Following recommendations from a commission in charge of police reform, which studied the situation in the police forces over the past year, Ashdown decided that the police in Bosnia-Herzegovina would be operating within ten geographical regions rather than the two entities.
It will be a unified and efficient structure, Ashdown told reporters in Sarajevo, saying that the new structure would ensure a faster and more determined response from the police when necessary.
The new system envisages regional police forces around major towns such as Banja Luka, Bihac, Mostar or Doboj, while Sarajevo would have a police force covering a region coinciding with the city's prewar boundaries.
We are creating compact police regions that cross the ethnic boundaries, Ashdown said, adding that he expected the authorities of the state and the entities to reach a consensus on the proposed territorial structure of the police force.
Bosnian Serb authorities have so far resolutely rejected the possibility of the entity interior ministries being dissolved.