The Council gives its full support to the High Representative and UNMIBH to increase their efforts in 1999 to build professional and multi-ethnic police forces in BiH by:
- urging the immediate implementation of all of the provisions of the Framework Agreement so that a transparent, professionally staffed and structured civilian police force, accountable to the public its serves, is established. The Council welcomes the phased introduction of minority police representation according to the benchmarks specified in the Framework Agreement;
- insisting that Republika Srpska co-operate fully with the standards and procedures for selection, training and certification of existing officers, as well as the recruitment, selection, training and certification of new officers, and demanding that the certification and training of the existing police officers be completed by 31 December 1999;
- insisting that the Cantonal Ministries comply fully with the instructions of the UNIPTF Commissioner to make recruitment and deployment of minority police a significant priority until the levels of minority police officers stipulated in the Bonn Petersberg Agreement on Restructuring of the Federation Police are met. In this regard, the Council welcomes the establishment and initial efforts of Working Groups on Minority Police Recruitment and Return in each Canton. To further these efforts, Cantonal Ministries of the Interior and the Federal Ministry should present to UNMIBH, by 28 February 1999, plans on how positions will be made available and how minorities will be recruited;
- working with the BiH authorities to build on the existing institution and establish a fully-functioning police academy in the Federation. A counterpart to this body should also be established in RS by 31 March 1999. Top priority should be given to the development of these academies as instruments for recruiting, training, and integrating minorities. Donors are encouraged to support these efforts;
- calling for the continued vigorous implementation of the mandate set forth in Security Council Resolution 1088 to investigate independently or assist with investigations into human rights abuses by law enforcement personnel. The Council welcomes the public reports issued on investigations carried out under the Resolution 1088 mandate, among them the reports on investigations into incidents in Teslic, Stolac, Drvar and Jajce;
- the Council requires that local authorities meet their obligation, in accordance with Security Council Resolution 1088, to comply with guidelines issued by the UN IPTF Commissioner, including prompt and effective action in regard to police officers identified by the UN IPTF as failing to co-operate with IPTF or adhering to democratic policing principles. In particular, the Council, while noting efforts by local authorities to develop more professional standards units, urges these officials to institute more effective police internal disciplinary proceedings, including criminal prosecutions against officers when charged;
- welcomes the determination of the UN IPTF Commissioner to apply strictly the IPTF's non-compliance reporting and certification procedures, to make robust use of his powers to decertify police officers who violate provisions of the GFAP and related documents. The Council understands that local police, IPTF and SFOR will regard any person exercising police powers in the restructured Federation and Republika Srpska police forces, but not registered or certified by the IPTF, as a person not authorised to act as a police officer. Such persons may be disarmed and detained by SFOR under the terms of Annex 1A and in accordance with the Bonn Petersberg Agreement. The Council makes clear that decertified officers may be deprived of the right to serve in any public function in BiH;
- encouraging UN member states to support UNMIBH's efforts to enhance UN IPTF's capacity to perform an increasing number of mandated, specialised tasks. The Council calls upon UN member states to second experienced investigators to carry out investigations into human rights violations by law enforcement officials. The Council also calls on UN member states to second police personnel with enhanced qualifications to support UN IPTF's program of co-located police advisors, specialised training in major incident management, crowd control, and combating corruption, organised crime, and drugs, and its programmes to instil community policing practices;
urging UN member states to contribute to the UN Police Assistance Trust Fund or provide IPTF-directed assistance bilaterally so that the UN IPTF can implement a building-block approach to training and equipping professional police forces; and reminding member states that development and reform of the police is dependent upon the provision of adequate funding for equipment and training;
- recognising that the low salary levels of police officers impede the establishment of professional police forces and noting the need for significant level international support for equipment and training. The Council encourages the Entities to develop a phased approach to improving pay standards for law enforcement officials;
- supporting the work of the High Representative and UNMIBH with the relevant local authorities to end the continued existence of parallel budgets in some Cantonal police forces and demanding that unified budgets be put in place immediately;
- endorsing the establishment of a BiH Border Service. See VI (11).