State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA)

Državna agencija za istrage i zaštitu Државна агенција за истраге и заштиту
Logo of the State Investigation and Protection Agency
Flag of the State Investigation and Protection Agency
SIPA headquarters,Istočno Sarajevo
Law enforcement/Security overview
Formed	September 1, 2005 (2005-09-01)
Type	State Police Agency
Jurisdiction	Bosnia and Herzegovina
Status	Active
Headquarters	Istočno Sarajevo,Bosnia and Herzegovina 43°49′12″N18°21′00″E / 43.82000°N 18.35000°E /43.82000; 18.35000
Annual budget	$20 millionUSD
Law enforcement/Security executives	Darko Ćulum, Director Vacant, Deputy Director Anđelko Hrgić, Associate Director Jasmin Gogić, Associate Director
Parent department	Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Key document	Law on the State Investigation and Protection Agency (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Website	sipa.gov.ba

TheState Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA;Serbo-Croatian:Državna agencija za istrage i zaštitu /Државна агенција за истраге и заштиту) is the national police intelligence and protective security agency of theBosnia and Herzegovina responsible for clandestine and covert operations, countering hybrid threats, counterintelligence, counter-revolutionary, counterterrorism, executive protection (especially the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina and visiting foreign leaders), intelligence gathering and assessment on threats to national security that are under the responsibility of the police authority, investigation and interrogation serious crimes, protects police operations classified information, and public security.^[1]

SIPA is under the direct administration of theMinistry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

After the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Dayton Agreement, the first organisation with very limited law enforcement authorities was theAgency 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, counterintelligence that are under the responsibility of the police authority, protection of VIPs as well as diplomatic and consular missions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and public security.

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 ofMilorad Dodik issued by theCourt of Bosnia and Herzegovina for violating Bosnia and Herzegovina'scriminal law, theentity 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, theConstitutional 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 thePresidency of Bosnia and HerzegovinaDenis Bećirović.^[5][6]

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 ofIstočno Sarajevo,Tuzla,Banja Luka, andMostar.

SIPA Units are equipped, like most counter-terrorist units around the world, with a vast array of specialized firearms including the Yugoslavian-madeZastava M70, as well as other variants in 7.62 mm such as theAK74 andAK74U, as well as 5.56 mm calibre assault rifles such as theM4A1 carbine.

There are also other weapons in different calibres such as theHeckler & Koch MP5,H&K G3,G36, various sniper rifles, pistols such as the CZ 99 andGlock 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 asHummers,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 threeJet Rangers, twoBell 212s, oneMil Mi-8, fourSOKO Gazelle Gamas, and oneUH-1H.

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 theP90.
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 theUzi.[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 theZastava M70.
Zastava M70		7.62×39mm	Automatic rifle	Yugoslavia  Serbia	Replaced by theZastava 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.

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 theFBI
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

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 bySOKO under licence.

SIPA can use helicopters used by theArmed Forces.

Many ambassadors and representatives from international organizations have visited SIPA. Some embassies even donated equipment and other material and technical support. SIPA cooperates, regularly, withEUPM andICITAP, 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.

• SIPA is a government agency within theMinistry 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.

• 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

• Official SIPA website

• Law enforcement agencies of Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Domestic intelligence agencies
• 2005 establishments in Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Government agencies established in 2005

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• CS1 Croatian-language sources (hr)
• CS1 Serbian-language sources (sr)
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