It all began with a theft at a wedding venue in Ołobok (Osiecznica commune), which took place on the night of 29–30 December. The thieves stole musical equipment belonging to the BAD band. The equipment was worth approximately PLN 24,000. “We decided to catch the perpetrators ourselves,” says Bogdan Pagórski from the BAD group. “We found out who had done it. We went after them and were lucky. They ran out of fuel.”
One of the perpetrators was detained and handed over to the police. The other fled, but was later detained by officers from Bolesławiec. Both suspects are residents of Ruszów. The 29-year-old was charged with three counts of burglary (the crimes took place in Parowa, Ołobok and Zebrzydowa; among other things, he stole a Simson moped), while the 27-year-old was charged with receiving stolen goods. The Ruszów residents will remain at liberty; the prosecutor’s office did not request their temporary detention.
“Mobilizing society for joint efforts to prevent crime is a valuable initiative,” says assistant commissioner Adriana Szajwaj. “Thanks to good cooperation with residents, the police can intervene more effectively.”
They had had enough
“There were terribly many burglaries in our area,” Bogdan Pagórski relates. “When my 82-year-old mother heard about the burglary in Ołobok, she said she wanted to move away, even though she has lived here for 60 years. That was the impetus for me.”
Residents of four localities in Osiecznica commune (Parowa, Ołobok, Bronowiec and Poświętne) decided to rally together and establish citizen patrols. They also intend to form an association. “Especially since the incident in Ołobok was not an isolated case. There were 36 such burglaries over the course of two years,” Pagórski explains. “We decided that we had to protect ourselves. The police have their procedures, but in situations like these you have to react immediately. That is what I did in my case, and I recovered 80% of the equipment.”
Forty people have already joined the initiative, and more continue to come forward. The patrol members have an emergency phone and have been driving around the area for a week. “The situation has calmed down for now; we hear that the thieves have been struck with fear,” emphasizes the BAD band musician. “We also know that these are not organized groups. What is more, one remorseful burglar came to us and said he wanted to cooperate.”
We will return to this matter.
(information: ii)