Poland criminal records search

The police force in Poland is centrally organized and is under the authority of the Main Commander of Police, who is subject to the Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration. The regular police forces are divided into three basic departments, as stipulated by the Police Act: criminal police, prevention police and support units.

The structure of the Polish Police matches the official administrative divisions of Poland. In addition to the main Police headquarters in Warsaw, the structure is divided into 16 districts, which are further divided into regional headquarters and municipal headquarters. The lowest level of the structure is the police station.

The Police Act and the Criminal Procedure Code authorize the police to take certain compulsory measures against any person suspected of committing a crime. These measures include arrest and 48 hours detention, search of body and clothes, and house search, if the proper warrant requisites and other conditions have been met. Moreover, the Criminal Procedure Code requires the police to obtain a warrant issued by a court or public prosecutor in order to search premises. Searches without a warrant must be subsequently approved by the prosecutor or court (Art.220 of CCP).

According to the Police Act , the use of firearm by an on-duty police officer is allowed in strictly defined circumstances if other means of coercion have proved to be insufficient (Art.17 of PA). Use of firearm by the police with the goal of killing is strictly forbidden. Regulations also outline limits in regards to using force against certain persons, such as women that appear to be pregnant. The Criminal Procedure Code and the Police Act also regulate in detail the standards regarding applying special measures such as interception of phone call, interception of correspondence and parcels, secret surveillance of transport, storing and usage of crime-related objects (Art. 19,19a, 19b of PA and Chapter 27 of CCP)

The Criminal Procedure Code also contains regulations on the process regarding treatment of victims of crimes. According to Chapter 5, the victim of an indictable crime may act as an auxiliary prosecutor.

Regulations regarding the duties of police officers are found in the Police Act. Similarly, the Police Act contains the regulations regarding disciplinary measures. At the highest level of internal control is the Police Internal Matters Board (Zarzad Spraw Wewnetrznych KGP), which deals with the most serious types of police misconduct, particularly crimes committed by a police officer. Moreover, the courts in Poland examine complaints against the police submitted by individuals

The administration of justice in the Republic of Poland is implemented by the Supreme Court, the common courts, administrative courts and military courts. The common courts in Poland are district courts ("rejon"), provincial courts ("okreg") and the courts of appeal. They are competent to hear criminal law cases, civil law cases, family and custody law cases, labour law cases and social insurance cases. All court proceedings should have at least two stages. Judges are appointed for an indefinite period by the President of the Republic on the motion of the National Council of the Judiciary and are not removable. The military courts are the military unit courts and the military provincial courts. They have judiciary control within the Polish Army in criminal cases and other cases subscribed to them by relevant statutes.

The Supreme Court is the highest central judicial organ in the Republic of Poland. It exercises supervision over common and military courts regarding judgements and also performs other activities specified in the Constitution and the statutes. The Supreme Court is the highest court of appeal.

The Chief Administrative Court has jurisdiction over cases of administrative justice. This court operates through 10 delegated centres of the same Court. The Chief Administrative Court and other administrative courts exercise, to the extent specified by statute, control over the performance of public/governmental administration and settle jurisdictional disputes between units of local self-government and units of government administration.

Classification of Crimes.
Legal classification. All criminal offenses are classified into felonies, misdemeanors, and transgressions.

Felonies include violent crimes, such as homicide, aggravated forcible rape, and robbery. Since a felony is an intentional act, the intent (dolus) must be proven in order to be found guilty of a felony. Most felony crimes are contained in chapter 19 of the Penal Code, which protects the fundamental political and economic interests of the State.

Misdemeanor offenses include theft, fraud, embezzlement, burglary, assault, unintentional homicide, bigamy, incest, and breach of a state secret.

Transgressions constitute a separate category of punishable acts. They include violations of administrative regulations and minor criminal violations, such as petty theft. Transgressions are often handled by quasi-judicial boards affiliated with branches of local self-government. However, transgressions may also be handled by the police. Police will often issue a "ticket" for a transgression which requires the offender to pay a fixed penalty.