Border Guard (Poland)

Polish Border Guard
*Straż Graniczna*
Polish Border Guard; Straż Graniczna
	Racing stripe
	Polish Border Guard Ensign
Agency overview
Formed	12 October 1990
Preceding agencies	Border Protection Troops (1945–89); Border Guard (1928–39); Border Protection Corps (1924–39);
Jurisdictional structure
National agency	Poland
Operations jurisdiction	Poland
Governing body	Border Guard General Headquarters (Poland)
Specialist jurisdictions	National border patrol, security, and integrity.; Immigration; Coastal patrol, marine border protection, marine search and rescue.;
Operational structure
Minister responsible	Mariusz Kamiński, Minister of the Interior and Administration;
Agency executive	Brig. Gen. Tomasz Praga, General Commander;
Facilities
Airplanes	PZL-104 Wilga, PZL M-28, PZL M-20 Mewa, Stemme ASP S15, Let L-410 Turbolet
Helicopters	PZL W-3 Sokół, Eurocopter EC135, PZL Kania, Robinson R44
Website
	strazgraniczna.pl

The Polish Border Guard (Polish: Straż Graniczna, also abbreviated as SG) is a state security agency tasked with patrolling the Polish border. It existed in the Second Republic era from 1928 to 1939 and was reestablished in the modern-day Third Republic in 1990, going into operation the following year. During the communist era lasting from 1945 to 1989, the role of the border guard was carried out by the Border Protection Troops (Wojska Ochrony Pogranicza).

History

1928–1939

The Straż Graniczna was founded in 1928. During the times of the Second Polish Republic, it was responsible for northern, western and southern border of Poland (with Germany, Free City of Danzig, sea border, Czechoslovakia and Romania). Eastern border, often raided by military bands supported by Soviet Union was under the jurisdiction of a separate, military formation (Border Protection Corps, Korpus Ochrony Pogranicza – KOP).

Responsibilities of Straż Graniczna included:

prevention of illegal crossing of the land and sea border by people and goods (smuggling)
ensuring safety and public order in the border area
combat any threats to national security in the border area

Border Guard was organized in a military style, with uniformed and armed agents. It was controlled by the Ministry of Treasury, Ministry of Internal Affairs, and Ministry of Military Affairs. The highest level of organizational structure of the agency was Main Headquarters (Komenda Główna), based in Warsaw. It was followed by Regional Inspectorates, Border Inspectorates, stations and posts. It carried out actions through patrols, manning border checkpoints, tracking, rouses and intelligence work. It had its own river and sea flotilla, intelligence academy, and the Main School of Border Guard (Centralna Szkoła Straży Granicznej), which was located firstly in Góra Kalwaria (until 1928), then in Rawa Ruska. The school had a department of training of guard dogs, also located in Rawa Ruska.

Each station of the agency was responsible for some 20 to 25 kilometers of the borderline. The stations oversaw posts of the first line and posts of the second line. In 1938, there were 129 stations of the Border Guard, 419 posts of the first line (these were located right along the border), and 212 posts of the second line (located in the interior of the country, right behind posts of the first line).

Regional inspectorates in 1939

Mazovian Regional Inspectorate in Ciechanów,
Pomeranian Regional Inspectorate in Bydgoszcz,
Greater Poland Regional Inspectorate in Poznań,
Silesian Regional Inspectorate in Katowice,
Western Lesser Poland Regional Inspectorate in Kraków,
Eastern Lesser Poland Regional Inspectorate in Lwów.
Agency of the Customs Inspectorate of the Free City of Gdańsk.

In late 1938 and early 1939, following changes of borders of some Eastern European countries, the Border Guard took over protection of the boundary with Lithuania, while Border Defence Corps moved some of its units to the newly established border with Hungary. Furthermore, every station of the Border Guard was strengthened with a platoon of the Polish Land Forces.

Members of Straż Graniczna, under General Walerian Czuma, participated in the Second World War, fighting during the invasion of Poland together with Land Forces units.

1945–1989

During the period of the Polish People's Republic, the role of the border guards was carried out by the military formation of Border Protection Troops (Wojska Ochrony Pogranicza), being a part of the Polish People's Army and reporting directly to the Ministry of Interior, formerly under the Ministry of National Defense (from 1945 to 1949 and again from 1965 to 1970 and 1972), just as its 2nd Republic predecessors were assigned. After the martial law, border battalions were reconstructed. Battalions were re-established in Sanok, Nowy Targ, Cieszyn, Racibórz, Prudnik, Zgorzelec, Gubin, Słubice and Chojna. The organization of battalions in Nowy Sącz, Lubań Śląski and Szczecin was stopped at the stage of the backbone commands. These were later disbanded.

1990 – present

Straż Graniczna has been reestablished in the Third Polish Republic as a civil, police-type service, with the act of 12 October 1990 and began operations on 16 May 1991. It considers itself the successor to the Second Polish Republic formations of the Straż Graniczna and Korpus Ochrony Pogranicza (plus the military heritage of the Wojska Ochrony Pogranicza of the People's Republic), and thus is one of the only police styled forces to use military style ranks (the Government Protection Bureau, Agencja Bezpieczeństwa Wewnętrznego and the Służba Więzienna also use them as well).

From 1 May 2004, the day Poland became a member of the European Union, Straż Graniczna performs its responsibility to guard and protect both the Polish and EU borders.

Structure

Border Guard General Headquarters (Warsaw)

Equipment

Border Wall

Belarus–Poland border barrier

Firearms

Aircraft

Helicopters

Vessels

Griffon Hoverwork 2000TD
Type SAR-1500
SPORTIS S-7500
Sportis S-7500K
Type Mi-6
Type SKS-40
Type TM-623 OB CABIN
Type TM-923 OB
Type TM-1025 2IB CABIN
Type IC 16 M III
Type PARKER 1000 BALTIC
Type Patrol 240 (Patrol 24 Baltic)
Type SG-071^[4]
Type SG-301

Notable Border Guard commanders

Walerian Czuma

Ranks

Officers

NATO code	OF-7	OF-6	OF-5	OF-4	OF-3	OF-2	OF-1		Student officer
Polish Border Guard v t e
Polish Border Guard v t e	Generał dywizji	Generał brygady	Pułkownik	Podpułkownik	Major	Kapitan	Porucznik	Podporucznik	Podchorąży
Polish Border Guard Naval units v t e									Various
Polish Border Guard Naval units v t e	Wiceadmirał	Kontradmirał	Komandor	Komandor porucznik	Komandor podporucznik	Kapitan marynarki	Porucznik marynarki	Podporucznik marynarki	Podchorąży
Polish Border Guard Air department v t e									Various
Polish Border Guard Air department v t e	Generał dywizji	Generał brygady	Pułkownik	Podpułkownik	Major	Kapitan	Porucznik	Podporucznik	Podchorąży

Enlisted

NATO code	OR-9			OR-8	OR-6	OR-5		OR-4	OR-3	OR-2	OR-1
Polish Border Guard v t e
Polish Border Guard v t e	Starszy chorąży sztabowy	Chorąży sztabowy	Starszy chorąży	Chorąży	Młodszy chorąży	Sierżant sztabowy	Starszy sierżant	Sierżant	Plutonowy	Kapral	Starszy szeregowy	Szeregowy
Polish Border Guard Naval units v t e
Polish Border Guard Naval units v t e	Starszy chorąży sztabowy marynarki	Chorąży sztabowy marynarki	Starszy chorąży marynarki	Chorąży marynarki	Młodszy chorąży marynarki	Bosman sztabowy	Starszy bosman	Bosman	Bosmanmat	Mat	Starszy marynarz	Marynarz
Polish Border Guard Air department v t e
Polish Border Guard Air department v t e	Starszy chorąży sztabowy	Chorąży sztabowy	Starszy chorąży	Chorąży	Młodszy chorąży	Sierżant sztabowy	Starszy sierżant	Sierżant	Plutonowy	Kapral	Starszy szeregowy	Szeregowy