Two helicopters in the hands of police
On 17 May, the S-70i Black Hawk chopper first took part in extinguishing a forest fire in the municipality of Łopuszno, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, and on the same day it moved to the vicinity of Hajnówka, Podlaskie Voivodeship, where it dropped 33 tons of water. specified events frequently occur, but NIK has serious reservations.
The paper reached the results of the audit of the implementation of the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management financial plan for 2023. It forms part of the yearly state budget analyses carried out by the NIK.
The NFOŚiGW awarded the police 350 million PLN for 2 helicopters. The mark description shows that these machines were to aid preserve biodiversity, i.e. to be liable for supporting fire-fighting activities during large-area fires, including in the highest forms of nature protection, specified as national parks", and reducing the impact of flood risks.
“Rz” reports that 1 of these helicopters, produced in Mielec, was already transferred to police hangars last December, while the another is to be delivered by the end of that year.
Biodiversity and the Law
NIK pointed out that the action taken to transfer machines to the police is, as stated in the document, "illegal and unreliable". These problems have already been described in the NFOŚiGW audit study for 2022, which was published last summer.
In the analysis cited by ‘Rz’, NIK explains that the Police Act does not supply for biodiversity protection or firefighting activities, so that the police could not receive funds to acquisition machinery for this purpose.
NIK returns to the subject in a fresh report, stressing that, in addition to erstwhile allegations, it now besides finds the transfer by the NFOŚiGW of a second advance of PLN 140 million to the Police office in 2023 to be unreliable.
In the meantime, the Fund points out that the allegations of NIK are unjustified, as the machines are to be utilized not only by the Police Chief but besides by the State Fire Department. The Fund indicates that the agreement is tripartite and includes both police and firefighters. The NFOŚiGW points out that the Fire Department has in its statutory tasks the organisation and conduct of rescue operations.
