The National safety Bureau reported that president Karol Nawrocki signed the decision to usage the military to assist the Border Guard. This relates to the extension of the border control period with Germany and Lithuania until 4 April next year. Thus, Operation Safe West was besides extended, conducted by WOT.
The Ministry of Interior and Administration decided to extend the period of border controls with Germany and Lithuania for another six months. Additional formalities for arrivals and departures from Poland were temporarily reinstated at these 2 interior borders of the European Union in July this year. The aim was to increase border integrity and to combat illegal migration.
Soldiers of the Military Gendarmerie and territorials were assigned to assist the Border defender in this task. Operation “Safe West” covered the western border of the state, and forces from the 14th West Pomeranian OT Brigade, the 15th Lubuskie OT Brigade and the 16th Lower Silesian OT Brigade, and later from the 12th Wielkopolska OT Brigade were allocated to it.
At the same time, the “Safe Podlasie” operation carried out on the north-east of Poland was extended to include a border belt with Lithuania. There are soldiers of the 1st Podlasie OT Brigade. The activities of WOT soldiers in both operations are supported by the Military Police and Armed Forces Support Inspectorate.
Shoulder to shoulder with border guards
Border defender officers, supported by police and over 400 WOT soldiers, are presently conducting controls at 46 locations on the border with Germany. Operation “Safe West”, as stated by Sgt. Arkadiusz Sekuła, press spokesperson for the “Safe West” Task Force, will proceed to lead the 14th Western Pomeranian OT Brigade from the territorial defence forces, and Colonel Dariusz Szypura will lead the task force.
After the border crossings have been reinstated, the territorialists aid border guards to conduct checks and patrol the border area. Patrol service, carried out in the rotation system, lasts after respective hours. Already during the first patrols, the territorialists intervened in connection with attempts to illegally cross the border. Among others, on 9 July, they detained 3 foreigners who illegally entered the Polish side across the German border. In the following days, the Wielkopolska territorialists detained persons who illegally wanted to cross the border in the vicinity of 1 of the bridges on the Bebr River. On 18 July, Minister of Interior and Administration Tomasz Siemoniak reported on the X site that as a consequence of the night action of the Border defender and territorial defence troops, 7 migrants were detained who tried to cross the Polish-Lithuanian border illegally. In the same action there was besides a detention of a smuggler from Latvia who was waiting for migrants – all were transferred to the Lithuanian side.
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