At the end of October, from the 19th to the 23rd of the month, international commander-staff exercises and a conference dedicated to inter-service cooperation in combating organized crime were conducted in Zamość. The event, themed “SPECIAL UNITS & ORGANIZED CRIME,” gathered both Polish formations and representatives of foreign security agencies. The organizer of the event was the Lublin Voivodeship Police Headquarters, which led the initiative within a broader program aimed at enhancing officer competencies.
Project Characteristics and Budget
The exercises and the accompanying conference were part of a project titled “New Challenges - Effective Actions - Enhancing Police Competencies in Combating Organized Crime.” The project was implemented with the support of the Internal Security Fund, covering the years 2021–2027. The total value of the project exceeds 2.3 million PLN, of which 1.7 million PLN is co-financing from European Union funds.
The implementation of the project took place in cooperation with partner institutions, including the Kielce Voivodeship Police Headquarters and the Rzeszów Voivodeship Police Headquarters. This partner structure allowed for the integration of resources and experience from various regions of Poland.
Exercise Course and Service Participation
A key point of the program was the maneuvers conducted in the territory of the Nielisz commune. During these operations, crisis management procedures and cooperation mechanisms between various services responsible for public safety were verified. The aim of the exercises was to refine the coordination of actions, information flow, and the decision-making process in threat situations.
Representatives of the highest structures of the Polish Police participated in the event. Among them were insp. Tomasz Gil, the Lublin Voivodeship Police Commissioner, and his deputy insp. Robert Michna. The exercises were also attended by deputy voivodeship commissioners from Kielce (insp. Jacek Cholewa) and Rzeszów (insp. Piotr Stępka). In the ranks of the Polish services, there were representatives from headquarters in Białystok, Katowice, Kraków, and Olsztyn, as well as officers from the Police Central Bureau of Investigation, the Independent Police Counter-Terrorism Unit “BOA,” the Internal Security Agency, and the Border Guard.
Experience Exchange at the International Forum
The “SPECIAL UNITS & ORGANIZED CRIME” conference served as a platform for exchanging knowledge and experience between Polish and foreign services. Participants included representatives of the Police from Berlin, as well as formations from Romania and Lithuania. The presence of foreign guests made it possible to discuss strategies for combating organized and cross-border crime, allowing for better adaptation of operational tactics to contemporary security challenges.
The entire project aimed not only to test operational procedures but also to build ties between the services of different states, which is crucial in the context of contemporary security threats requiring supranational cooperation.