Polish Platform for Homeland Security
Issues related to radicalisation and extremism are a key concern for penitentiary institutions. In response to these challenges, the Polish Platform for Homeland Security (PPHS) delivered a nationwide online training attended by 1,750 officers of the Polish Prison Service from across the country.
The training, entitled “The extremism behind bars” was organised at the request of the Prison Service and delivered by Ondřej Kolář from the Police Academy in Prague, a long-standing expert in extremism and radicalisation in custodial settings. The programme focused on understanding the processes of radicalisation in prisons and on practical approaches to identifying and responding to signs of extremism, including symbols, tattoos, gestures, communication patterns, and behavioural changes among prisoners. Participants were also introduced to tools for monitoring extremist trends and to good practices from other European countries. The training was fully interpreted into Polish.
For several years, the Polish Platform for Homeland Security has been developing cooperation with the Prison Service in the area of training activities, in particular those related to preventing radicalisation. This cooperation was initiated in 2021 as part of the international R4JUST project and was continued through subsequent initiatives (among others, MIRAD and VR4REACT). These initiatives also covered other thematic areas, such as preventing reactive aggression among prisoners and strengthening the competencies of frontline officers, including through the use of VR technology.
We focus not only on developing new solutions, but above all on their effective implementation once projects have been completed. This is why partnership with the Prison Service, regular training and adapting materials to Polish needs are key for us. This is a permanent direction of PPHS activities: strengthening the capacities of national institutions, promoting European good practices and ensuring that the results developed within projects genuinely serve practice and support security in Poland, emphasised Natalia Jarmużek-Troczyńska, Senior Project Manager and Advisor to the Managing Director of PPHS.
The participation of 1,750 officers from penitentiary units across Poland confirmed the scale of interest in preventing radicalisation and the need for further training activities in this area. The importance of training is emphasised by Lt Col Cezary Mecwaldowski, Deputy Director General of the Prison Service:
The Prison Service systematically enhances the competencies of its officers. In addition to continuous professional training conducted at Prison Service training centres, specialist and advanced training courses are delivered in various formats and locations. Hybrid threats faced by Poland, incidents and arrests of saboteurs and terrorists, as well as social polarisation transforming into radicalisation with a high level of aggression, are also phenomena for which we prepare our officers. We strive to select the best experts in a given field for our training activities, and such an expert is undoubtedly Ondřej Kolář. This central training forms part of a cycle of local training initiatives aimed at equipping officers with knowledge in the areas of radicalisation, extremism and terrorism.
The high turnout and very positive feedback from participants confirm the value of further developing training initiatives and continuing cooperation aimed at strengthening officers’ competencies and supporting safety within the prison system.
