Criminal law and practical approaches to fighting crime in the area of protection of cultural property as an element of forming the cultural security of the Third Polish Republic

Abstract

The objective of the article is to present criminal law provisions and also the actual effects of fighting crime in the area of protection of cultural property in Poland since the beginning of the 21st century. A thesis has been formulated, according to which the protection of cultural property arising from the criminal law remains the key determinant of forming the cultural security of the Third Polish Republic. The conducted analysis shows that the effective forming of cultural security of the Third Polish Republic depends on ensuring the appropriate protection for the property of special significance for culture. Actions taken in this area of the cultural security fit with the postulate of protecting the cultural heritage. An important aspect of actions undertaken by the state is to formulate and apply the criminal law provisions. On the basis of the presented arguments it can be stated that at the beginning of the 21st century the practice of counteracting and fighting crime against cultural property in the Third Polish Republic depended to a significant extent on the activity of the Police and the Border Guard.