The Republic of Srpska

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ORGANIZATION

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The unit is organized in accordance with European standards for special police units, ensuring its structure and personnel strength enable high-quality training and operational readiness for the execution of specific tasks.

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SELECTION AND TRAINING

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All those who aspire to become members of the Special Anti-Terrorist Unit must undergo rigorous and challenging selective training. The recruitment of new candidates depends on the unit's needs and available positions. The training of unit members is based on the experiences of domestic and foreign special units and is aligned with widely accepted global standards and trends. The goal of the Special Anti-Terrorist Unit's training is to professionally train, drill, and psycho-physically prepare all unit members to successfully execute the most complex tasks in all situations and at any moment.

HISTORY

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Since its establishment up to the present, the Special Anti-Terrorist Unit has continuously evolved and modernized. Its development is characterized by three distinct phases:
o The first phase (1992 to 1995);
o The second phase (1995 to 2001);
o The third phase (2001 to the present).

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First Phase

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The outbreak of armed conflicts in Bosnia and Herzegovina led to the division of the members of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina based on national grounds. On April 4, 1992, the Militia Unit for Special Operations was divided, and in the second half of 1992, the Special Brigade of the Militia was formed. During the war conflicts from 1992 until the end of 1994, nine detachments were formed with the Brigade Command, which was stationed in Janja. The formation structure consisted of: Command, I - Detachment Pale; II - Detachment Šekovići; III - Detachment Trebinje; IV - Detachment Bijeljina; V - Detachment Doboj; VI - Detachment Banja Luka; VII - Detachment Prijedor; VIII - Detachment Ilidža, and IX - Detachment Foča. The Special Police Brigade had approximately 1,500 members during the wartime, of which 144 members gave their lives for Republika Srpska, and around 400 members were seriously or slightly wounded. For their wartime merits, the unit was repeatedly decorated with the Order of Petar Mrkonjić, Nemanjić, Njegoš I of the First Order, and the Order of Merit for the People, and a number of members were awarded the Order of Miloš Obilić, Milan Tepić, and other recognitions.

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Second Phase

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In the period from 1995 to 2001, a complete transformation of the Brigade took place under the detailed supervision of international organizations, with the primary role played by IPTF. The signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement, which envisaged the demobilization of special formations and their withdrawal to bases/barracks with Annex 1B, led to a change in the unit's name to the Police Brigade for Anti-Terrorist Operations. With Annex 11 of the Dayton Peace Agreement, the members underwent training under the supervision of the International Police IPTF. In the 1998 reorganization, the Unit was renamed the Service of Specialized Police with its command located in Janja, near Bijeljina. Detachments in Prijedor and Ilidža were disbanded, and detachments in Trebinje and Foča were integrated with the base at Tjentište. The remaining detachments were transformed into specialized teams. In the 1999/2000 reorganization, the command of the Service of Specialized Police was relocated from Janja to Banja Luka. Detachments except the one in Janja and Banja Luka were disbanded. The Specialized Team was located in Banja Luka and transformed into the Anti-Terrorist Team.

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Third Phase

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In 2001, the detachment in Janja was disbanded, and at the base of Rakovačke Bare, near Banja Luka, the Service of Specialized Police continued its work, consisting of the Anti-Terrorist Team, Specialized Team, and Mechanized Team. In 2004, it was renamed the Special Police Unit. On August 8, 2016, with the entry into force of the Regulation on the Internal Organization and Job Classification in the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska, the Unit was renamed the Special Anti-Terrorist Unit.

From the establishment of the Special Police Brigade in 1992 to the present, the position of unit commander was held by: 1. Milenko Karišik (1992-1993); 2. Goran Sarić (1993-1997); 3. Duško Jević (1997-1999); 4. Dragan Lukač (1999-2004); 5. Ranko Vuković (2004-2006); 6. Predrag Krajnović (2006-2015); 7. Dragan Ribić (2015-2018); 8. Goran Balaban (2018-2024); 9. Saša Japundža (2024-).

Duties

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