Polish Police in the Era of the Contemporary Means of Direct Coercion

Abstract

The aim of this article is to show the importance of means of direct coercion in the era of modern threats. Undoubtedly, an important role in this regard is played by the Police, as a body established to ensure security and public order. It is the responsibility of police officers, both in Poland and in other countries, to take care of the safety of citizens. Therefore, police officers should be prepared in an appropriate way, through the training process, to take up actions, including dangerous ones. It is also essential that these people are adequately equipped with “tools” to enable them to be safe both personally and in relation to the people they take action against. The means of physical coercion that are available to police officers undoubtedly fulfil this role. The following article presents the results of research conducted among police officers in Poland within the framework of a research task financed by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education within the framework of statutory activity. The aim of the research was to determine, among other things, which of the individual means of direct coercion available to police officers in the course of their official duties is in their opinion the most useful, and at the same time allows them to maintain safety during official interventions. The respondents clearly assessed that this was the electric taser, i.e. the latest means of direct coercion introduced for the use of the Polish Police in 2007. However, it is only from 2013 that the electric taser, in the form of three models — the Taser X26, Taser X2, and Taser X26P — has been widely introduced into this uniformed formation.