19/12/2025

A ceremonial oath-taking event was held today at our Agency, during which 139 police officers of the Herzegovina–Neretva Canton Ministry of the Interior (MUP HNC) pledged to uphold the Constitution and laws of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to perform all duties and responsibilities of a police officer conscientiously and responsibly.

The newly appointed officers, who completed their basic training at the Federal Ministry of the Interior Police Academy at Vrace, took the oath before the Minister of the Interior of Herzegovina–Neretva Canton, Marijo Marić, and the Police Commissioner, Robert Perić in the presence of senior inspectors of MUP HNC, representatives of the Bosnia and Herzegovina security sector, as well as the officers’ parents, relatives, and friends. The oath was administered by Chief Inspector Jerko Livaja, Head of the Uniformed Police Sector.

At the opening of the ceremony, Minister Marić and Police Commissioner Perić addressed the young officers. Due to a significant generational transition within the police force, newly recruited officers will be required to assume considerable responsibility.

“We are witnessing a major generational shift. A large number of experienced colleagues are retiring, and this places even greater responsibility on the younger generation. We are aware that there will be fewer experienced mentors available, which is why new police officers are expected to assume their duties quickly and act responsibly from the very beginning,” Commissioner Perić stated. He further reminded the officers that while the law grants them authority, true authority stems from personal integrity and the trust they build with the community.

Minister Marić also addressed the issue of generational change within MUP HNC, noting: “Around 140 officers are leaving the service, and an equal number are joining. With this intake, by the end of next year we could have approximately 800 police officers. This is a level we have not reached in many years, and it allows us to say that we will soon be fully staffed.”

Recalling an eight-year period without a police commissioner, during which natural staff attrition continued while new recruitment was suspended, the Minister noted that a total of 530 officers have been recruited over the past two and a half years, marking the most favourable staffing situation in the last decade. Minister Marić announced that in the coming year, MUP HNC plans to focus on strengthening material and technical resources, alongside continued investment in professional training and education. He also assessed working conditions within the Ministry as very favourable:

“In general, we are among the three most desirable cantons in terms of salaries. A collective agreement has been concluded, there are no protests, and officers are generally satisfied with their material status. However, due to staff shortages, they are required to work a significant number of overtime hours,” Minister Marić concluded, emphasising that police officers must ultimately be guided by the understanding that policing is a calling, not merely a job.