State Investigation and Protection Agency
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The State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA; Template:Lang-sh-Latn-Cyrl) is the official state police agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina.[1] SIPA is under the direct administration of the Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
History
After the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Dayton Agreement, the first organisation with very limited law enforcement authorities was the Agency for Information and Protection of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Template:Lang-sh-Latn-Cyrl), established in 2002. That independent agency was responsible for collecting data of interest related to international crimes and criminal legislation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the protection of VIPs as well as diplomatic and consular missions of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In June 2004, today's SIPA was created out of the Agency for Information and Protection of BiH. It is under the Ministry of Security, but independent in operational matters.[2]
Under the Law on State Investigation and Protection Agency and per other regulations, SIPA performs tasks within its jurisdiction throughout the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is also the basic tool of stability and the tool for making the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina feel safe and secure from threats within the state.[3]
The activities of SIPA include the arrests of persons who are suspected of committing war crimes, as well as successful investigations of money-laundering activities, combating organized crime and terrorism, provision of witnesses with protection and support, and the formation and development of a special unit.
In March 2025, in response to the guilty verdict of Milorad Dodik issued by the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina for violating Bosnia and Herzegovina's criminal law, the entity national assembly enacted a set of laws in an attempt to prohibit SIPA (among others) from acting on the territory of the entity.[4] However, the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina has annulled the set of laws enacted, pending a full decision, as the result of an appellation raised by the member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Denis Bećirović.[5][6]
Organization
SIPA started with just three employees, whereas today it has over 850 employees working in 11 organizational units at the headquarters of the agency and in four regional offices within the cities of Istočno Sarajevo, Tuzla, Banja Luka, and Mostar.
Equipment
SIPA Units are equipped, like most counter-terrorist units around the world, with a vast array of specialized firearms including the Yugoslavian-made Zastava M70, as well as other variants in 7.62 mm such as the AK74 and AK74U, as well as 5.56 mm calibre assault rifles such as the M4A1 carbine.
There are also other weapons in different calibres such as the Heckler & Koch MP5, H&K G3, G36, various sniper rifles, pistols such as the CZ 99 and Glock 17, and non-lethal weapons such as riot control agents, stun grenades, and miscellaneous equipment including heavy body armour, entry tools, and night vision optics.
SIPA currently commandeers both military and civilian grade vehicles, such as Hummers, BRDM-2s, Iveco LMVs, Toyota Land Cruisers, VW Golfs, VW Transporters and Mercedes-Benz G-270s.
For operations involving aerial insertion, the main modes of transport are three Jet Rangers, two Bell 212s, one Mil Mi-8, four SOKO Gazelle Gamas, and one UH-1H.
Small arms
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Vehicles
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Aircraft
| Name | Image | Origin | Quantity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bell 206 JetRanger | File:LAPD Bell 206 Jetranger.jpg | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | 3 | |
| Bell 212 | File:Kachina-b212-N212KA-030909-02cr.jpg | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | 1 | |
| Bell UH-1 Iroquois | File:Huey2004-01-29.jpg | File:Flag of the United States.svg United States | 1 | UH-1H Variant. |
| Mil Mi-8 | File:Mil Mi-8P, Baltic Airlines (cropped).jpg | File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Soviet Union | 1 | |
| Aérospatiale Gazelle | File:Gazelle - RIAT 2018 (cropped).jpg | File:Flag of France.svg France Script error: No such module "flag". |
4 | Manufactured by SOKO under licence. |
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SIPA can use helicopters used by the Armed Forces.
International stance
Many ambassadors and representatives from international organizations have visited SIPA. Some embassies even donated equipment and other material and technical support. SIPA cooperates, regularly, with EUPM and ICITAP, the result of which are the tasks performed per international standards and also the staff trained at some of the most renowned police institutions throughout the world.
Mission
- SIPA is a government agency within the Ministry of Security of B&H. It has operational independence; it was founded to do police work. The head of SIPA is its director.
- SIPA works based on professionalism, without representing, protecting or undermining the interests of any political party, any registered organization or society, any constituent peoples, or any other peoples in B&H.[8]
- After adopting the following set of laws in 2004, out of the Agency for Information and Protection SIPA turned into a police body:
- Law on State Investigation and Protection Agency,
- Law on Police Employees,
- Law on Prevention of Money Laundering,
- Law on the Protection of Threatened and Endangered Witnesses,
- Law on Witness Protection Program in B&H, etc.
Within the area of its legally determined jurisdiction, SIPA deals with the prevention, detection and investigations of organized crime, terrorism and illegal trade—ABHO, war crimes and acts punishable according to international war and humanitarian law, people trafficking, as well as all other crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court of B&H.
SIPA provides help for the Court and the Office of the Prosecutor of B&H, it deals with physical and technical protection of people, buildings and other property protected under the Law on SIPA; it also deals with witness protection, prevention of money laundering as well as other tasks determined by law and by other regulations.
Future priorities
- the fight against organized crime
- investigations of terrorism and terrorist activities
- money laundering and financing of terrorist activities
- investigations of war crimes and arrests of the persons suspected of committing war crimes
References
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External links
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