– Deputy Provincial Police Commander Superintendent Robert Frąckowiak and Bolesławiec County Head Tomasz Gabrysiak wished Bolesławiec police officers the fulfillment of their professional and personal plans, safe returns from duty, satisfaction, and the feeling that their effort and the danger to which they are exposed while performing their duties would always be appreciated by society. They conveyed these wishes during the Police Day celebrations held on July 23 at the Old Theatre in Bolesławiec.
– Great respect is due to your families, because service is service. A police officer does not finish work at 3 p.m. They must always be ready for a call and ready to take action even when, theoretically, they already have free time – said County Head Tomasz Gabrysiak. – I can imagine the tension you live under and how greatly your loved ones fear for your safety.
This year, Police Day has special significance. Exactly 100 years ago, shortly after Poland regained independence, the State Police was established by an act of the Sejm of the Second Polish Republic dated July 24, 1919.
To commemorate this event, the modern Police celebrate their holiday on July 24. – We were not allowed to enjoy freedom for long – said Inspector Norbert Kurenda, head of the Bolesławiec District Police Headquarters. – The nightmare of war arrived. From its very first day, Polish police officers were killed by the German occupiers. In 1939, the police corps numbered approximately 30,000 officers. Nearly 2,000 police officers were killed during the September Campaign. Approximately 12,000 officers were taken into Soviet captivity. Nearly 6,000 of them, murdered in the spring of 1940, were laid to rest at the Polish War Cemetery in Miednoje, the world’s largest police necropolis, which was opened and consecrated on September 2, 2000.
The ceremony was attended by Helena Kowal, daughter of Senior Constable Franciszek Zadroga, who was murdered in Katyn, and Genowefa Sikorska, mother of Senior Sergeant Dariusz Chełkowski, who was killed in the line of duty during an intervention in Bolesławiec’s Market Square in 1994.
During the ceremony, several dozen police officers received decorations and promotions to higher service ranks. (Two officers were promoted to the rank of superintendent, five to commissioner, three to staff aspirant, one to senior aspirant, ten to aspirant, seven to junior aspirant, eight to staff sergeant, four to senior sergeant, one to sergeant, and four to senior constable).
In addition, during the Lower Silesian Police Day celebrations held on July 18, Bolesławiec police officers received the following distinctions:
- Silver Medal for Long Service – Staff Aspirant A. Nowak
- Bronze “Distinguished Police Officer” Badge – Commissioner E. Jawny, Subcommissioner J. Jaworski, Subcommissioner G. Mścichowski, Aspirant S. Kubiak.
On July 24 at noon, flowers were ceremonially laid and a candle lit in Bolesławiec’s Market Square, in the presence of the mother of the shot police officer, Genowefa Sikorska, at the place where Senior Sergeant Dariusz Chełkowski was killed on December 10, 1994. The police paid tribute to the officer who died in the line of duty while protecting the lives and health of citizens.