How should I behave when interrogated by the (Polish) Police?

Meeting with the Police or Persecutors can be very stressful, especially if it happens in a foreign country. If you are to be questioned by a Police officer in Poland about any type of act that might be hypothetically imputed to you, there are certain principles to respect. Otherwise, quite often your situation might become worse still.

Principle Number 1: SHOW RESPECT TO THE POLICE OFFICER. You might be very shaken or upset, but being impolite or offensive can only aggravate your situation. Keep in mind that the Police officer are only called to do their duties, they are not your personal enemies.

Principle Number 2. REMAIN SILENT. Neither Police nor any Persecutor has legal means to f0rce you to start answering their questions. Very frequently the problems in criminal cases are related with inappropriate statements made by the defenders at the very outset of the case. Shock, Stress or outrage should not drive you into recklessly making declarations or telling your story, especially partially or fully false.

Principle Number 3. DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING WITHOUT HAVE SPOKEN WITH YOUR ATTORNEY. Signing documents, even if translated orally into your native language, can turn to be very problematic. If you have not consulted the document with your lawyer, you are forced to either believe your own judgment or the explanations delivered by the Police. In fact, you should be critical of both.

As for the Police, it’s worth mentioning that according to the World Justice Project Rule of Law index 2019 Report, Poland scores 0,66 – barely above such countries as African Namibia or Rwanda (scores 0,61) and far beyond such West European democracies like Germany or UK (0,84 and 0,8 respectively). Therefore you shall have quite limited trust in Police.

By the same token, relaying on yourself can be equally well misleading, since the law in Poland often tends to be much harsher and different than in various West European countries. Example: drunk driving means losing driving licences for at least 3 years (till maximum 15), even if there have been no accident. And the penalty will not be lower if you confess your act, since 3 years rule is a legally fixed minimum.

Be mindful of your rules. Especially if you happen to in emergency. We can reasonably sort out your case as long as it is lost from the very outset.