Operational handbook on police-community co-operation

Fifteen years after the conflict ended, deeply institutionalised ethnic divisions remain in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Under-resourced police and local authorities often fail to respond effectively to problems such as poor housing, drug abuse and the proliferation of firearms left over from the war. In addition a legacy of centralised control has often led to the exclusion of ordinary people from decisions about how their security will be provided.

These factors have combined to create a culture of apathy towards community safety in many communities. To counter this problem, Saferworld and local partners the Centre for Security Studies (CSS) have provided technical support to the Bosnian Government to develop a handbook on community-based policing (CBP).

CBP is based on the principle of local ownership. We believe that the police and the public have a shared responsibility to ensure a safe and secure environment. The CBP handbook is designed to help police officers to work with communities in identifying and solving safety problems. It contains practical and accessible tools, such as templates, checklists and forms, to help officers in:

• analysing the context

• mobilising the relevant people

• identifying community problems

• designing efficient responses

• implementing the solutions

• assessing the impact

• reaching out to the public.

This approach helps to create durable links between the community and local government and police structures. It also enhances the ability of communities to withstand pressures that could lead to violent conflict in the future.

 The handbook is informed by Saferworld’s experience of establishing community safety sites in various conflict affected and fragile states and was developed in close collaboration with police to make sure it is relevant to the local context. The handbook will be distributed to local police stations in Bosnia and to available more widely to actors working on community safety.