The Ministry of the Interior (Polish: Ministerstwo Spraw Wewnętrznych, MSW) is an administrative structure responsible for internal security, law enforcement, civil defence and registry functions in Poland. The current ministry was formed on 18 November 2011, when after the parliamentary election of 9 October 2011 there was a call to restructure the then Ministry of Interior and Administration, from which it was split. In late 2015 it was folded back to Ministry of Interior and Administration.
The last minister was Mariusz Błaszczak.
History and function
The ministry was founded in 1918. It has gone through several reforms, including partial splits and mergers, throughout its history.
The post of Minister of the Interior is one of the most important cabinet positions in Poland, According to the directive of the 'President of Council of Ministers' (Prime Minister) from the 18th of November 2011, the Minister of the Interior is responsible for:
The general interior security of the country, with respect to criminal acts or natural catastrophes
including the major law-enforcement agencies (see law enforcement in Poland)
the Polish National Police - safety and public order protection
State borders' protection, regulation of migration policy and preventing illegal immigration
the Polish Border Guard (Straż Graniczna)
Civil defence and crisis management
the State Fire Service
Search and rescue and the oversight of ambulance services
the granting of identity documents (Polish passports, identity cards) and driving licenses through the network of voivodeships
relations between the central government and local governments (except in the case of regional development, which is undertaken by the Ministry of Regional Development
logistics and organization of political elections, at the national and voivodeship levels (but the results of the elections are overseen by the Constitutional Tribunal and administrative courts)
integration and registration of legal immigrants
civil registry functions: marital status registration, change of names or surnames
While the ministry of the Interior supervises police forces, it does not supervise criminal enquiries; criminal enquiries are conducted under the supervision of the judiciary.
The ministry's seat is located on Stefan Batory Street, south of Warsaw's city centre and in the governmental district which surrounds the Belweder. The Ministry can be referred to by its initials 'MSW'.
Political Party: PO PiS SLD UW PZPR SDPL
Ministers of Internal Affairs of the Second Republic of Poland
Stanisław Thugutt 17 November 1918 – 16 January 1919
Stanisław Wojciechowski 16 January 1919 – 9 December 1919
Stanisław Wojciechowski 13 December 1919 – 9 June 1920
Józef Kuczyński (kierownik) 23 June 1920 – 24 July 1920
Leopold Skulski 24 July 1920 – 28 June 1921
Władysław Raczkiewicz 28 June 1921 – 13 September 1921
Stanisław Downarowicz 19 September 1921 – 5 March 1922
Antoni Kamieński 10 March 1922 – 6 June 1922
Antoni Kamieński 28 June 1922 – 31 July 1922
Antoni Kamieński 31 July 1922 – 16 December 1922
Władysław Sikorski 16 December 1922 – 26 May 1923
Władysław Kiernik 28 May 1923 – 15 December 1923
Władysław Sołtan 17 December 1923 – 21 March 1924
Zygmunt Hubner 21 March 1924 – 17 November 1924
Cyryl Ratajski 17 November 1924 – 14 June 1925
Władysław Raczkiewicz 15 June 1925 – 13 November 1925
Władysław Raczkiewicz 20 November 1925 – 5 May 1926
Stefan Smólski 10 May 1926 – 15 May 1926
Kazimierz Młodzianowski 15 May 1926 – 8 June 1926
Kazimierz Młodzianowski 8 June 1926 – 24 November 1926
Kazimierz Młodzianowski 27 September 1926 – 30 September 1926
Felicjan Sławoj Składkowski 2 October 1926 – 27 June 1928
Felicjan Sławoj Składkowski 27 June 1928 – 13 April 1929
Felicjan Sławoj Składkowski 14 April 1929 – 29 December 1929
Henryk Józewski 29 December 1929 – 17 March 1930
Henryk Józewski 29 March 1930 – 3 June 1930
Felicjan Sławoj Składkowski 3 June 1930 – 23 August 1930
Felicjan Sławoj Składkowski 25 August 1930 – 4 December 1930
Felicjan Sławoj Składkowski 4 December 1930 – 26 May 1931
Felicjan Sławoj Składkowski 27 May 1931 – 23 June 1931
Bronisław Pieracki 23 June 1931 – 9 May 1933
Bronisław Pieracki 10 May 1933 – 13 May 1934
Bronisław Pieracki 15 May 1934 – 15 June 1934
Leon Kozłowski 16 June 1934 – 28 June 1934
Marian Zyndram-Kościałkowski 28 June 1934 – 28 March 1935
Marian Zyndram-Kościałkowski 28 March 1935 – 12 October 1935
Władysław Raczkiewicz 13 October 1935 – 15 May 1936
Felicjan Sławoj-Składkowski 16 May 1936 – 30 September 1939
Stanisław Radkiewicz (PPR) 31 December 1944 - 7 December 1954
Ministers of Internal Affairs of People's Republic of Poland
Władysław Wicha (PZPR) 7 December 1954 – 12 December 1964
Mieczysław Moczar (PZPR) 12 December 1964 – 15 July 1968
Kazimierz Świtała (PZPR) 15 July 1968 – 13 February 1971
Franciszek Szlachcic (PZPR) 13 February 1971 – 22 December 1971
Wiesław Ociepka (PZPR) 22 December 1971 – 28 February 1973
Stanisław Kowalczyk (PZPR) 22 March 1973 – 8 October 1980
Mirosław Milewski (PZPR) 8 October 1980 – 31 July 1981
Czesław Kiszczak (PZPR) 31 July 1981 – 6 July 1990
Ministers of Internal Affairs and Administration of the Third Republic of Poland
Leszek Miller (SLD) 1 January 1997 – 17 October 1997
Janusz Tomaszewski (AWS) 31 October 1997 – 3 September 1999
Marek Biernacki (AWS) 7 October 1999 – 19 October 2001
Krzysztof Janik (SLD) 19 October 2001 – 21 January 2004
Józef Oleksy (SLD) 21 January 2004 – 21 April 2004
Jerzy Szmajdziński (SLD) 21 April 2004 – 2 May 2004
Ryszard Kalisz (SLD) 2 May 2004 – 31 October 2005
Ludwik Dorn (PiS) 31 October 2005 – 7 February 2007,
Janusz Kaczmarek (independent) 8 February 2007 – 8 August 2007
Władysław Stasiak (independent) 8 August 2007 – 16 November 2007
Grzegorz Schetyna (PO) 16 November 2007 – 13 October 2009
Jerzy Miller (PO) 14 October 2009 – 17 November 2011
