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Police organisation

Policja

A single uniformed, armed national formation established by the Law of 6 April 1990, headed by the Chief Commissioner of Police and subordinate to the Minister of Internal Affairs.

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At a glance

Official name
Policja
Commonly rendered in English as
Polish Police — a rendering in common use, not the organisation’s own name.
System
Poland
Level of government
National
Kind of body
National police force
Status
Currently operating
Facts last checked against sources
13 September 2026

What it is

Article 1(1) of the Law on the Police establishes the Policja as a uniformed and armed formation serving to protect the safety of people and to maintain public order. Article 5(1) makes the Komendant Główny Policji the central organ of state administration in those matters, subordinate to the Minister of Internal Affairs. The voivodeship and county commands beneath him are internal territorial units of the one national force, not regionally governed police.

What it covers

The whole of Poland, through voivodeship and county commands that are internal units of the national force.

Broad responsibilities

  • Protecting the safety of people and maintaining public order, as the statute states it
  • Policing across the country through the territorial commands

Who it answers to

The Chief Commissioner of Police (Komendant Główny Policji) is the central organ of state administration in these matters, subordinate to the Minister of Internal Affairs.

Elsewhere on this site

Where this connects

Institutions: National police.

Sources

  1. Law of 6 April 1990 on the Police (Ustawa o Policji), consolidated

    Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej (ISAP / ELI legal-acts service) · Legislation · 1990-04-06 · link verified 2026-07-26

    The consolidated Law on the Police (Dz.U. 1990 nr 30 poz. 179), fetched from the Sejm's official ELI service and confirmed verbatim. Supports Art. 1(1) (the Police established as a single uniformed, armed formation to protect citizens' safety and maintain public order) and Art. 5(1) (the central organ of state administration in these matters is the Chief Commissioner of Police, Komendant Główny Policji, subordinate to the Minister of Internal Affairs) — establishing a single national police force under the interior ministry, with subordinate voivodeship and county commands that are internal territorial units of the one national Police.