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State Investigation and Protection Agency

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State Investigation and Protection Agency
Državna agencija za istrage i zaštitu
Државна агенција за истраге и заштиту
Seal of the State Investigation and Protection Agency
Flag of the State Investigation and Protection Agency

SIPA headquarters, Sarajevo, Federation of Bosnia & Herzegovina
Agency overview
FormedSeptember 2005
HeadquartersIstočno Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Annual budgetUS $20 million
Agency executives
  • Darko Ćulum, Director
  • Vacant, Deputy Director
  • Anđelko Hrgić, Associate Director
  • Jasmin Gogić, Associate Director
  • Kristina Jozić, Spokesperson
Parent agencyMinistry of Security
Websitewww.sipa.gov.ba

The State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA; Serbo-Croatian: Državna agencija za istrage i zaštitu / Државна агенција за истраге и заштиту) 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

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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 (Serbo-Croatian: Agencija za informacije i zaštitu Bosne i Hercegovine / Агенција за информације и заштиту Босне и Херцеговине), 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 annuled 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

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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

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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.

Counter-terrorism group SOF of SIPA members preparing to clear a sector.

Small arms

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Model Image Caliber Type Origin Details
Pistols
Glock 17 9×19mm Semi-automatic pistol  Austria
Glock 19 9×19mm Semi-automatic pistol  Austria
Submachine Guns
Uzi 9×19mm Submachine gun  Israel Replaced by the P90.
MP5 9×19mm Submachine gun  Germany MP5A3 variant with a retractable stock.
FN P90 5.7×28mm Submachine gun  Belgium In use since 2014, replaced the Uzi.[7]
CZ Scorpion EVO 3 9×19mm Submachine gun  Czech Republic A1 (select-fire) variant.
Rifles and carbines
M4A1 5.56×45mm Carbine  United States
FN SCAR-L 5.56×45mm Automatic rifle  Belgium SCAR-L CQC variant.
Zastava M21 5.56×45mm NATO Automatic rifle  Serbia Replaced the Zastava M70.
Zastava M70 7.62×39mm Automatic rifle  Yugoslavia
 Serbia		 Replaced by the Zastava M21.
Zastava M76 7.92×57mm Mauser Designated Marksman Rifle  Yugoslavia
 Serbia
Accuracy International AXMC .338 Lapua Mag Sniper rifle  United Kingdom Purchased in 2014.[7]
Steyr Elite .308 Winchester Bolt-action  Austria Successor of the Scout.

Vehicles

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Name Image Origin Quantity Notes
Land Rover Discovery  United Kingdom Unknown
Land Rover Defender  United Kingdom 20+
Toyota Land Cruiser  Japan Unknown
Mercedes-Benz G-Class  Germany Unknown G55 AMG and G270 variant.
VW Golf  Germany Unknown
VW Passat  Germany Unknown
VW Transporter (T6)  Germany Unknown
FORD E350  United States Unknown Armored vehicles donated by the FBI
Peugeot 508  France Unknown
SsangYong Rexton  South Korea Unknown
Škoda Yeti  Czech Republic Unknown
Iveco LMV  Italy Unknown
BRDM-2  Soviet Union Unknown
BOV  Yugoslavia 7

Aircraft

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Name Image Origin Quantity Notes
Bell 206 JetRanger  United States 3
Bell 212  United States 1
Bell UH-1 Iroquois  United States 1 UH-1H Variant.
Mil Mi-8  Soviet Union 1
Aérospatiale Gazelle  France
 Yugoslavia		 4 Manufactured by SOKO under licence.

SIPA can use helicopters used by the Armed Forces.

International stance

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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

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  • 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

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  • 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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  1. ^ "State Investigation and Protection Agency – About us". State Investigation and Protection Agency. Archived from the original on 2010-07-22. Retrieved 2010-05-13.
  2. ^ "Zakon o državnoj agenciji za istrage i zaštitu" [Law on the State Investigation and Protection Agency] (PDF) (in Bosnian). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-08-25.
  3. ^ SIPA, Bosnia and Herzegovina. "History of the agency". sipa.gov.ba. Archived from the original on 22 July 2010. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  4. ^ "Stupili na snagu Dodikovi zakoni, želi spriječiti djelovanje pravosuđa BiH u RS" (in Croatian). Zagreb: Index.hr. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  5. ^ Beta (2025-03-08). "Ustavni sud BiH stavio van snage sporne zakone usvojene u parlamentu RS". N1 (in Serbian). Retrieved 2025-03-17.
  6. ^ "Ovo je tekst apelacije koju je Denis Bećirović uputio prema Ustavnom sudu BiH". Dnevni avaz (in Bashkir). 2025-03-06. Retrieved 2025-03-17.
  7. ^ a b Strengthening SIPA Capacities – Cutting Edge Equipment Procured for SSU
  8. ^ Structure of SIPA, BIH. "Organisational structure of SIPA". sipa.gov.ba. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
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