Fewer assaults, robberies, corruption offences and car thefts, higher detection rates. Police summarize the year

Police Headquarters:

The figures, tables and charts accompanying the annual summaries are a source of pride in the vast majority of improving figures related to the safety of our citizens, while also constituting a challenge to continue our work. We are doing everything to ensure that the numbers of crimes, victims, losses, accidents and their casualties continue to decline. Each of them represents human suffering.

The highest assessment of our work since 1990, as well as Poles’ sense of security, is an expression of recognition for which we are grateful. We promise that we will not cease our efforts to further improve safety in Poland.

Do Poles feel safe?

The latest CBOS survey showed that 74% of Poles rate the Police’s actions positively. This is the highest rating since 1990, and also made the Police the highest-rated public institution in the country among those assessed. At the same time, 86% of Poles consider Poland a safe country, while as many as 93% of respondents declared that they feel safe where they live. Such positive ratings of Poland’s largest uniformed service result from the hard work of female and male police officers and the Police employees who support them.

What about crime?

In Poland, 795,976 crimes were committed in 2018, and the detection rate increased by 1.6% compared with 2017, reaching 74.1%. However, it is important to mention a highly significant change in criminal-law provisions concerning failure to pay child support. The changes caused the number of such offences to rise from 16,893 in 2017 to 70,455 in 2018—an increase of 317%.

Excluding failure to pay child support, 765,176 crimes were committed in 2017, compared with 725,521 in 2018, indicating a decrease of as much as 5.2%. The crime detection rate, excluding failure to pay child support, was 60.6%.

A decline of almost 5% (-4.8%) was recorded in the category of the seven most serious crimes, which are the most troublesome for citizens. In 2017, 243,102 such offences were committed, compared with 231,403 in 2018. At the same time, the detection rate for these crimes rose by 1.2% compared with 2017.

The number of fights and assaults fell significantly. The total for 2017 was 5,071, compared with 4,406 in the past year, representing a decline of more than 13% (-13.1%).

An even greater decline was recorded in the category of robberies, extortion and thefts involving violence. In 2017, 8,114 offences were recorded, compared with 6,807 in 2018—16.1% fewer.

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Property damage accounted for 38,055 offences in 2017, compared with 36,072 in 2018 (-5.2%).

Last year, 9,075 cars were stolen, marking the first time in history that the figure fell below 10,000. In 2017, 10,240 vehicles were stolen. The difference was -11.4%, while the detection rate for car theft perpetrators rose by 3%.

The decline in corruption offences is encouraging. There were 33,459 in 2017, compared with 32,601 last year (-2.6%).

Economic crime fell by 4.5%. There were 190,645 such offences in 2017, compared with 182,023 in 2018.

The Police are also more effective at securing criminals’ assets. In 2017, officers secured property worth a total of PLN 1,453,745,554, while last year the value reached PLN 1,814,753,642.

As part of its statutory duties aimed at combating drug crime, the Police discovered and seized more than 4 tonnes of drugs in 2018 (excluding the Central Bureau of Investigation of the Police), representing a 30.2% increase compared with the previous year.

In addition, 1,224 illegal plantations of non-fibre cannabis were discovered and dismantled. Officers seized 103,873 cannabis plants, from which more than 2 tonnes (2,285 kg) of marijuana could potentially have been produced and which did not reach the consumer market. In 2018, police officers discovered and dismantled 10 illegal laboratories producing synthetic drugs.

Tax fraud offences committed using a “missing trader”—the so-called carousel fraud—are among the most damaging to public-finance institutions. Perpetrators operating within a tax carousel do not pay VAT or fraudulently claim its refund while simultaneously evading public-law liabilities in the form of income tax.

Examples of cases handled by the Police criminal divisions (excluding the Central Bureau of Investigation of the Police):

• officers of the Warsaw Metropolitan Police Headquarters arrested five people suspected of participating in an organized criminal group involved in distributing substitute substances, the so-called legal highs, over the internet in the Masovian Voivodeship. The operation led to the discovery and dismantling of a warehouse used to store, process and distribute psychoactive substances. Approximately 118 kg of psychoactive substances were seized, and the perpetrators’ funds were frozen. The total value of the secured property was approximately PLN 400,000.
• [olice officers of the Warsaw Metropolitan Police Headquarters arrested four people in the Masovian Voivodeship suspected of participating in an organized criminal group involved in the intra-Community acquisition, transport, production and distribution of significant quantities of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. A site where the perpetrators produced the psychotropic substance amphetamine sulphate was discovered, along with equipment used in its manufacture. Psychotropic substances and narcotic drugs were seized: approximately 176 kg of amphetamine, 230 kg of marijuana, 15 kg of cocaine and 80 kg of MDMA tablets.
• officers of the Regional Police Headquarters in Rzeszów arrested six people suspected of participating in an organized criminal group involved in acquiring, storing and distributing significant quantities of tobacco products in the form of cigarettes of various brands without excise stamps, causing losses to the State Treasury amounting to PLN 3,819,407. Property worth a total of PLN 856,502 was secured from the perpetrators.
• officers of the Regional Police Headquarters in Łódź arrested six people suspected of participating in an organized criminal group whose aim was to commit fiscal offences in Poland and Germany. The group was involved in the large-scale illegal production and trade of cigarettes, a practice that exposed the State Treasury to tax losses totaling PLN 460,000,000.
• officers of the County Police Headquarters in Wołomin arrested one person suspected of participating in an organized criminal group involved in the illegal production of cigarettes without excise stamps and their wholesale distribution throughout Poland, exposing the State Treasury to a shortfall in excise tax of PLN 2,133,000. As a result of the operations, cigarette-production machinery worth approximately PLN 5,000,000 was secured, along with property worth PLN 1,600,000.

What about the Central Bureau of Investigation of the Police?

The Central Bureau of Investigation of the Police achieved major successes. Its operations enabled investigators to gather evidence and bring charges against 3,833 people (2017—3,761).

Nearly every second suspect (2018—1,915; 2017—1,806) was charged with leading or participating in an organized criminal group.

One in three suspects (2018—1,304; 2017—1,245) was placed in pre-trial detention as a result of the CBŚP’s operations.

The effective fight against organized crime also involved dismantling criminal groups’ financial infrastructure and securing assets against future penalties. In the Bureau’s nearly 19-year history, a record value of criminals’ property was secured (2018—more than PLN 853 million; 2017—almost PLN 644 million). The largest categories of secured assets were real estate and funds identified in bank accounts and in cash. Movable property secured last year consisted mainly of luxury cars, works of art and valuable jewelry, as well as assets hidden outside the Republic of Poland.

Thanks to the actions of CBŚP officers, more than 11 tonnes of drugs did not reach the black market—four times more than in 2017. That quantity could have produced more than 52 million doses. The wholesale value of the seized drugs was approximately PLN 187 million, while their retail value was approximately PLN 304 million.

Not only drugs but also huge quantities of precursors were seized, preventing the production of further tonnes of narcotics. During the operations, 22 synthetic-drug laboratories and 40 cannabis plantations were dismantled, with more than 14,000 plants seized. This result was also due to cooperation between CBŚP and Polish and foreign services.

CBŚP officers achieved many successes in the fight against so-called legal highs. By breaking up successive groups selling these substances, they seized more than 153 kg of dangerous substances and dismantled the last brick-and-mortar shops selling them.

The most important CBŚP operations in 2018 included an international law-enforcement operation targeting the illegal trade in firearms and explosives in Poland, as well as the smuggling of significant quantities of illegal explosives into Europe. Members of the organized criminal group traded in F4, T2 and P2 class pyrotechnic articles, whose sale and possession are prohibited and require a permit from the Ministry of the Interior and Administration:

• 57 people were arrested in the Masovian, Silesian and Łódź Voivodeships, and one additional person was arrested in Germany.
• during the operation in Poland, five warehouses were dismantled and approximately 80 tonnes of explosive materials were seized in the form of licensed F4, T2 and P2 class pyrotechnic articles, with an approximate value of EUR 5 million.
• the court placed nine suspects in pre-trial detention, while 17 people were placed under police supervision.
• On 5 December 2018, among other things on the basis of materials gathered by CBŚP, German officers arrested 51 people in Germany and charged them with illegally acquiring and possessing explosive materials in the form of F4/T2/P2 class pyrotechnic articles.

In 2018, the Central Bureau of Investigation of the Police handled many economic-crime cases, including an investigation into VAT fraud in fuel trading, where the losses to the State Treasury amounted to approximately PLN 700 million.

The funds obtained in this way were laundered through transactions in bank accounts—legitimate business activity was simulated, luxury goods such as real estate, expensive cars and jewelry were purchased, and the money was transferred across borders through companies established for this purpose in Cyprus and Switzerland.

As a result of the work of police officers and prosecutors, assets held in bank accounts in so-called tax havens were identified: EUR 36 million in the Principality of Liechtenstein and CHF 14 million in Switzerland. The prosecutor issued orders securing these assets.

Legal and procedural steps are currently under way to arrange for these funds to be transferred to Poland. On the basis of the evidence gathered, 25 people were charged. Property belonging to the suspects worth more than PLN 230 million was also secured, including more than PLN 184 million secured in 2018.

What about crime online?

Combating cybercrime is becoming increasingly important. The Police Headquarters has a Cybercrime Bureau. The number of cases coordinated by the bureau is growing year on year. In 2017, the bureau coordinated 1,600 cases, while in 2018 there were already 2,183. In 2017, bureau officers identified 670 suspects, 82 of whom were arrested. Last year, 749 suspects were identified and 148 were detained.

In January 2018, officers of the KGP Cybercrime Bureau and the Criminal Division of the Regional Police Headquarters in Lublin, together with officers of the Warsaw Metropolitan Police Headquarters, the Regional Police Headquarters in Kielce and Kraków, as well as Border Guard officers, supported by officers of the KGP BOA and the Warsaw OPP, arrested 50 people in the Masovian and Lublin Voivodeships, including 48 Taiwanese nationals. Between 1 January 2017 and 30 October 2017, the suspects led and participated in an organized criminal group in Lublin and other cities across the country and in the People’s Republic of China.

The fraud involved criminals using a telecommunications network to induce a number of citizens of the People’s Republic of China to dispose of their property to their detriment. Using social engineering, they persuaded them to transfer money. The victims believed that, in connection with criminal proceedings allegedly being conducted against them, they were transferring money to the accounts of law-enforcement authorities. In this way, the fraudsters extorted no less than EUR 1.8 million. Forty-nine people were arrested in the case.

Are the roads safer?

Road safety directly affects Poles. Preliminary data from 1 January 2019 indicate that 31,410 accidents occurred last year, in which 2,838 people died and 37,000 were injured. The previous year saw 32,760 such accidents, in which 2,831 people died and 39,466 were injured. Although there were more than 4% fewer accidents in 2018 and more than 6% fewer injuries, the number of fatalities unfortunately changed very little.

Police:

This means that the accidents had more tragic consequences. This will be subject to analysis. We are already working to make preventive measures in this area more effective.

Campaigns targeting drunk drivers are conducted continuously. Although their number is steadily declining (-6.6%), 51,615 intoxicated drivers were arrested in 2018, compared with 55,264 in 2017.

What about the National Safety Threat Map?

The National Safety Threat Map has been operating for more than two years. More and more citizens use this interactive tool. Nearly one million reports (982,707) have now been recorded, and more than 50% have been verified. Officers say: “This shows how important what happens around them is to Poles. They do not remain indifferent to violations of the law and are not afraid to tell us about them. This is encouraging, because it demonstrates trust and allows us to effectively combat undesirable phenomena where they occur most strongly.”

What about modernization?

2018 was a time of significant expansion of the Police’s equipment. The first purchase of new helicopters in its history was completed. Two modern S-70i Black Hawk aircraft were received and are already at the Police’s disposal. An agreement was also signed to purchase another helicopter, scheduled for delivery in March 2019.

In 2018, deliveries of various transport equipment totaled 1,237 units, worth approximately PLN 129.6 million, including PLN 96 million from the Police Modernization Programme, PLN 29.7 million from the Police Support Fund (FWP), PLN 2.6 million from the WFOŚiGW, PLN 1.04 million from the NFOŚiGW and PLN 260,000 from budget funds other than the PMP.

Road-traffic services received modern BMW vehicles. At the end of the year, super-fast KIA Stinger patrol cars, intended to combat dangerous drivers, also entered service.

As part of investment-related tasks carried out by Police units, 39 investments were completed in 2018, with PLN 38.6 million from the Police Modernization Programme spent on them.

The following results were achieved among the 39 completed investment projects:

• construction of new facilities—11 projects
• adaptation and reconstruction—19 projects
• thermal modernization of facilities—9 projects.

The most important physical results achieved through investment activities in 2018 included:

• OPP in Kraków—construction of a headquarters at 205 Władysława Łokietka Street (KWP Kraków)
• KMP in Włocławek—thermal modernization of Building E (KWP Bydgoszcz)
• KP in Dobrzejewice—construction of a new headquarters with a canine-support facility (KWP Bydgoszcz)
• KP in Mszczonów—construction of a new headquarters (KWP based in Radom)
• KMP in Bielsko-Biała—construction of a new headquarters (KWP Katowice).

It should be noted that the priority measures connected with reactivating closed Police stations, introduced in 2016, have so far enabled 97 stations to be restored, 25 of them in 2018.

In 2018, PLN 53.883 million was spent under the Police Modernization Programme on information technology and communications equipment, as well as officers’ personal and protective equipment. More than PLN 114 million was transferred to so-called non-expiring funds, which by law will be spent by 31 March 2019.

For nearly PLN 14 million, 2,110 body-worn cameras were purchased, significantly improving the safety of service for both officers and the people with whom they intervene.

The Police is the largest beneficiary of funds from the “modernization act,” receiving PLN 5.993 billion, or 65% of all funds.

What about preventive work?

Police service is not only about pursuing perpetrators of crimes and offences. It is not only about chasing dangerous drivers or responding to road incidents. It also involves daily preventive service. In 2018, female and male police officers carried out more than 5.8 million interventions, meaning that on average they intervened nearly 16,000 times every day!

Officers support elderly and vulnerable people. One example is a community police officer from Gorzów Wielkopolski who organized a supply of firewood for homeless people. Two police officers in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship walked 2 km across fields to reach an elderly woman who was unable to leave a remote house. Without their determination, the woman would have died of hypothermia.

In Warsaw, meanwhile, a fully uniformed police officer jumped into the Vistula to save a drowning man. Officers often escort people who urgently need to reach a hospital. They find missing people—both children and adults.

Every day, female and male police officers meet with citizens: community officers with seniors, prevention officers with children and young people, and other officers during numerous fairs and picnics.

Numerous prevention campaigns are conducted, including: Safety excites me... by the water, on the slopes (year-round activities), Safe route to school, Safe senior. The Community officer closer to us programme is continuously implemented.

Last year, Poland hosted several events of international importance. These included the May session of the NATO Assembly and the most recent event, the COP24 climate summit. All these events proceeded peacefully, and congratulations and praise emphasizing the professionalism of the Polish Police came to Poland from around the world.

What do you think? We invite you to join the discussion.