The main reason conscripts fail to report is that they have gone abroad. Military Recruitment Offices send summonses concerning the universal obligation to defend the country. If a conscript does not respond, the MRO is obliged to notify law enforcement authorities. This year, more than 100 such cases have been reported at the Military Recruitment Office in Bolesławiec.
Persistent evasion of military service is punishable either by a fine or restriction of liberty. “We are not trying to frighten anyone,” explains Lieutenant Colonel Zbigniew Borysewicz, commander of the Military Recruitment Office in Bolesławiec. The army does not create problems for conscripts who want to go abroad. If a conscript has been issued a call-up card, it is enough to submit an application to the Military Recruitment Commander for permission to leave, or to complete the military registration requirement, which those leaving the country very often forget to do. Another matter is that some are afraid to come to the MRO.
Economic emigration has greatly depleted the reserve resources. The offices are facing serious difficulties replenishing military units during peacetime. “This forces us, in certain cases, to call up sole breadwinners,” says Lieutenant Colonel Borysewicz. “It would be more beneficial for conscripts if they did not evade their obligation to perform military service, especially since the period during which they may be called up has been extended to the age of 50,” the commander adds.
(GA information)