Security and Public Order in Polish Public Law

Abstract

In this paper the author discusses the position and role of security and public order in the Polish public law system. The division into public law and private law included is not the first. It is derived from the work of Ulpian, and was later included in the Digest of Justinian. Its further development, depending on the region, accepted political ideology and the philosophy of law, took on a different shape, determining the way of perceiving the law. It should be assumed that the concept of separation between public law and private law is the domain of substantive law, and its application is primarily found in scientific digressions. The considerations are of theoretical nature, pointing to the scope of application of the concept of security, which is wrongly equated with the concept of public order, in various legal acts ranging from acts in law and international law, through executive acts, to local law and internal ordinance regulations. These have recently shown a dramatic increase in the role of security and public order in the decision-makers and legislators conceptions. Despite the importance and demand for the good of public security and public order, which is at the same time one of the basic functions of public administration, the legislator has only presented this issue in a fragmented way, referring only to particular areas of law which, despite use by numerous judicators, still raise some doubts in respect of interpretation. In the area of the issue discussed, the author also points to the tendency of blurring the boundary between the sphere of public law and the sphere of private law, in particular by dislocating public service provision in the field of public security and order, to paid for services provided by private parties in this area. The result of this synthesis is a partial indication of the dangers resulting from differences in the constitutional guarantees of private and public law.