According to the findings of the research conducted within the project “Police and Respect for Human Rights in BiH”, the most common reasons why citizens, legal entities and other entities file complaints about the work of police officers are unprofessional and incorrect behavior, or other behavior that damages the reputation of the police (these behaviors can be bribery, swearing, insults, etc.), issuing misdemeanor warrants and failing to comply with reports.

When it comes to police authorizations in particular, research has shown that citizens, legal entities and other entities most often complain about the use of force, issuing warnings or orders, receiving reports and inspecting persons, goods and means of transport.

It is not uncommon for complaints from citizens, legal entities and other entities to be unfounded, and the most common reasons for this are lack of knowledge about police authorizations and regulations, ie actions committed by a police officer and subject to complaints are not in conflict with statutory authorizations. Also, a very important element of unfounded appeals is the lack of evidence!

What should a complaint contain?

In order to facilitate the process of dealing with the complaint as much as possible, there are certain questions that need to be answered as clearly, accurately and in detail as possible when submitting:

• Who is the complainant? – It is desirable that the complaint contains the name, surname and contact information of the complainant;
• Where? – The place of the event which is the subject of the appeal;
• When? – Date and time of the event which is the subject of the appeal;
• What? – The most detailed description of the event that is the subject of the complaint;
• Who? – Information about the police officer to whom the complaint relates or other information that will help in his/her identification; information on possible witnesses to the event.

Also, in addition to the appeal, it would be useful to attach any relevant evidence.

Where and how to file a complaint?

Where?

Citizens, legal entities and other entities may file a complaint against the work of a police officer in the police agency to which they belong in special independent bodies established for that purpose. These bodies usually bear names such as the Citizens’ Complaints Board or the Public Complaints Office. They are mainly established at all levels of government in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In general, their responsibilities are to receive complaints, forward complaints to the competent police agency, monitor the complaint procedure and inform the complainant.

The police agency to which the officer belongs is competent to act upon the complaint against the work of the police officer, more specifically an organizational unit of the police agency that may bear a name such as the Professional Standards Unit or the Internal Control Department.

How?

Depending on the place and available possibilities, citizens, legal entities and other entities can file a complaint against the work of a police officer in two ways:

• Orally – by going to the premises of the police agency or by phone;
• In writing – by submitting a written complaint* to the police agency, by fax, e-mail, mail and mailbox for complaints and grievances to the public.

*You can see an example of a written complaint form by clicking here (form downloaded from the official website of the Border Police of Bosnia and Herzegovina).

If you believe that your rights or the rights of others have been violated by the actions of the police officer, below is the contact information that will help you, if you decide to file a complaint.