Karnoprawna ochrona środowiska w Polsce — system instytucji
Criminal law based environment protection — system of institutions

Summary/Abstract: In Poland there are over a dozen bodies engaged in protection of environment. The tasks in the field of combating environmental crime are carried out by several institutions with varied duties and control and investigative powers, including appearing before trial court. The system of law enforcement institutions engaged in environmental protection is undoubtedly dispersed. There is no agency legally entitled to coordinate or influence the activities undertaken by other institutions within the system. The main role here is undoubtedly played by Environmental Protection Inspectorate. It was tasked with both monitoring of compliance with the environmental protection regulations in a very wide scope, as well as independent conduct of certain operational activities and granted investigative powers. The role of the Environmental Protection Inspection will increase in the future, as evidenced by the establishment in 2021 of the Department for Combating Environmental Crimes at the Chief Inspectorate for Environmental Protection. So far, the vast majority of investigations concerning environmental crimes are conducted by the Police. There are, however, no specialised police units fighting environmental crimes and corresponding activities are carried out by departments combating economic crimes. Cases concerning organized forms of environmental crime are conducted by the Central Investigation Bureau of Police. No coherent strategy to combat environmental crime has been developed so far. Cooperation between various involved institutions is based on bilateral and multilateral agreements. An undertaking necessary to improve the effectiveness of combating environmental crimes is currently primarily the creation of common database of these crimes mechanisms and perpetrators, as well as creation of an analytical structure dealing with this issue

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