The City Guard ( ) is the name given to the separate

municipal police Municipal police, city police, or local police are law enforcement agencies that are under the control of local government. This includes the municipal government, where it is the smallest administrative subdivision. They receive fundi ...

forces funded, directed and administered by some of the ''

gmina The gmina (Polish: , plural ''gminy'' ) is the basic unit of the administrative division of Poland, similar to a municipality. , there were 2,479 gminy throughout the country, encompassing over 43,000 villages. 940 gminy include cities and tow ...

'' (municipalities) of

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. They operate in conjunction with the

Policja The Police (, ) is the Poland, Polish national civilian Police, police force. It is a primary law enforcement agency in the country, tasked with providing public safety and order, investigating and preventing crime. Polish Police is headed by ...

, the Polish national police. StrazMiejskaLodzRowery

The present arrangement for municipal police in Poland was created after the fall of Communism, partly to provide a 'counterweight' to a national police force, and partly to ensure that the needs of local communities were not neglected with such a centralized agency. City Guards have fewer powers than the Policja (for instance they do not have a power of

arrest An arrest is the act of apprehending and taking a person into custody (legal protection or control), usually because the person has been suspected of or observed committing a crime. After being taken into custody, the person can be question ...

), and can only exercise what powers they have in their own municipality. They have jurisdiction over

misdemeanor A misdemeanor (American English, spelled misdemeanour elsewhere) is any "lesser" criminal act in some common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished less severely than more serious felonies, but theoretically more so than admi ...

s, supervise and protect the safety of citizens and property, and assist the Policja in

public order Public order may refer to * Public security: the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety and security of the public from significant danger or property damage * Public order policing: police maintenance of order ...

road safety Road traffic safety refers to the methods and measures, such as traffic calming, to prevent road users from being killed or seriously injured. Typical road users include pedestrians, cyclists, Driving, motorists, passengers of vehicles, and p ...

and so on. They cannot investigate criminal cases beyond the securing of a crime scene; in the event of a major incident a City Guard must request the aid of an officer of the Policja. Straż Miejska can also perform security guard duties and transport valuables for the municipality. They are known to be equipped with

baton Baton may refer to: Stick-like objects *Baton, a type of club *Baton (law enforcement) *Baston (weapon), a type of baton used in Arnis and Filipino Martial Arts *Baton charge, a coordinated tactic for dispersing crowds of people *Baton (conducti ...

handcuffs Handcuffs are Physical restraint, restraint devices designed to secure an individual's wrists in proximity to each other. They comprise two parts, linked together by a Link chain, chain, a hinge, or rigid bar. Each cuff has a rotating arm whi ...

tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymatory agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the Mace (spray), early commercial self-defense spray, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the ey ...

spray and, more recently,

tasers Taser (stylized in all caps) is a line of handheld conducted energy devices (CED) sold by Axon Enterprise (formerly Taser International). The device fires two small barbed darts intended to puncture the skin and remain attached to the targe ...

. They can also be equipped with firearms when performing municipal property security guard or valuable transporting duties. Because of their decentralized nature, the uniforms and vehicle liveries of the City Guards vary greatly. They also have hats or caps with a characteristic yellow-black checkerboard pattern. Sztandar SM Szczecina

The Straż Miejska are similar in function to municipal police agencies in, for example, Municipal Police france and to

Police Community Support Officer A police community support officer (PCSO; ), or as written in legislation Community Support Officer (CSO; ), is a uniformed member of police staff in England and Wales, a role created by Section 38(2) of the Police Reform Act 2002, which was giv ...

s in police forces in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

as well as Handhaving in

The Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. The regulations also standardize the appearance of municipal police cars. Guard vehicles are to be silver in color with a distinctive stripe in the form of a three-row yellow and dark blue checkerboard. The provision applies to police cars purchased after July 1, 2012.Rozporządzenie Ministra Transportu, Budownictwa i Gospodarki Morskiej z dnia 27 kwietnia 2012 r. zmieniające rozporządzenie w sprawie warunków technicznych pojazdów oraz zakresu ich niezbędnego wyposażenia ().

Rank structure

References

{{reflist Law enforcement agencies of Poland Municipal law enforcement agencies

Rank structure

See also

References