Polish Police is a centralized, armed and uniformed formation.
As many as nearly 100,000 police officers, backed-up by almost 25,000 civilian employees take care of safety and security of citizens and maintain public order.
The Polish Police is headed by the Commander-in-Chief of Police, to whom reports the Warsaw Metropolitan Police Commander and 16 provincial police commanders who in turn supervise city and county police chiefs responsible for daily performance of police officers at police stations.
The present-day Polish Police is made up of officers performing their duties in criminal, prevention and logistics services; the latter support the activities of the Police in terms of organization, logistics and technology.
Police officers are educated and prepared for carrying out their duties in police schools and training centres. Police ranks are being joined by increasingly better educated young people.
Police officers have a number of powers, including the right to check the persons' identity, detain and search persons and premises, make personal checks, use direct coercive measures and firearms.
The detention of the most dangerous criminals is handled by perfectly armed and trained police counter-terrorist units.
The police officers of the Central Bureau of Investigation of the Police break up organised crime groups, fight against criminal terror and narcobusiness.
The Polish Police enjoys increasing public trust and the number of people who feel safer is growing every year.
“I, the citizen of the Republic of Poland, being aware which duties of a police officer I am about to undertake, solemnly swear: to serve faithfully to the Nation, protect the legal order established under the Constitution of the Republic of Poland, protect the security of the State and its citizens, even at risk to my life. While executing the duties I am entrusted with, I solemnly swear to thoroughly abide by the law, be faithful to the constitutional organs of the Republic of Poland, comply with the service discipline and execute the orders and instructions of my superiors. I swear to protect the state and service secrets, as well as the honour, dignity and good name of the Formation, and to observe the rules of professional ethics.”
