Straż Miejska w Katowicach
Straż Miejska w Katowicach
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Municipal Police

Municipal Police is a municipal uniformed formation which came into being by the capacities of the City Council to maintain peace and order on the premises of the city of Katowice.

There is a free 24-hour available emergency telephone number 986 for the Municipal Police or 112 for the City Emergency Centre.

The basic duties and capabilities of the Municipal Police are the following:

  1. maintaining peace and order in public places
  2. taking care of the order and controlling the traffic
  3. cooperating with the rescue services in the field of recuing people’s life and health
  4. assuring order during public events and performances
  5. securing the crime scenes, disaster whereabouts or places in danger of such incidents
  6. escorting intoxicated individuals to the detoxication centre or their place of residence in case of presenting by them indecent behaviours in public places or in case of circumstances threatening thier own or other people’s life or health.

Performing their duties municipal policemen are entitled to carry out the following procedures:

  1. edifying and instructing
  2. giving orders
  3. verifying citizens' identity documents
  4. imposing fines for offences
  5. detaining individuals causing direct danger for other people's health or life or their property and delivering them immediately to the nearest Police Station

While performing the penal procedures imposing fines for the committed offences on people who are not Polish citizens but are on the territory of Poland is regulated by the Bill of 24 September 2001 Code of Procedures in Offence Cases (Official Gazette Announcing Current Legislaton of 29 September 2001 including subsequent changes).

According to the above mentioned bill a person who does not possess the Polish citizenship but temporarily remains on the territory of Poland or a person who does not have a steady place of residence might be penalised with a cash fine. The fine becomes legally valid on the point of paying the fine to the officer who issued it. The municipal policeman who imposes a cash fine is obliged to define the amount of money to be paid, to inform the offender about the offence committed and to inform him/her about the right to refuse to accept the fine as well as the legal consequences of such a decision.