BUDIMIR: NEW CADETS WILL PROTECT REPUBLIKA SRPSKA

BANJA LUKA, MAY 22 /SRNA/ - A total of 138 cadets trained for the needs of the Republika Srpska Ministry of Interior /MoI/ and 43 cadets for the Brčko District Police took their oath today at a ceremony held at the Training Center in Zalužani near Banja Luka.

"We have received 138 new members. I congratulate the cadets on successfully completing their training and wish them to make their parents and Republika Srpska proud. They are the guardians of the homeland for which heroes gave their lives in the most difficult times of its creation," the Minister of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska Željko Budimir told reporters. He said the new personnel will help ease the ongoing generational transition within the MoI and told the cadets to always maintain zero tolerance for crime. "In July we will enroll the next class, and based on previous results we can already say that young people entering the police system are patriots and experts in their fields. I encourage them all to continue their education and improve their skills, as this is necessary for Republika Srpska," Budimir said, expressing satisfaction with the MoI's results in training new police personnel. Head of the MoI Police Education Administration Mile Šikman reminded that the cadets, after successfully completing ten months of training, are now qualified to independently perform police duties. "After this, they will complete a six-month internship and take a professional exam. This is a requirement for them to be fully employed as police officers," Šikman said. Valentina Škorić from Banja Luka, awarded today as the best cadet of the 28th class of the Police Academy, said she will perform her duties professionally and continue to study and improve her skills. "All of this is an incentive for me to work even better to preserve the security, property, peace and freedom of all citizens of Republika Srpska," she said. Awards for the most successful cadets were also given to Strahinja Kokan and Ozren Grujičić after the oath ceremony. The event was attended by Republika Srpska Police Director Siniša Kostrešević and numerous relatives of the cadets of the 28th class of the Police Academy.