The last of the three Police Youth Academies 2020 was organized December 29, 2021 in Bosnia-Podrinje Canton Goražde. This was the third attempt at organizing the event after the previous two attempts (In October 2020 and March 2021) failed due to outbreaks of COVID-19.

The Academy was organized at the Cultural Center in Goražde. The participants were the second-year students from 3 secondary schools from Goražde where the BLSP was implemented during the fourth program year (the school year 2020/2021). Before the start of the official part of the program, members of the Support Unit within Police Administration of the MIA BPK introduced the participants to the equipment they use in their day-to-day work. The participants were then greeted by Armin Mandžo, Minister of Internal Affairs of Bosnia-Podrinje Canton (MIA BPK) who highlighted the importance of the Legal Socialization Program in juvenile delinquency prevention. After that, four police officers/members of Teaching Teams form the Sector of Criminal Investigations and the Uniformed Police Sector gave presentations on Anti-corruption, Rule of Law, Peer Violence and Cyberbullying. In the second part of the activity, the students worked in groups with police officers and then gave their own presentations on the above topics.

Academies are designed as interactive extracurricular sessions that foster youth confidence in the police and motivate them to work together to promote activism and leadership for positive changes in the local communities.

News of the event were also reported by the local media portals:

source.ba | Police Youth Academy organized in Goražde (in Bosnian language)

A Police Youth Academy organized: previous academies were successful │ hayat.ba (in Bosnian language)

In partnership with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Una-Sana Canton (MIA USK), a Police Youth Academy 2021 was organized on December 9, 2021 at the Army Home/Cultural Center in Bihać. The participants were the second-grade students from eight (8) secondary schools in the Una-Sana Canton where the BLSP implementation started during the fifth and final program year in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. First, the Police Officers from the Video Surveillance and Radars Sector and the Department for Crime Technique of the Police Directorate with the MIA USK introduced the participants to the equipment they use in their day-to-day work. Afterwards, four police officers/BLSP teachers from the Community Police and Crime Police Sector gave presentations on Anti-corruption, Rule of Law, Peer Violence and Cyberbullying. After the presentations, the students worked in groups with police officers and then gave their own presentations on the above topics.

The topics of corruption and peer violence induced a lot of questions from the participating students which were readily answered by police officers who offered a platitude of examples from their experience.

In partnership with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Central Bosnia Canton (MIA SBK), a Police Youth Academy 2020 was organized on October 25, 2021 at the premisses of the Mixed Secondary School in Donji Vakuf. The participants were 30 students of the second and third year from 6 secondary schools in the towns of Jajce, Donji Vakuf, Uskoplje, Kreševo and Kiseljak in the Central Bosnia Canton where the BLSP was implemented during the fourth program year. They were joined by their PSP Teaching Teams (police officers and teachers). Police Officers from the SBK Police Commissioner's Office introduced participants to the equipment used by the Traffic Police, Public Order Unit and Crime Technicians in their day-to-day work. Afterwards, four police officers from the Uniformed Police Sector gave presentations on Anti-corruption, Rule of Law, Peer Violence and Cyberbullying. Following the presentations, students worked in groups with police officers to prepare their own presentations on the above topics. The resulting discussion focused  The aim of the Police Academy which was to enhance the students’ knowledge on the juvenile crime prevention and trust in the police and inform them how to take part in fight against corruption, cyberbullying and peer violence in their local communities along with the law enforcement agencies has been accomplished.

The conference, organized by PH international Office in BiH, was attended by representatives of INL and BLSP partner institutions from the sector of education and internal affairs from the Republika Srpska and Brčko District BiH. Addresses were delivered by dr. Nedzada Faginović, BLSP Program Director, dr. Predrag Ćeranić, Dean of the Faculty of Security Science of the University of Banja Luka and mr Goran Pisić, Head of Brčko District BiH Police.

Dr Mile Šikman, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law and Head of Administration for Police Training in the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republika Srpska presented the results of the baseline assessment with data on students’ attitudes in regard to legal socialization concept, perception of the police, and data on frequency of delinquent behaviour in the Republika Srpska and Brčko District. Dr Žana Vručinić and dr Velibor Lalić from the Faculty of Security Science spoke about the relevancy of the juvenile crime prevention program and methods of implementation of the BLSP curriculum.

This start-up conference marks the official launch of the project presenting the agreements, roles, responsibilities and expected results of Bosnia LSP.

Following a public call for proposals for community projects, the BLSP Curriculum Development Team/Advisory Council held a two-day meeting on 27^th and 28^th September 2021 in Neum to review the applications. The call was open to 57 primary and secondary schools from Canton 10, Una-Sana Canton, Posavina Canton, Central Bosnia Canton and West Herzegovina Canton participating in BLSP this year.

Selection criteria for winning projects included active involvement of police, teachers and students in collaborative community efforts, strengthening youth leadership and positive social change in communities, and addressing key rule of law issues in communities.

After careful assessment of project applications, CDA/AC selected 14 project proposals to be awarded mini-grants of $500 each. PH Office in BiH will purchase  supplies worth $500 as specified in the project proposals to be delivered to schools together with a hand-over letter.

This activity will additionally strengthen relationships between police and schools, contribute to positive change in local communities and also leave a permanent mark of the LSP activities.

In partnership with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the West Herzegovina Canton (MIA WHC), a Police Youth Academy 2020 was organized on 4 June 2021 at the Business Incubator Bijača. The participants were students of the second and third year from Gimnazija Ljubuški, Gimnazija fra Grge Martića and Secondary Vocational School from Posušje in the West Herzegovina Canton where the BLSP was implemented during the fourth program year. Police Officers from the Special Task Force and the Road Safety Unit of the Police Directorate with the MIA WHC introduced the participants to the equipment they use in their day-to-day work. Afterwards, four police officers from the Uniformed Police Sector and Crime Police Sector gave presentations on Anti-corruption, Rule of Law, Peer Violence and Cyberbullying. The students worked in groups with police officers and then gave their own presentations on the above topics. Based on their conclusions, the aim of the Police Academy which was to enhance the students’ knowledge on the juvenile crime prevention and trust in the police and inform them how to take part in fight against corruption, cyberbullying and peer violence in their local communities along with the law enforcement agencies has been accomplished.

On March 26, 2021 a meeting with Ms Nedzada Faginovic, Country Director of PH International Office in Bosnia and Herzegovina was organized by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH). The occasion was to discuss the integration of the Legal Socialisation and Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency Program (BLSP) into the preventive activities implemented as a part of the Action Plan for Preventing and Combating Terrorism in the FBiH.

On behalf of the FBiH Ministry of Education and Science, the meeting was attended by Ms Nadija Bandic, Assistant Minister for Preschool, Elementary and Secondary Education and a member of an interdepartmental Working Group of the Government of FBIH.

“The interdisciplinary approach and the application of modern teaching methods in educational materials used by the BLSP induce independence, interactivity and critical thinking ability as well as nonviolent action by students, aimed at reducing social inequality and encouraging social inclusion and creating positive attitude towards the police and other public institutions”, she said. 

Source: http://www.fmon.gov.ba/Obavjest/Pregled/627

Convinced  that satisfactory professional capacities have been built during the three-year LSP implementation that are capable to ensure its sustainability in two pilot cantons i.e.Herzegovina-Neretva Canton and Zenica-Doboj Canton and its further expansion to schools that have not been involved in LSP activities, the BLSP Office initiated and held joint meetings with the Ministers of Education and the Ministers of Interior in these cantons to discuss that possibility.

At the meeting held on February 6, 2020 in Mostar, the Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton – Mr Rašid Hadžović and the Minister of the Interior of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton – Mr Slađan Bevanda expressed satisfaction with the previous cooperation and results achieved, and the program fokus on prevention. Both ministers expressed their willingness to provide all necessary support for continuation of LSP activities as well as the official decisions of competent cantonal authorities in that sense.

At a meeting held 11.02.2020.godine in Zenica, the Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Zenica-Doboj Canton  - Mr Spahija Kozlić and the  Minister of Interior of Zenica-Doboj Canton – Mr Dario Pekić assessed that current cooperation and results achieved in implementing LSP very successful. In an effort to continue successful cooperation in this area in the future, the ministers signed a memorandum of cooperation defining the principles of cooperation, forms of joint action and modes of using human and other capacities of both ministries in further LSP implementation and juvenile delinquency prevention.

The memorandums of understanding on the LSP implementation were signed by competent authorities in Middle Bosnia Canton as the  third  new canton which join the LSP in 4th year of its implementation in Federation of BiH by including 17 primary and secondary schools in the program activities.

On behalf of the Ministry of Education, Science, Youth, Culture and Sports of Middle Bosnia Canton, the memorandum was signed by the Minister – Mr Bojan Domić,  on behalf of the Ministry of Interior of Middle Bosnia Canton by the Minister – Feliks Vidović and on behalf of the PH International Office in BiH by Director – Ms Nedžada Faginović.

The United States Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) awarded a grant to the PH International, for implementation of Legal Socialization Program (LSP)  for an initial project period of two years in Zenica – Doboj and Herzegovina – Neretva Cantons. After two year of the project implementation an external evaluation was carried out in order to determine relevance and success of Legal Socialisation Program. The results of evaluation were presented at the Evaluation Conference.