23 January this year officers of the Myślenice region Police Command Stop 20-year-old Ukrainian citizen, suspected of a series of robberies to harm his roommates. The man was to commit 4 thefts worth over PLN 2,000, after which he left his place of residence. Thanks to intensive operations, he was tracked and detained legally. He's facing up to 5 years in prison.
The Ukrainian stole from his roommates and then fled. Although there are fewer individual information about detentions and convictions against Ukrainians, the wider demographic and criminal context in Poland is increasingly indicating an increase in the participation of immigrants in crime. This is simply a subject which should be analysed without taboos in the public debate in Poland, not just reported as another “incident”.
Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Poland has become the main direction for alleged "war refugees". Currently, we have almost 1 million citizens of Ukraine utilizing temporary protection, and a full of about 1.55 million people have valid residence permits. This immense migration wave poses serious challenges related to integration, the labour market, education – and, as police data shows, besides to public security.
The latest statistic clearly show that:
In 2024 16,437 crimes committed by foreigners were reported, which is almost the same as the year before.
Ukrainians were the most detained group of foreigners – police stopped them 9753 times in 2024. The most common charges active driving under the influence of alcohol (2943 cases), theft (930) and fraud (461).
Although the share of foreigners in the full number of crimes in Poland is importantly lower than Poles, trends show an increase in the number of offences among foreigners in fresh years.
In 2024, the proportion of crimes committed by foreigners in the full number of recorded acts in the country was about 3.2%, compared to 2.99% a year earlier.
I do not deny the fact that most immigrants are legally employed and contribute to the economy. However, ignoring the increasing statistic of acts committed by foreigners, especially erstwhile a large part of them are citizens of Ukraine, leads to false discussions about security.
While the number of Ukrainians in Poland is moving towards millions of people, social and police infrastructure is under force – on the 1 hand due to the request for integration, on the another hand due to the request for effective screening. Data indicate that crime among foreigners grows faster than their participation in the population, which should be part of a substantive public debate alternatively of marginalized narrative.
The detention of the perpetrator of the theft in Myślenice is 1 example, which, even though it concerns the individual, fits into a broader trend, requiring a thorough analysis of migration policy and public security. statistic show that a wave of mass immigration brings real challenges to law enforcement, and effective integration and border control should be the priorities of decision-makers. Immigrants don't assimilate. Instead, they are very frequently powered by underworlds and criminal groups.
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