The Border Guard announced the suspension of joint Polish-German border patrols. However, the official statement of the German police states that "the Polish Border Guard and the Federal Police conduct border controls in a coordinated manner."
Initially, in the early 2000s, patrols focused on combating smuggling. Over time, their tasks were expanded to include combating other forms of crime, such as human trafficking, drug trafficking, and car theft. Most recently, cooperation narrowed to the issue of migration into Germany.
The decision was a reaction to tensions over Germany's practice of returning illegal migrants to Poland. The Polish Border Guard suspended the operation of joint posts and patrols in order to concentrate on independent controls, supported by the Military Gendarmerie, Territorial Defense Forces, and police, as Border Guard spokesperson Major Dolot explained.
The German Federal Police (Bundespolizei) responded to the question about confirming the suspension of joint Polish-German border patrols:
"The Polish Border Guard and the Federal Police conduct border controls in a coordinated manner that safeguards the interests of both controlling parties. Please understand that the Federal Police does not comment on the details of bilateral coordination of cooperation."
Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz also weighed in on the topic, firmly rejecting German Minister Alexander Dobrindt's proposal for joint patrols, emphasizing that Poland would operate independently.
