Jurisdiction and police role in emergency situations in the Republic of Srpska

Abstract

The police, as a state authority and law enforcement agency, is responsible primarily for the protection of law and order, as well as on countering crime (to detect and prove criminal offense and crime prevention). The role of the police in emergency situations could be seen in this sense as well. However, the role of the police in emergency situations is much broader than that. It includes not only the realization of the basic functions of the police, but also a variety of other activities, such as protection and rescue in emergency situations, identification of victims, enabling other services, etc. In addition, the role of the police and the character is also influenced by the situations because they can be caused not only by natural (earthquakes, floods, snow drifts), but also by human activity (fires and arson, terrorist acts, etc.), which further complicates police activity. So, on the one hand we have a legal framework that regulates the jurisdiction and powers of the police (e.g. The Law on Internal Affairs, Law on Police Officers, Law on protection and rescue in emergency situations), while on the other hand we have a real need for involvement of the police, which very often exceeds the legal framework of action. In this paper, we give an overview of the jurisdiction and role of the police in emergency situations in the Republic of Srpska, its organization, and the specifics of engaging in emergency situations caused by natural phenomena and human activities.