Joint OHR/UNMiBH Press Release Launch of Multi Ethnic Police Recruitment campaign Sarajevo, 27 June 2000

UNMiBH Deputy SRSG, Julian Harston, and Deputy High Representative for Reconstruction and Return, Andy Bearpark, are today launching a multi-ethnic police recruitment campaign. Through this campaign, UNMIBH, supported by OHR, are working with the FBiH and RS Ministries of Interior: to attract and encourage unemployed experienced police officers, in BiH or in refugee communities abroad, to return home to their jobs in their pre-war municipality and to inform them of 'new' refresher training courses now available; to inform and encourage serving police officers to 'transfer' back to their pre-war municipalities and; to inform potential new cadets of recruitment and training procedures. In addition, UNMIBH will continue to recruit and train minority officers in both police academies using specially designed curricula. Today's launch focuses on the police academy training by providing a general poster and leaflet that explain in detail the recruitment and testing process for the academies so that potential candidates are more informed about the process and can prepare more effectively to meet the entrance requirements. Television and radio spots, newspaper advertisements and a further poster will follow over the next month to target the other priority groups outlined above. The recruitment and return of minority police officers to their pre-war homes is one of UNMIBH's main instruments to create a multi-ethnic police force, based on internationally accepted principles of policing in a democratic state. In this they are fully supported by the Reconstruction and Return Task Force, chaired by OHR, as representation of returnee populations in local police forces is a crucial confidence building measure and is essential to the sustainability of the return process. Joint OHR/UNMiBH Press Release, Sarajevo, 27 June 2000