Editorial - European Union Police Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina

2 

Editorial 



by Jovo Marković 

Head of the Department 

for High Technology Crime Prevention 

Republika Srpska Ministry of Interior 

Cyber crime – high technology crime represents 

the form of criminal behaviour whe - 

re the use of computer technologies and 

information systems serve as tools for committing 

a criminal offence, thus producing a 

relevant consequence from the criminal and 

legal point of view. High technology crime 

also represents an offence against property, 

where computer data are delibe rately 

chan ged, destroyed (computer sabotage) 

or used together with the hardware. 

Computers and computer technology can 

be misused in various ways, a crime committed 

through the use of the computer can 

take the form of any of the traditional forms 

of crime, such as thefts and embezzlements, 

while the data illegally obtained through the 

misuse of information systems can be used 

in various ways for gaining illegal benefit. 

Recognising the seriousness of this form 

of crime, Republika Srpska Ministry of In te - 

rior formed in January 2010 the Department 

for High Technology Crime Prevention. One 

of its first activities was to harmonise the RS 

Cri minal Code with the International Con - 

ven tion on Cyber Crime, which created ba - 

sic preconditions for our work. 

As Internet is nowadays a great industry 

and frequently a tool for earning enormous 

amounts of money through children, our 

activities have confirmed that this plague 

has not missed BiH either. 

A recent investigation by the RS Ministry 

of Interior in Derventa has uncovered a person 

with whom two million photographs 

and 7.000 videos of child pornography were 

found. It is interesting that this person 

could not have been processed until last 

year, because the mere possession of child 

pornography had not been considered a 

criminal offence before the latest changes 

to the RS Criminal Code were done. 

Since July last year, the RS Ministry of In - 

te rior has conducted several operations, 

such as Nezavisne, EG Stop, Oliver, Facebo - 

ok, Derventa, which were aimed at preventing 

the distribution of child pornography 

pic tures on the Internet. Naturally, this is 

only part of the activities that the RS Mi nis - 

try of Interior has been conducting in the 

fight against cyber crime, for investigation 

of cases involving hacking into computer 

databases, piracy prevention, frauds via In - 

ternet etc should not be disregarded either. 

Cyber crime prevention is also one of significant 

tasks for the RS Ministry of Interior. 

In the beginning of 2010, the Department 

for High Technology Crime Prevention conducted 

a survey in all elementary schools in 

Banja Luka, which showed that children ne - 

eded to be taught security on the Internet. 

With that aim, at the beginning of the year 

2010/2011, the RS Ministry of Interior, in co - 

operation with the RS Ministry of Education 

and the RS Ministry of Family, Youth and 

Sports, started the project dubbed “Pro tec - 

tion of children and adults on the Internet“ 

that is being implemented in all elementary 

schools in Republika Srpska. 

We have created a manual for children 

con taining practical advice as to how to 

pro tect themselves on the Internet and re - 

cognise potential dangers. Then we started 

holding lectures in schools. 

With an aim of educating as many citizens 

as possible, the Department for High 

Tech nology Crime Prevention has created a 

special webpage www.cyber-vtk.net that 

tack les this problem and provides basic in - 

formation on what cyber crime can be, also 

making it possible to report high technology 

crime. 

As prevention is crucial in the fight 

against high technology crime, these are 

only some of the activities which the RS 

Ministry of Interior intends to carry out. � 

European Union Police Mission | www.eupmbih.eu

In Focus 

The Dark Network 

The information society 

in which we live provides 

unmatched opportunities at 

a click of a mouse. Education, 

fun, art, connections that allow 

for a better understanding of 

the differences and similarities 

of the people around the globe 

– everything needed for the 

basic and higher development 

of a human being is out there. 

However, this technology also 

has its darker side in hacking, 

copyright infringement, 

harassment, identity theft and 

online abuse – or, short, in 

cyber crime. And one of the 

most serious cyber crimes law 

enforcement agencies around 

the world are facing today is 

child abuse material (CAM), 

more commonly known as 

child pornography. 

European Union Police Mission | www.eupmbih.eu 

Child pornography is among the 

fastest growing criminal segments 

on the Internet. According 

to ChildWatch: 

� 20% of all the porn on the 

internet is child abuse material 

� Norway blocks CAM and gets 

up to 12,000 hits on its Block 

Page every day 

� British Telecom in the UK is 

part of the Internet Watch 

Foundation system of blocking 

and they get up to 40,000 hits 

on their block page, every day 

� There is a huge constituency of 

people worldwide accessing this 

material that in itself drives a need 

for new and fresh material 

And while many people mistakenly 

believe that these movies and images 

show nude children in erotic surroundings, 

the statistics on child abuse ima - 

gery reveal that: 

� 99% of all CAM goes 

beyond simple nudity of a child 

� 80% involves rape 

� 21% involves torture 

The grim figures, however, will hopefully 

change slightly in the coming period 

since the fight against child exploitation 

online has taken a huge step forward 

in March as an Internet paedophile 

ring with some 70,000 members, presumably 

largest in the world, was 

uncovered through an unprecedented 

level of international cooperation in 

operation “Rescue”. 

Within this complex operation, with 

the leading support of Europol, police 

identified 670 suspects across the 

world, arrested 184 suspected child sex 

offenders and identified and safeguarded 

230 children - victims of child abuse. 

Associated Press reported that the 

arrestees include teachers, police officers 

and scout leaders. One person who 

worked at summer youth camps is suspected 

of abusing some 100 children 

over five years. 

Continued on page 4 >> 

3

Crime... 

The paedophile ring communicated 

using an online forum – boylover.net – 

that promoted sexual relationships 

between adults and young boys. 

”The website operated from a server 

based in the Netherlands which attempted 

to operate as a ‘discussion–only’ 

forum where people could share their 

sexual interest in young boys without 

committing any specific offences, thus 

working ‘below the radar’ of police 

attention,” said Europol. 

Having made contact on the site, some 

members would move to more private 

channels to exchange and share illegal 

images and films of children being abu - 

sed. Computers seized from those arrested 

have harvested huge quantities of 

child abuse images and videos. 

Police infiltrated the site, and Europol 

analysts cracked the security features of 

a key computer server at the centre of 

the network which uncovered the identities 

of suspected child sex offenders. 

Europol issued over 4,000 intelligence 

reports to police authorities in over 30 

countries in Europe and elsewhere, 

which has led to the arrests of suspects 

and the safeguarding of children. 

”I am proud of the exceptional work 

of our experts in helping police authorities 

around the world to record these 

4 

Continued from page 3 

Most law enforcement agencies working with child sexual abuse 

material (CAM) believe it is time to stop the use of the misleading 

term “child pornography” when describing images of the sexual 

abuse of children. It would be better to use a term or title that gives 

a better understanding of the crime and more respect to the child 

victims of such abuse. 

A sexual image of a child is “abuse” or “exploitation” and should 

never be described as “pornography”. Pornography is a term used 

for adults engaging in consensual sexual acts distributed (mostly) 

legally to the general public for their sexual pleasure. Child abuse 

images are not. They involve children who cannot and would not 

consent and who are victims of a crime. 

The child abuse images are documented evidence of a crime, not 

as police would photograph a crime scene where the crime has 

already been committed, but as a “crime in progress” – a child 

being sexually abused. 

Adults who are sexually aroused by these abuse images of children 

do not care if or believe that the child is being abused. By calling 

the images “child porn” or “kiddy porn” it allows them to think 

groundbreaking results,” said Rob 

Wainwright, Director of Europol. ”The 

safeguarding of so many vulnerable 

children is particularly rewarding and 

demonstrates the commitment of our 

agency to make Europe a safer place for 

its citizens.” 

As the operation “Rescue” continues, 

new arrests can be expected. As Peter 

Davies from the Britain's Child 

Exploitation and Online Protection 

Centre told media, ”those who have be - 

en members of the site can expect a 

knock on the door in the very near 

future.” 

...and punishment 

With the improvements in their equipment 

and training on fighting new types 

of crime, police in Bosnia and Herze - 

govina have also become a partner in 

the global effort to stymie the production 

and distribution of child abuse 

material on the Internet. Only a week 

after the operation “Rescue”, BiH law 

enforcement agencies conducted acti - 

ons in Brčko District and Republika 

Srpska, arresting five persons and seizing 

a large quantity of equipment, CDs 

and DVDs. The search of one of the 

suspects’ premises uncovered the 

largest amount of child abuse material 

ever found in BiH. 

”Police officers seized more than two 

million pictures and 7,000 recordings 

portraying sexual abuse of children, as 

well as a bag full of children’s’ clothes,” 

said Republika Srpska Ministry of In - 

terior Spokesperson, Mirna Šoja. 

One of biggest changes, which ena - 

bled this successful police operation, 

was the amendment of the Republika 

Srpska Criminal Code. 

”In May 2010, RS Criminal Code was 

amended in line with the International 

cyber convention whose signatory is 

Bosnia and Herzegovina,” said Šoja. 

”These changes created better conditions 

for police work because, for example, 

in accordance with previous provisions 

in the law, the possession of child 

pornography was not a criminal 

offense, only the distribution was. New 

amendments to the Code stipulate that 

the possession of child pornography is a 

criminal offense as well.” 

As the legal framework is one of the 

key preconditions for a successful fight 

against child abuse on the Internet, 

EUPM legal experts made an assessment 

of legal provisions in Federation 

BiH, Republika Srpska and Brčko 

District regarding this type of crime. 

”Prohibition of child abuse material 

is regulated at the entity level,” says 

Marie-Ursula Kind, EUPM Senior Cri - 

mi nal Justice Expert. ”The criminal 

codes of Federation BiH, Republika 

Terminology: 

Child Porn vs. Child Abuse Material 

that it is somehow acceptable, like other types of pornography. The 

adults who view these images also possess and trade this material 

to fuel their sexual desires towards children and this may result in 

an offence towards a child they come in contact with. 

The terms "kiddy porn" and "child porn" are used by criminals 

and should not be legitimized by law enforcement, judiciary, the 

public or media. Legislation in some countries, or even the names of 

the departments dealing with child sexual abuse within the police, 

may use terms like "child pornography", making the term difficult to 

avoid. Such definitions and names reflect an era where one did not 

fully understand the impact of sexual abuse and is slowly changing 

as legislation is revised and the victims are given better protection 

and rights. Law enforcement, as the first line professionals, should 

contribute to this change by being precise in their terminology. 

Children who have been sexually abused and photographed 

deserve to be protected and respected and not have the seriousness 

of their abuse trivialized by the term "porn". � 

Source: Interpol 


Srpska and Brčko District prohibit the 

photographing or filming of a child with 

a view to developing photographs, au - 

dio-visual tapes or other pornographic 

materials and making such material 

available to third persons.” 

The minimum sentence according to 

all three criminal codes starts with a 

fine, while the maximum sentence is 

higher in the RS (eight years) than in 

FBiH and Brčko District (five years), 

adds EUPM Criminal Justice Expert, 

Volodymyr Zhminko. 

”Also, the possession, importing, selling, 

dealing in or projecting of child 

pornographic material is a criminal 

offence according to all three criminal 

codes,” says Kind. ”In FBiH and Brčko 

District such conduct is punished by im - 

pri sonment, the term ranging from one 

to five years. The RS Criminal Co de, 

while similar to the other two, also in - 

cludes the production, purchasing, ke - 

ep ing or screening of a child pornographic 

show. Such criminal activity is 

punished either by a fine or imprisonment 

of up to three years.” 

There is no provision about child 

abuse material in the BiH Criminal 

Code. 

Policing the Internet 

Still, the fight against child abuse 

material starts at a “lower level”, with 

dedicated police officers sifting through 

bits and bytes of data found on the 

Internet. Their education continues in 

Bosnia and Herzegovina. Only last 

week, Re pub lika Srpska Po li ce gathered 

the ir counterparts from other BiH law 

enforcement agencies and ex perts from 

abroad, and organised a two-day seminar 

on how to respond to cyber crime 

challenges, and how to combat and 

prevent abuse on the Internet. 

One of the experts, De - 

tective Serge ant 

Micha el Moran 

of the Interpol 


Traf ficking in Human Beings Sub–Di - 

rec torate, is vehement that police need 

to “normalise” and “de-technify” the 

Internet instead of making it a specialist 

policing category that mystifies ordinary 

officers. 

”Every police officer should receive 

ba sic training in online crime, and 

every station in the world should have 

unfettered access to the Internet,” con- 

cluded Moran. ”Not only is the Internet 

policeable, but it’s often easier to police 

than the real world.” 

And as new technologies challenge 

existing police practices, BiH law 

enforcement seeks to learn from the 

best of their peers how to rise to this 

challenge and become a force to be 

reckoned with in the global movement 

against online child abuse. � 

5

6 

A Day with... Hector Gonzalo de Cesare, EUPM Political Adviser 

All Roads Lead to... BiH 

Hector Gonzalo de Cesare is living 

proof of how small the world has 

become. Hailing from Peru, this 

Italian also has Dutch, American 

and Peruvian roots and, with 

parents working in diplomatic 

spheres and international organisations, 

he grew up all over the 

globe. De Cesare continued this 

international practice as an adult, 

getting a Bachelor’s Degree in 

Political Science and International 

Relations in the United States, 

pursuing an MBA and an LL.M. in 

The Netherlands, and now working 

on a Ph.D. in Law in Spain. In the 

meantime, he also found a 

moment to attend a postgraduate 

course in Argentina and get 

certified as a Mediator. 

But, most importantly for us, 

De Cesare’s impressive global 

trek led him persistently back to 

the Balkans. He lived in Belgrade 

for two years when he was a kid, 

so when it was time to choose a 

focus area during his undergradu 

ate studies, Balkans, in the 

conception of turmoil, drew him in. 

His interest continued, and he 

ended up working for the International 

Criminal Tribunal for 

the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) for 

ten years, giving a contribution 

which earned him the 2010 Law 

Technology News IT Champion 

of the Year award. 

For detailed information on the process 

of creating the electronic discovery software 

that helps prosecutors develop protocols 

that can be adapted for subsequent 

tribunals, read Gonzalo de Cesare’s article 

“History Repeats Itself” at 

http://www.zylab.com/NewsEvents/ 

MediaCoverage.aspx � 

Law Technology News innovation 

awards recognise the efforts of tho - 

se pushing beyond the boundaries 

of current legal technology. Gon za - 

lo de Cesare received the reward for creating 

high-volume litigation support systems 

and repeatable processes that can 

be adapted for subsequent tribunals. It all 

started with the high-profile prosecution 

of Slobodan Milošević, the former president 

of Serbia and Yugoslavia. 

”For a fair trial of Milošević, we ne - 

eded a heavy dose of creativity. As part 

of the Office of the Prosecutor of the 

ICTY, we were in charge of managing a 

massive amount of information – the 

case encompassed 5.2 million pages of 

documents,” explains De Cesare. ”We 

then found a way to transfer all of the 

documents to a searchable and se cu - 

re electronic archive that supported 

all of the foreign languages, scripts, 

and file formats. As a result, everyone 

involved in the Milošević 

trial gained access to an online 

electronic evidence collection 

that supported searching and 

allowed for thorough legal 

review.” 

His work has also in - 

cluded mashing up information 

management tools 

with Google Maps to better 

track events and activities 

in an investigation timeline. 

Upgarding the 

game of politics 

Today, Gonzalo de Cesare 

works as Political Adviser in 

EU Police Mis si on’s Re ional 

Office in Tuzla. We met with 

him in our headquarters in 

Sa ra jevo during a short 

break between two meetings 

and, after a brief overview 

of his background, asked 

him how does his knowledge, 

his prowess transfer 

into his work for the 

EUPM. 

”I am fascinated by politics, and I 

was very interested in what was the 

political reason for the things that happened 

here,” says De Cesare. ”Working 

on ca se management in ICTY got me 

very clo se to Bosnia and Herzegovina 

and ena bled me to closely monitor and 

follow the country. And because of 

Srebrenica, I am especially familiar 

with the area where I work, the northeast 

BiH.” 


He explains that he worked for NATO 

and OSCE after leaving the ICTY, and 

while the jobs were interesting, he 

always wanted to come back to BiH and 

work in the field of politics. So, when 

he saw the job advert for the EUPM, it 

was like a sign from heaven. 

”I think this country is incredibly in - 

teresting, and I think it still has the path 

to go, especially following the events of 

1992-1995,” he adds. 

We discuss the recent history of the 

country and De Cesare shares stories of 

his adventures coming to Sarajevo during 

the war, when he attracted not-sopositive 

attention of some paramilitary 

patrols thanks to the ICTY equipment 

he was transporting, until the conversation 

winds back to Tuzla and the new 

adventures of his daily work. 

Take your time 

”My average workday means meeting 

some of the key players in our area of 

responsibility, as well as real decisionmakers,” 

he says. ”For example, for the 

last two weeks we have been consumed 

by few major issues, and one of them is 

the building of the church near Po to ča - 

ri. So, what I do is go to the communities, 

to people, see how they feel. I think 

it is very important for a political adviser 

not to take the word of the press and 

not to go after the “superstars” that 

seem to claim the media attention. Only 

when you talk to people around them 

can you really get the feeling where this 

Newcomers 

AUSTRIA 

Sonja-Maria Illigasch, 36, recently 

joined the EUPM as Crime Advisor 

to Regional Office Tuzla. She comes 

from Austria and has been working 

for the Austrian Police for more than 

15 years. She joined the police after 

high school and from 2001-2010 

worked in the Ministry of Interior, 

dealing with law enforcement matters. In particular, after 

the Schengen acquis, she was responsible for the 

implementation of compensatory measures. In 2010, 

Illigasch returned to regular policing and is the officerin-charge 

in Gleisdorf police station. Her field of police 

expertise includes crime investigation. Illigasch's first 

mis sion experience was in Kosovo in 2005/2006 

(UNMIK), when she was deployed as MTO with the 

Specialised Police Unit in Pri{tina. When asked what 

mo tivated her to join the EUPM, Illigasch says: ”The 

most important aim is to incorporate as much police 

experience within my work in BiH and to bring all the 

experience which I gained in BiH back home to Austria 

so my police colleagues and the police system in my 

country can benefit from it”. Her hobbies are gardening, 

walking, socialising, and travelling with her daughter. 


is going, what problems it can potentially 

lead to.” 

This is followed by writing an analysis 

of the situation and forwarding it to 

through Chief Adviser to Head of Mis - 

sion so they can get a better picture on 

what’s going on. So, says De Cesare, 

his job is to gather information, analyse, 

ensure the counterparts in both civil 

society and police get aid they need, 

and maintain relationships with the 

main players in the region. And, when 

done properly, this leads to… 

”We have excellent cooperation with 

everybody in the region, but I must say 

that doesn’t come just because. My col- 

POLAND 

Jacek Michalkowski, 51, recently 

joined the EUPM as Crime Adviser to 

Regional Office Tuzla. He comes 

from Poland and holds a Master's 

degree in Agriculture, Bachelor's de - 

gree in Pedagogy and a diploma in 

Na tional Security Studies from Po li ce 

Academy. Before joining the po lice, 

he worked in the Army as Tank Platoon Leader. He holds 

the rank of Major and his position in the national police 

is Crime Analyst, investigator of cases related to serious 

crimes, with a rich background in various as pects of 

police work. Michalkowski's previous inter na tional 

experience includes working as Crime Adviser in the 

UNOMIG mission in Georgia/Abkhazia in 2007/2008 and 

Chief of Logistic of Special Police Unit, the EULEX 

mission in Kosovo in 2008/2009. When asked what mo - 

tivated him to join the EUPM, Michalkowski mentions 

three priorities: exchange of work experience with local 

police and international colleagues, challenges of wor - 

king in a multinational environment, and, finally, lear ning 

about BiH customs and traditions. He is married and has 

a 19-year-old daughter. Michalkowski is also an active 

member of the International Police Association (IPA), 

league Dijana, who is National Poli ti - 

cal Officer for Northeast BiH, and I ha - 

ve invested a lot of time in building the 

trust. It doesn’t come from nothing; it 

doesn’t come just because you are 

EUPM, or whatever you may be. This 

trust and good cooperation took a lot of 

time, a lot of effort, and a lot of caring. 

Caring to know who they are, what is 

their reality that they may be experien - 

cing,” explains De Cesare. 

But it was time well spent, he says, as 

he can now pick up the phone and get a 

straightforward answer from anyone, at 

any level. As the time for our interview 

is now running short, the chat about 

relationship-building inevitably gets us 

talking about EUPM’s Tuzla Regional 

Office and their team. 

”I think it works quite well,” says De 

Cesare enthusiastically. ”As of Septem - 

ber last year, we have a new Chief 

Adviser, I think he is excellent, he’s very 

pragmatic, he’s very driven and he 

wants to be aware of what’s going on 

everywhere, which is very good. I think 

it’s important to be able to report, and 

to be able to share information. Our 

team is pretty good, there’s good cooperation 

between us, it’s a very small 

office and we rely on each other and 

work well together.” 

Our all-too-brief conversation ends as 

De Cesare has to run to another meeting, 

but we understand his rush – as he 

said, creating solid, trustworthy relationships 

with counterparts takes only 

our most precious asset - time. � 

and a former Secretary General, now liaison officer, of 

Polish IPA. He is also Chairman of Polish Police 

Collectors Club (his personal collection of police caps, he 

tells us, can be seen on his website www.jackpolice.eu). 

SLOVAKIA 

Igor [pek, 38, recently joined the 

EUPM as Adviser to Border Police. 

He comes from Slovakia, holds a 

Master's degree in Law and Security 

Services, and the rank of Major. 

[pek's position in the national police 

is Senior Police Officer and his field 

of expertise and professional police 

experience includes border control, legal and illegal mi - 

gration, visa policy, EU Legislation related to migra tion 

and stay of foreigners. His previous international ex pe ri - 

ence includes the EUPM in BiH in 2004/2005, and the 

EUPM in Ukraine and Moldova in 2007. When asked 

what motivated him to return to the EUPM, [pek says: 

”The possibility to work in BiH again, this time at the 

strategic level with our counterparts, on our main goal - 

getting BiH closer to the EU”. He is married, with a 16month-old 

daughter. His favourite free-time activities are 

travelling, reading and active re laxation. � 

7

Press, the Spanish Way 

8 

Police in BiH 

Being a police spokesperson in 

BiH is not easy. The demands are 

high, the budget is low, and the work 

is never-ending. Yet, it is one of the 

most satisfying jobs one could have. 

Presenting solved cases to the public, 

organising community events, working 

on security-related projects is 

gratifying work that helps create a 

better environment. And while we do 

our job well – if I may say – there is 

always room for improvement, and 

that improvement usually comes 

from the exchange of knowledge 

and experience with our colleagues 

from other countries. 

Having this in mind, with the support of TAIEX 

(Technical Assistance and Information Ex - 

chan ge Instrument), at the beginning of this 

year the Republika Srpska Ministry of 

Interior organised a study visit dubbed “Role of 

public relations in law enforcement agencies” to 

the Spanish Gendarmerie (Guardia Civil). 

And so Gospa Arsenović, Spokesperson of the 

Banja Luka Public Security Centre, Mersiha No - 

va lić, Spokesperson of the Federation Police Ad mi - 

nistration, and I went to Madrid to learn about the methodology 

of work and the organisation of the PR service of the Spanish 

Gendarmerie, getting to know the system of internal and external 

communication of a complex organisation whose tradition 

goes all the way back to 1844. 

What we saw was a clearly defined service dealing with public 

relations with precisely delineated jobs and an efficient communication 

system behind it all. 

Here and there 

The Department for Social Relations and Information (ORIS) 

is in charge of the press work for the Spanish Gendarmerie. It 

comprises the Press Office, the Protocol Service, the Service for 

Internet and Intranet, the Service for audio and visual communication, 

editorial staff that publishes the Gendarmerie’s magazine 

and the Bureau for Citizens’ Issues. ORIS in Madrid employs 42 

people. If we count those working on local level, there are a total 

of 140 people dealing with PR in the Spanish Gendarmerie. As a 

comparison, with all law enforcement agencies in our country, 

there are 25 police spokespersons in the entire BiH. 

As our Spanish colleagues explained their modus operandi, we 

discovered it does not differ much from ours, with one exception 

– as opposed to our Law, the Spanish Law on freedom to access 

information does not define a deadline for a response, there is 

nothing obligatory and no sanctions if they fail to respond. In 

Gospa Arsenović, Mirna Šoja i Mersiha Novalić 

addition, they say they have a full freedom to keep the information 

from a journalist if they believe that he/she would not carry 

it in a proper way. We did not hide our surprise since in our country 

a failure of a spokesperson to answer the phone is mentioned 

in press articles, and I don’t even have to mention the misinterpretation 

of official information. 

A glimpse into the future? 

However, while our approach to basic press work does not differ, 

there is a great distinction in the organisation of the departments 

– in BiH, the press office of a police agency consists of 

one spokesperson who takes care of everything. In Spain, the situation 

is slightly different. 

The work of the press office is closely followed by the Service 

for audio and visual communication, which makes all audio and 

visual recordings about the work of the Gen dar merie and provides 

it to the media so that they would have high quality materials 

for their newspapers and TV features. It is interesting to 

mention that this service creates all publications, promotional 

brochures and TV spots for the needs of the Gendarmerie. The 


online presentation of the Spanish Gendarmerie is currently 

being re-designed and it will finally be translated into English, 

which was one of our objections. 

The Spanish have also separated the sections for questions 

from media and from the public, and formed the Bureau for 

Citizens where citizens can deliver any queries. They say that 

this change was well-received and register a steady increase in 

the number of inquiries. 

The editorial staff for the monthly magazine obviously does 

a good job because it functions based on subscription. The 

publication reports about all major events in the Gendarmerie, 

and the quality of its design can be compared to any worldknown 

magazine. 

And, last but not least, the Protocol Service is in charge of 

all official events, from laying cornerstones, to promotions, to 

funerals of Gendarmerie officers. The protocol team is obliged 

to take care of all the details to ensure the event goes impeccably 

– from thinking about acoustics to making sure that the 

media have the best corner from where they would be able to 

record everything. 

All in all, our visit to Madrid gave us an insight into what 

full-fledged police PR should be. Analysing the visit and comparing 

our work, I can only wish that one day we have such a 

well-developed system and service. And at least 10 percent of 

the budget they have for public relations. � 

Mirna Šoja 

Spokesperson to Republika Srpska Ministry of Interior 

The Training 

Within the “Stronger, Faster, Better” campaign, Republika Srpska 

Ministry of Interior organised on March 23 a visit for the high school 

students to the Support Unit, presenting attack and defence skills, helicopter 

rescue, chase and arrest techniques, as well as the equipment 

used in these and other types of Unit’s operations. 

“The students showed great interest in becoming part of the Support 

Unit, so they asked for information on general conditions for the application,” 

said Unit Commander, Predrag Krajnović. “We explained that a 

successful candidate needs to be between 18 and 23 years old, have a 

high school degree and a driver’s license. We also informed them about 

a demanding physical test that is part of the application process and 

that only 14 of 184 candidates passed last year.” 

High school professor, Milenko Svjetlanović, said that he is very 

happy with the visit to the police unit as this is the time for decisions on 

future professional orientation for the students. � 


Commentary 

Aleksandra Mileti}-[anti} 

EUPM Gender and Human Rights Adviser 

UN Women first Executive Director Michelle Bachelet discussed on 

24—25 March 2011 with the European Parliament about the strengthening 

of the partnership between the European Union and UN Women. UN 

Women stands for the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the 

Empowerment of Women created in July 2010 by the United Nations 

General Assembly by merger of four parts of the UN system working on 

gender equality and women's empowerment. 

While she used this opportunity to “thank the European Union for its support 

to the implementation of Security Council resolution 1325” and in particular, 

to “commend the initiatives of the European Parliament in 2010 to 

commemorate the 10th anniversary of the resolution, including the call for 

strengthened efforts in the European Union to implement this and the subsequent 

resolutions of the Security Council on women, peace and security”, 

she stressed that the ambitious goals by UN Women and EU could be only 

reached through partnering between the two organisations. To this end, Ms. 

Bachelet welcomed the decision to establish a medium-term joint cooperation 

strategy between the EU and UN Women 1 . 

Throughout the years, the cooperation with the United Nations 

Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) as a predecessor in Bosnia and 

Herzegovina to the UN Women Project Office in Sarajevo has stood highly 

on the EUPM's agenda. Apart from having a joint project, both organisations 

realised that without cooperation and partnership between the national 

authorities, CSOs and international community, not much can be accomplished 

to improve the state of gender equality. A joint action is the only way 

to avoid overlapping of the activities and ensure that the activities of all 

stakeholders are mutually complementary and sustainable. It is also the 

only way to focus the donor's attention to the relevant issues. 

At the beginning of this year the UN Women instigated a joint meeting of 

relevant international organisations providing support to the local counterparts 

on issues of gender and security and gender based violence in BiH to 

ensure coordination and cooperation. The main purpose of this special 

meeting between UN Women, United Nations Development Programme 

(UNDP), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), OSCE and EUPM was to 

share information about planned and ongoing projects and discuss about 

potential cooperation in the complementary projects through establishment 

of partnerships or joint projects. The EUPM presented its planned activities 

re the gender awareness training for the educators at the police educational 

institutions and entity level centres for education of judges and prosecutors. 

The participants saw this activity as a quality basis for their planned 

activities in terms of training of the target group on gender and GBV. In 

terms of integrating gender in the curricula of the police academies/training 

centre, the proposal of the UN Women of signing the MoU between different 

organisations was discussed receiving a positive feedback from all participants 

of the meeting. 

On 22-23 March, similarly conceptualised information sharing forum, 

however at a broader level this time, including also the government institutions 

concerned, CSOs and the other international organisations, as well as 

the embassies, was organised in Sarajevo by NATO HQ in Sarajevo, BiH 

Gender Equality Agency and UN Women. At this forum, all the participants 

were given the opportunity to speak about the past, ongoing and planned 

activities of their organisations. A two-day initiative ended with a common 

recognition of a need for continuous cooperation, coordination and mutual 

exchange of experiences and knowledge on gender and security. Periodical 

joint meetings have been identified as the most convenient mechanism to 

accomplish these goals and ensure the complementarities of the activities 

coordinated by different agencies to avoid overlapping and focus the 

donor's aid. � 

1 http://www.unwomen.org/2011/03/executive-director-michelle-bachelet-addresses-european-parliament/ 

9

10 

Campaign 

The Community 

Sarajevo Canton Police Special 

Support Unit spent March 23 

with some 200 children from the 

Canton’s elementary schools who 

visited their premises, learning 

about the equipment used in 

various aspects of the Support 

Unit’s work, trying on flak vests, 

looking through sniper scopes, 

trying out their own strength and 

agility on the training field and 

learning self-defence techniques. 

Campaign 

Our goal was not only to bring po - 

li ce and the community closer 

together, but also to let children 

know that police are friends of 

the citizens, that we are a service to the 

citizens, we are here to create an environment 

where you can peacefully live, 

grow, study, play. 

Both students and teachers thoroughly 

enjoyed the presentations, taking pictures 

with the bomb squad in full gear, 

watching the sniffing dogs presentation, 

checking out the inside of a police vehicle 

and finding out how speed control 

radars work. 

The Education 

The beginning of this year 

passed in the preparations for the 

“Stronger, Faster, Better” public 

awareness campaign and we at 

Tuzla Canton Ministry of Interior 

decided to promote the campaign 

messages through a series of 

workshops for youngsters in 

primary and secondary schools 

focusing on education about 

”peer to peer violence” and juvenile 

delinquency. This project also 

included the city orphanage and 

the Juvenile Disciplinary Centre. 

Tuzla 

Through this approach, we want to 

address the issues that are currently 

of higher concern to the citizens, 

and we plan to continue with 

this form of education in order to contri - 

bute to the prevention and suppression 

of juvenile delinquency and other forms 

of crime in Tuzla Canton. 

Nermina Tursić-Selmanović, pedago - 

gue of the "Sjenjak" primary school, 

pra i sed the initiative and a very good co - 

operation with the Tuzla Canton Police. 

”Our cooperation is becoming more 

and more fruitful every year,” she said. 

”The education of youngsters on various 

security-related issues by teams 

com posed of teachers, pedagogues and 

police officers has become a highly ap - 

preciated common practice.” 

”It was fun, especially the equipment 

and the obstacle course,” said fivegrader 

Denis. ”Our teacher wants us to 

write an essay on our visit, but I don’t 

mind, there is much to write about.” � 

Irfan Nefić 

Spokesperson to 

Sarajevo Canton Police 

Sarajevo 

Since the beginning of the campaign, 

Tuzla Canton Police reached out to 

more than six hundred students and 

their parents. � 

Izudin Šarić 

Spokesperson of Tuzla Canton Police 

“Stronger, Faster, Better” public 

awareness campaign, launched on 

January 18, portray all aspects of the 

police agencies in BiH, diverse, res - 

ponsive institutions working to en su - 

re the safety of their citizens. In further 

efforts to bring various sides of 

police work closer to the public, the 

campaign promoted a police that has 


Campaign 

Strongest, Fastest, Best 

“Coffee with the journalists” 

was the title of the event the 

State Investigation and 

Protection Agency Special 

Support Unit (SIPA SSU) 

hosted in scope of the public 

information campaign 

“Stronger, Faster, Better” 

on March 24, providing an 

opportunity to discuss how 

can the media aid in the 

process of further improving 

the cooperation between 

the citizens and police. 

This Unit is the most effective element 

of SIPA, and I want to congratulate 

them for the results 

achieved in the most challenging 

tasks and demanding situations. Last 

year alone, they have marked 100% 

compliance with the BiH State Court 

orders resulting in 268 operations, 147 

arrestees with no use of force, said SIPA 

Director Mirko Lujić. 

Reiterating that the SSU was going to 

remain the focus of SIPA’s management 

and its unreserved support, Lujić 

announced the implementation of project 

which should resolve the issue of 

permanent accommodation of this elite 

unit. ”The state has expressed its determination 

to finance adequate premises 

for this unit, and we are hoping to 

finalise that project in two years.” 

”Whom should the slogan ‘Stronger, 

Faster, Better’ be more related and 

Each generation has its own difficulties 

in the adolescent period. 

Youngsters are nowadays more 

than ever connected via the 

Internet where a lot of potential dangers 

await them. Police officers are up to 

cope with those challenges. However, 

this cannot be suppressed solely with 

control and punishments, said Trebinje 

Public Security Centre Chief, Goran 

Zubac. 

Emphasising that strengthening of the 

ties between police and the community 

is what Trebinje PSC constantly works 

on, Zubac praised a good level of communication 

with the citizens. 

”We are paying particular attention 

to this issue, especially through the im - 

plementation of projects of Commu nity 

Policing and Policing in Multi-Ethnic 

Communities. In order to offer an adequate 

assistance to youngsters, we are 

important to than the Special Support 

Unit of SIPA,” said Commissioner 

Stefan Feller, Head of the EU Police 

Mission. ”It relates to the accountability 

of special operations and the danger 

it brings along and the use of force in a 

very responsible manner. It is important 

because of the impressive results they 

achieve on a daily basis. I commend 

them for that.” � 

Željka Kujundžija 

Spokesperson to SIPA 

Campaign 

The Safeguarding 

March 30 was an exciting day for 

the elementary school students in 

Trebinje as the officers from our 

Public Security Centre hosted a 

Police Day, which served as a 

platform for the interaction with 

children on security issues relevant 

for their safe upbringing, 

with a special emphasis on juvenile 

delinquency and cyber crime. 

adopted a philosophy of proactive 

community policing, with compassion, 

and clarity of vision and values 

when it comes to the mission of policing. 

The message was clear – today in 

BiH we have a prepared, strong police 

force that provide security, peace of 

mind and a sense of safety for their 

communities. � 


Trebinje 

closely cooperating with the educators, 

and only in the current school year, we 

have already held 47 lectures in primary 

schools and 79 in secondary 

schools, reaching out to almost 3500 

students,” concludes Zubac. � 

Sanja Škoro 

Spokesperson to 

Public Security Centre Trebinje 

SIPA 

11

12 

Internal affairs 

On the Road Again 

Enhancing cooperation, 

communication and co-ordination 

as an essential precondition for 

the successful fight against 

organised crime and corruption 

has been the focus of the 

assistance that the EU Police 

Mission has been providing BiH 

law enforcement authorities in 

the past years. To that end, the 

EUPM also ensured that they 

benefit from the international 

experience in all these aspects 

by organising study visits to other 

EU countries to enable them to 

share experiences and the best 

practices as well as to establish 

contacts and networks. 

EUPM 

Following the two visits to Ger ma - 

ny, NorthRhine Westphalia and 

Berlin, the EUPM organised a 

one-week study visit to Italy 

March 20-26. Cantonal police commissioners, 

chiefs of Public Security Cen - 

tres, including the directors of entities’ 

po lice, visited the Regional Head quar - 

ters of the Carabinieri in Ancona, whose 

briefings raised attention and questions 

on operational tools and techniques 

used in investigations. The participants 

were in addition briefed on all the 

equipment and procedures used by the 

regional units, as well as the day-to-day 

running of a Carabinieri station. 

The insight and experiences gained 

from the European counterparts into 

how the system ensures the coordination 

in the fight against organised crime 

and terrorism were valuable. 

”This issue came up in the meeting 

with the Prefect of Macerata, the Go - 

vern ment Representative of the Pro vin - 

ce, who outlined the importance of co - 

or dination among police forces, presen - 

ting BiH colleagues with an over view of 

coordinating bodies and tools existing 

in the Italian system,” said Co lo nel 

Domenico Paterna, De pu ty Head of the 

EUPM. ”The overall assessment made 

by my BiH colleagues is that this study 

trip was extremely positive, not only 

from the technical aspect of know ledge 

gained, but, perhaps more importantly, 

from the perspective of having this 

group together for the first time to learn 

policing aspects of another country.” 

The EUPM is planning another study 

trip mid-May, where directors of the 

law enforcement agencies in BiH and 

Chief State Prosecutor will visit EU and 

international law enforcement instituti - 

ons, as well as the European Commis - 

sion. Their first stop will be Warsaw, 

Poland, visiting Frontex, the EU agency 

tasked with coordination of the operational 

cooperation between Member 

States in the field of border security. 

The next stop will be The Hague, the 

Netherlands, for briefings with the 

International Criminal Tribunal for the 

former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Interna tio - 

nal Criminal Court, Eurojust, European 

Union judicial cooperation body that 

provides safety within an area of freedom, 

security, and justice as well as 

Europol, as the European Law En for ce - 

ment Agency. The visit will conclude in 

Brussels, with the briefings by the 

Mission of BiH to the European Union, 

European Parliament, European Com - 

mission Directorate-General for Home 

Affairs, European Commission Direc to - 

rate-General for Enlargement, European 

External Action Service and OLAF, 

European Anti-Fraud Office. � 

The Mission Magazine is produced by the EUPM PRESS AND PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE (PPIO) 

Editor-in-Chief: Kilian Wahl kwahl@eupm.org phone: +387 33 752 766 fax: +387 33 752 759 

Editor: Sanela Osmanovic sosmanovic@eupm.org phone: +387 33 752 840 fax: +387 33 752 759

Editorial - European Union Police Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina

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