Samodzielny Pododdział Antyterrorystyczny Policji (SPAP, pl, Independent Counter-terrorism Police Subdivision) are police tactical units of the Police of Poland operating under the supervision of the Chief Police Commander. The SPAP units operate under the voivodeship commands. The comparable police unit on the national level is the BOA . Police officer from Realisation Unit, Poznan Police Departament, combat training 2006

Police officer from Realisation Unit, Poznan Police Departament, combat training 2006

History

The first special police units within the police of Poland were formed on 1 March 1978 as part of the

paramilitary A paramilitary is an organization whose structure, tactics, training, subculture, and (often) function are similar to those of a professional military, but is not part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. Paramilitary units carr ...

Motorized Reserves of the Citizens' Militia. In 1988 these units were increased to the size of companies. After the disbanding of the Polish Citizens' Militia and the creation of the modern Police Service, the special police units were named ''counter-terror companies''. In 2000, the ''counter-terror companies'' were separated from the existing structures and became directly subordinate to the respective commander of the Voivodeships along with the name change to Independent Counter-terrorism Police Subdivision.

Mission and Tasks

* High-risk arrests * Counter-terrorism operations * Assistance in police operations with divers * Assistance in rescue operations *

Explosive Ordnance Disposal Bomb disposal is an explosives engineering profession using the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe. ''Bomb disposal'' is an all-encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated functions in the milit ...

* VIP protection * Hostage rescue

Training

Due to the hazardous nature of their work, SPAP officers undergo a rigorous selection and training process. Their training includes tactical training, advanced marksmanship and

Combatives Combatives is the term for hand-to-hand combat training and techniques within the Army branch of the United States military. History Sometimes called Close-Quarters Combat (CQC or close combat), World War II-era American combatives were large ...

. Upon completion of their training, further specialization in various fields such as

parachuting Parachuting, including also skydiving, is a method of transiting from a high point in the Atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere to the surface of Earth with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachut ...

, altitude rescue, VIP-protection or IED-disposal is possible. During their creation, their training was heavily influenced by American, English, French and Israeli police tactical units. POL policja korpus prew at COL

Organisation

SPAP units operate in each police voivodeship commands. They are located in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...

, Szczecin, Gdańsk, Białystok, Łódź, Poznań, Wrocław, Katowice, Kraków, and Rzeszów. In larger cities, SPKP units may consist of up to 55 officers each. In smaller voivodship cities, SPAP units consist of approximately 20 policemen. These are located in: Kielce, Radom, Lublin, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Olsztyn, and Bydgoszcz. Depending on the size of the local police units, the SPAP officers operate in their respective units as part-time officers and are only called into their units when needed. In 2017, the police of Poland underwent a process of reorganisation. The existence of BOA KGP as the national unit was maintained. However, the SPAPs units were reorganised and their structure, equipment and logistics were harmonised. The tasks of SPAPs were also specified in detail, adapting the order of the Chief Police Commander to the requirements of the Act on anti-terrorist activities. SPAP has its own bomb-disposal section, in addition one of the sub-units is constantly on duty at the unit in case of operations.

References

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External links