Police Day in Poland Date in the current year: July 24, 2024

The national police force in Poland was first formed in 1919 upon the creation of the Second Polish Republic. It was named the Polish State Police (Policja Państwowa). After the establishment of the communist regime in Poland, the new government replaced the state police with the Citizen’s Militia (Milicja Obywatelska). It was a state-controlled force, used to exert political repression on citizens.

After the fall of the communist regime and the establishment of the Third Polish Republic, the militia was transformed back into the police. Krzysztof Kozłowski, the Minister of Interior and Administration, initiated a law enforcement reform that included the revival of the general law enforcement system of the Second Polish Republic with a few minor changes.

The current size of the Polish police force is about 100,000 officers and 25,000 civilian employees. Its consists of several subdivisions, such as Criminal Police, Preventative Police, Traffic Police, Logistical Support Police, Investigative Police, Judicial Police, and Maritime Police.

Besides, in most towns and some villages there are their own city guards. City guards supervise road safety and public order. They have jurisdiction only over misdemeanors. In cases of crimes city guards only support the state police.