EVOLUTION OF SECRET SERVICES IN THE THIRD POLISH REPUBLIC - HISTORICAL AND LEGAL CONDITIONS

One of the main tasks of public authorities is to ensure the safety of citizens, which depends on the actions undertaken within the country and beyond its borders. The ongoing process of increasing globalization causes that the security authorities should constantly anticipate, detect and neutralize threats. The world security depends mainly on the geopolitical, economical and social situation. The army and police participation in international organizations causes that detection of threats is more effective. Important role in securing the country against terrorism, corruption and organized crime fulfil the authorities conducting the activities secretly. Secret services are institutions of particular importance in the structure of the public authority regardless of the political system. They are separate piece of the government administration. From the transformation period in 1989 until today Polish secret services institutions were changed many times. Over the years, it was necessary to adapt their organization to dynamic political conditions, democratic political system of Poland and current national needs. The aim of this publication is analyse the role of special services in the Third Polish Republic. The first stage includes the analysis of the process of transformation of military and civilian secret services of Polish People's Republic after 1989. The next are described the changes made in the twenty-first century. An analysis contains legal aspects of the existing five Polish secret services: Internal Security Agency, Intelligence Agency, Military Counterintelligence Service, Military Intelligence Service and Central Anticorruption Bureau.

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[1]     The Polish Constitution of 2 April 1997, (Journal of Laws 1997 No. 78, item. 483).

[2]     The Act of 6 April 1990 on the Office for State Protection, (Journal of Laws 1990 No. 30, item. 180).

[3]     The Resolution No 69 of the Council of Ministers of 21 May 1990 on the procedure and conditions for the reception of former officers of the Security Service to serve in the Office for State Protection and other organizational units subordinate to the Minister of Internal Affairs and employing them in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, (M.P. 1990, No. 20, item. 159).

[4]     The Regulation of the Council of Ministers of 9 July 1990 on the appointment of the Political Advisory Committee to the Minister of Internal Affairs and giving it the statute, (Journal of Laws1990 No. 47, item. 279).

[5]     The Act of 21 November 1967 on the universal duty to defend the Republic of Poland, (Journal of Laws 1992 No. 4, item. 16, as amended).

[6]     The Act of 9 July 2003 on the Military Information Services, (Journal of Laws 2003 No. 139, item. 1326).

[7]     The Act of 8 August 1996 Regulations introducing laws reforming the functioning of the economy and the state administration, (Journal of Laws 1996 No. 106, item. 497).

[8]     The Act of 24 May 2002 on the Internal Security Agency and the Intelligence Agency, (Journal of Laws of 2002 No. 74, item. 676).

[9]     The Regulation of the President of the Council of Ministers of 24 November 2011 on the detailed scope of activities of Jacek Cichocki - Minister of Internal Affairs for coordination of secret services, (Journal of Laws 2011 No. 254, item. 1524).

[10]  The Regulation of the President of the Council of Ministers of 28 February 2013 on the detailed scope of activities of Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz - Minister of Internal Affairs - for coordination of secret services, (Journal of Laws 2013, item. 272).

[11]  The Act of 1 August 1996 on the Council of Ministers, (Journal of Laws Act of 2012, item. 392).

[12]  The Regulation of the President of the Council of Ministers of 23 September 2014 on the detailed scope of activity of the Minister - Member of the Council of Ministers Jacek Cichocki for coordination of secret services, (Journal of Laws 2014, item. 1276).

[13]  The Act of 9 June 2006. Regulations implementing the Act on the Military Counterintelligence Service and the Military Intelligence Service and the Act on the service of officers of the Military Counterintelligence Service and Military Intelligence Service, (Journal of Laws 2006 No. 104, item. 711).

[14]  The Act of 9 June 2006 on the Military Counterintelligence Service and the Military Intelligence Service, (Journal of Laws 2006 No. 104, item. 709).

[15]  The Law of 9 June 2006 on the Central Anticorruption Bureau, (Journal of Laws 2006 No. 104, item. 708).

[16]  The Regulation of the Council of Ministers of 10 June 1997 on the tasks, detailed rules and pr­ocedures of Collegium for Secret Services at the Council of Ministers, the rules for participation in the meetings of Collegium of representatives of secret services and other competent authorities, as well as the scope of activities of the Collegium Secretary, (Journal of Laws 1997 No. 64, item. 412).

[17]  The Regulation of the Council of Ministers of 2 July 2002 on the detailed procedure and rules of operation of Collegium for Secret Services and the scope of activity of the Collegium secretary, (Journal of Laws 2002 No. 103, item. 929).

[18]  The Resolution of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland of 30 July 1992. Regulations of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland, (M.P. 1992, No. 26, item. 185).

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[1]     Grzegorowski Z., Special services and the security of Poland, Grado, Toruń 2013.

[2]     Bożek M., Czuryk M., Karpiuk M., Kostrubiec J., Special services in the structure of public authorities, LEX, Warszawa 2014.

[3]     Kosobudzki T., Why is secret police a problem of the Republic of Poland, Zetka, Warszawa 2007.

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