Law enforcement agencies of the Second Polish Republic in Western Ukraine, establishment and activity

Abstract

This article is about law enforcement agencies that were created and acted in Western Ukraine over the period 1919 – 1939 years. The author analyzed the activities of the Polish police, not only as a political component of state authority, but as a body which functions to combat overall crime.

Studying of this issue would help to assess the political and social situation in the occupied Ukrainian territory of this time, the role of government agencies of Poland and comprehensively evaluate the performance of the police in Poland, analyze its activity, not only as a political component of state authority, but as a body which functions to combat overall crime. Interesting issue is in providing it with effectiveness in activity, according to structure of bodies and their management.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the place and role of the police in the Polish political life of the occupied territories of Western Ukraine, determining its overall structure and specific functions.

The police were part of the state administrative apparatus, but not local governments, as it was before 1890. Since the police department is a strictly centralized and hierarchical formation, management of Polish police is carried out by a centralized scheme (Main Commandant of the police - Provincial commandant - the county (district) commandant). Polish police consisted of the following specialized services: criminal, preventive and promoting (auxiliary) police. Judicial police functioned in the structure of the police, its powers and principles are determined by the Minister of Interior and Administration in agreement with the Minister.

Analyzing the powers of state police, we can say  that it acted in two directions: preventive, whose task is to prevent violations of law and representative, whose task was to investigate crimes already committed. Carrying out the preventive measures that ensure public peace, safety and order, Polish police belonged to the executive and was subordinated to the Minister of Interior, the governor and village elder, receiving their orders and instructions. In representative direction the police is subordinated to justice institutions (judges and prosecutors) [9, p. 271-272]. Scope of police powers, as the administrative body was broad, and in general the powers consisted also of a number of special powers, such as powers in the field of construction, water, industrial, sanitary affairs and so on. Police powers, as a body of justice, are widely described in the Criminal Procedure Code 1928.

Conclusion. Studying of law enforcement agencies of the Second Polish Republic is a key issue, as it allows to track many aspects of social and political life of interwar Poland, part of which was a land of Western Ukraine.