, including 296 police officers, while 174 retirements are planned for this year. At the same time, 542 police officers were recruited last year’’, Minister Budimir said. He added that the establishment of the High School of Internal Affairs has proven to be justified.

“In order to keep this trend, we educate them at the Faculty of Police and Criminalistics in Belgrade, the Faculty of Security Sciences in Banja Luka, as well as at the Military Academy, and we will continue to do so,” he emphasised.

The Republic of Srpska Police Director, Mr Siniša Kostrešević, said that the Republic of Srpska Ministry of the Interior submitted 5,221 reports against 5,829 persons to the competent prosecutor’s offices, based on suspicion that they had committed 6,222 criminal offences. 

He noted that the total number of criminal offences decreased by 7.1 percent compared to 2024.

“As a special segment of the Ministry's work, I would highlight the work of administrative and legal affairs and praise our employees for their diligence and efficiency, given the volume of civil requests they process daily while still fulfilling all requests within the legal deadlines,” Minister Budimir said.

He specified that in the field of administrative and legal internal affairs, 1,049,685 procedures were performed in 2025, and he announced that the development of the e-services platform would continue.

Furthermore, he also complimented the Administration for Aviation, which implemented 105 emergency medical evacuations, and announced that investments in this administration would continue.

Minister Budimir highlighted alarming traffic data for the Republic of Srpska, noting that last year 13,484 traffic accidents occurred, which is 24.7 percent more than in 2024. Of these, 129 people died, 35 more than the previous year, and 672 were seriously injured.

Director Kostrešević reported that in 2025, a total of 246,208 traffic controls were performed, including 243,146 vehicles and drivers. A total of 23,563 drivers were removed from traffic, which is 13.4 percent more than in 2024, of which 81.1 percent of these cases related to driving under the influence of alcohol.

He also noted a concerning trend of peer violence in primary and high schools in the Republic of Srpska.

Minister Budimir stated that in future, working conditions for the Ministry of Interior will be improved, several new police stations will be constructed, and investments will be made in the vehicle fleet.