ABW Day in Poland Date in the current year: April 6, 2025

On April 6, 1990, the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (the Polish parliament) adopted the so-called “Police Act Package”, which established the Polish Police in its present form, the Office of State Protection, and the Office of the Minister of Internal Affairs. Its adoption was part of the reform that marked Poland’s transition from a socialist state to a modern democracy.

The Office of State Protection (Urząd Ochrony Państwa, UOP) replaced the Security Service and the intelligence and counterintelligence departments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, becoming the first intelligence agency of the Third Polish Republic. It functioned as a department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs until 1996 when it became a separate government agency under the Prime Minister. The UOP was responsible for intelligence, counterintelligence, and electronic security for the government.

In 2002, the Office of State Protection was split into two separate intelligence services: the Internal Security Agency (Agencja Bezpieczeństwa Wewnętrznego, ABW), responsible for domestic intelligence, counterintelligence and security, and the Foreign Intelligence Agency (Agencja Wywiadu, AW), responsible for collecting and analyzing foreign intelligence.

The ABW reports directly to the Prime Minister and is considered one of Poland’s special services. Its main task is to analyze, report and prevent threats to the country’s internal security, such as arms smuggling, drug trafficking, corruption among state agencies and officials, economic coercion, terrorism, foreign espionage and organized crime. The ABW is also responsible for securing state classified information and protecting cyberspace operations.

The activities of the ABW are regulated by a number of laws: the Act on the Internal Security Agency and the Foreign Intelligence Agency (2002), the Act on the National Cybersecurity System (2018), the Act on Counter-Terrorism Activities (2016), the Act on Direct Coercion Measures and Firearms (2013), and the Act on Protection of Classified Information (2010).

In conducting counterintelligence and counter-terrorism operations, the ABW cooperates closely with other national intelligence and security agencies, such as the Foreign Intelligence Agency, the Police, the Border Guard, and the Government Protection Bureau. The ABW also cooperates with the intelligence and security agencies of EU and NATO member states, as well as with a number of other countries.

ABW Day was officially established in 2004. Its main purpose is to highlight the importance of the Internal Security Agency for the protection of internal security and constitutional order in Poland. The celebrations are an opportunity to celebrate special achievements of officers and employees of the Internal Security Agency and to reward them for their hard work and dedication.