Border Guard (Poland)


The Polish Border Guard is a state security agency tasked with patrolling the Polish border. It existed in the Second Republic era from 1928 to 1939 and was reestablished in the modern-day Third Republic in 1990, going into operation the following year. During the communist era lasting from 1945 to 1989, the role of the border guard was carried out by the Border Protection Troops.

History

1928–1939

The Straż Graniczna was founded in 1928. During the times of the Second Polish Republic, it was responsible for northern, western and southern border of Poland. Eastern border, often raided by military bands supported by Soviet Union was under the jurisdiction of a separate, military formation.
Responsibilities of Straż Graniczna included:
Border Guard was organized in a military style, with uniformed and armed agents. It was controlled by the Ministry of Treasury, Ministry of Internal Affairs, and Ministry of Military Affairs. The highest level of organizational structure of the agency was Main Headquarters, based in Warsaw. It was followed by Regional Inspectorates, Border Inspectorates, stations and posts. It carried out actions through patrols, manning border checkpoints, tracking, rouses and intelligence work. It had its own river and sea flotilla, intelligence academy, and the Main School of Border Guard, which was located firstly in Gora Kalwaria, then in Rawa Ruska. The school had a department of training of guard dogs, also located in Rawa Ruska.
Each station of the agency was responsible for some 20 to 25 kilometers of the borderline. The stations oversaw posts of the first line and posts of the second line. In 1938, there were 129 stations of the Border Guard, 419 posts of the first line, and 212 posts of the second line.

Regional inspectorates in 1939

In late 1938 and early 1939, following changes of borders of some Eastern European countries, the Border Guard took over protection of the boundary with Lithuania, while Border Defence Corps moved some of its units to the newly established border with Hungary. Furthermore, every station of the Border Guard was strengthened with a platoon of the Polish Army.
Members of Straż Graniczna, under General Walerian Czuma, participated in the Second World War, fighting in the Polish Army during the invasion of Poland.

1945–1989

During the period of the People's Republic of Poland, the role of the border guards was carried out by the military formation of Border Protection Troops, being a part of the Polish People's Army and reporting directly to the Ministry of Interior, formerly under the Ministry of National Defense, just as its 2nd Republic predecessors were assigned.

1990 – present

Straż Graniczna has been reestablished in the Third Polish Republic as a civil, police-type service, with the act of 12 October 1990 and began operations on 16 May 1991. It considers itself the successor to the Second Polish Republic formations of the Straż Graniczna and Korpus Ochrony Pogranicza, and thus is one of the only police styled forces to use military style ranks.
From 1 May 2004, the day Poland became a member of the European Union, Straż Graniczna performs its responsibility to guard and protect both the Polish and EU borders.

Structure