BTiP 2022, nr 4 – Artykuł 1

The service of police officers and soldiers at the Polish-Belarusian border during the 2021–2022 crisis

Krzysztof Janik | Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Krakow University
ORCID 0000-0002-4783-9052

Andrzej Skowroński | Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Krakow University
ORCID 0000-0003-3048-2293

„Bezpieczeństwo. Teoria i Praktyka”, 4/2022, s. 11-28
DOI 10.48269/2451-0718-btip-2022-4-001
PDF: English

Abstract: In recent years, the question of population migration has become more present in the Polish social and political life. One of the examples of this phenomenon was the set of events at the turn of 2021 and 2022, when thousands of people tried to illegally cross the Polish-Belarusian border and enter the Republic of Poland. The state reacted by reinforcing border services, deploying soldiers and police officers to serve on the border. The circumstances of the deployment, conditions of service and related impressions of participants became the subject of research, the results of which are presented in this article. Most of our respondents were deployed to the border by order and were scarcely or completely unprepared to the service. The social and living conditions during service are evaluated as rather good, although leisure activities were poorly organised. Among the feelings and impressions from service, the most highly appreciated were the team atmosphere and cooperation and the attitude of superiors. Nevertheless, what prevails is a moderate dissatisfaction with the job, with a vast majority of participants unwilling to repeat such service.
Key words: immigration, border, border service, Polish-Belarusian border, border crisis