Poland

Poland regularly reports hate crime data to ODIHR. Several public bodies are involved in monitoring and/or collecting data on hate crimes, primarily the police and the Prosecutor's Office. Hate crime data are regularly published.

There is a high degree of hate crime specialization in both police and prosecutor structures. More than 100 specialist hate crime prosecutors have been appointed, and a network of hate crime co-ordinators was established in the police in 2014. In 2015, following a request by the lower house of parliament, ODIHR provided a legislative review of proposed changes to the Criminal Code of Poland, including on hate crime provisions.

Poland has implemented ODIHR's Training Against Hate Crime for Law Enforcement (TAHCLE) programme since 2012. In 2018, the Ministry of the Interior, ODIHR and the EU Fundamental Rights Agency co-organized a workshop on understanding and improving hate crime recording and data collection based on ODIHR's Information Against Hate Crimes Toolkit (INFAHCT) programme. Poland also developed and piloted a methodology for conducting victimization surveys as part of ODIHR's project on "Building a Comprehensive Criminal Justice Response to Hate Crime". In 2019, ODIHR co-operated with the Commissioner for Human Rights in Poland to issue a report on the nature and scale of unreported hate crimes against members of selected communities in Poland.

Hate crime data collection in Poland
Support for hate crime victims in Poland
Hate crime capacity building in Poland

OFFICIAL DATA

Year Hate crimes recorded by police Prosecuted Sentenced
2022 1,180 440 312
2021 997 466 339
2020 826 374 266
2019 972 432 597
2018 1117 397 315
2017 886 320 260
2016 874 281 236
2015 263 229 195
2014 778 179 127
2013 757 116 53
2012 266 76 39
2011 222 43 24
2010 251 30 28
2009 194 29 27

About 2022 Data

    The police records represent the number of proceedings initiated by police for hate crimes cases in 2022, including proceedings that were later discontinued owing to a lack of evidence.

    The records on prosecuted hate crimes includes cases that culminated in a bill of indictment, submissions to courts based on a guilty plea, submissions to courts for the conditional discharge of a penalty, and submissions to courts to discontinue proceedings owing to the perpetrator's reduced culpability on mental health grounds.

    The records on sentenced hate crimes represent the number of persons convicted in the first instance before district and regional courts.

    All records may include cases of discrimination or hate speech, which fall outside of the OSCE's definition of hate crime.

Hate crime recorded by police

The numbers presented here refer to police investigations that were initiated as hate crimes. Incidents of hate speech, which fall outside of the OSCE's definition of hate crime, were not included.

National developments

On 7 July 7 2022, the Criminal Code and other laws were amended. The sentencing directives (Article 53 of the Criminal Code) now require the courts to take into account "the commission of the offence as a result of a motivation deserving particular condemnation". Provisions related to incitement to hatred and to violence (Article 256 of the Criminal Code) were also amended.  

In line with the Decision of the Commander-in-Chief of the Police, a team tasked with developing a draft curriculum for a specialized course on hate crimes was established in June 2022.

In addition, representatives of the police took part in 2022 in anti-discrimination workshops organized by the "Polin" Museum of the History of Polish Jews.

The National School of the Judiciary and Public Prosecution covers material related to hate crimes during its apprenticeship and supplementary apprenticeship courses for judges and prosecutors.

KEY OBSERVATION

ODIHR recognizes Poland's efforts to strengthen the capacity of law enforcement to address hate crimes. However, based on the available information, it observes that Poland's hate crime recording and statistics do not sufficiently distinguish hate crimes from other crimes. In addition, ODIHR observes that Poland would benefit from further raising awareness among and building the capacity of prosecutors on hate crime.

ODIHR recalls that in Ministerial Council Decision 9/09, OSCE participating States have agreed to a common definition of hate crime and committed to collecting reliable data and statistics on hate crimes. To that end, hate crimes need to be distinguished throughout the recording and data collection process from discrimination and other crimes. Participating States have also committed to introduce or further develop professional training and capacity-building activities for law enforcement, prosecution and judicial officials dealing with hate crimes.

ODIHR stands ready to support Poland in meeting its relevant commitments through the provision of comprehensive resources and tailored assistance in the area of hate crime recording and data collection, as well as through its resources and tailored capacity-building assistance for police, prosecution, and judiciary.

Our methodology

INCIDENTS REPORTED BY OTHER SOURCES

No information is available.

INTERNATIONAL REPORTS

No information is available.