Andreas Gritsch lecturer on criminal law at our university and Dr. Reinhard Mussik, who is in charge of the ERASMUS+ at the University of Applied Police Sciences of the Brandenburg State, had the great chance to visit the Police Academy in Szczytno between 22 and 26 May 2017 because of the ERASMUS+ programme.
After a warm welcome at the Police Academy in Szczytno, they were precisely informed about the structure of the Polish Academy of Szczytno, which offers a vocational training programme for the police and several studies. The police academy also runs training-on-the-job seminars and further education training courses. The visit was aimed on finding further opportunities for an enhanced cooperation within the framework of ERASMUS+ and on the continuation of the academic exchange of information on Polish and German criminal law.
The academic status of the Police Academy in Szczytno is unique in Poland. The entire higher and upper level of police service graduates from the Police Academy in Szczytno. The university offers study programmes to earn a bachelor and master degree for Internal Security. Students can also obtain a bachelor degree for Administration. Sworn personnel as well as members of the public can enroll for these studies. The Police Academy runs post-graduate studies and has the right to award doctorates. The typical basic police training is also done there.
The German representatives of the University of Applied Police Sciences of the Brandenburg state received a warm welcome by the Deputy Commandant-Prorector of the Police Academy in Szczytno, Major Dr. Zbigniew Mikołajczyk, on Monday, 22 May 2017. Later that day, they visited the room of the simulator of police management in crisis situations. Different scenarios of large demonstrations or bomb plots can be simulated there by computer software. The leading staff members of the Polish police forces learn by using computer scenarios how to handle these situations. The library and the huge reading room of the Police Academy were impressive to see as well and the Chamber of Remembrance. The visitor from Brandenburg liked it a lot when they were introduced to the Police Centre of Analysis and Research. It contained a fully rebuilt plantation of Marihuana and a counterfeit money laboratory. A talk about the differences between German and Polish criminal law finished the first day of the visit. Andreas Gritsch used this as an opportunity to show his professional expertise.
The German delegation visited the Country Police Headquarters in Szczytno to gain some understanding of the structure and assignments of the authority on Tuesday morning. They also learned about the high technical standard there and they saw the very modern building of the police unit. The highlight of the afternoon was a visit of a German language class at the Police academy. The German visitors were happy to explain the police structure of the Federal Republic of Germany and of the Brandenburg state during the lesson and in German of course. They presented our University of Applied Police Sciences of the Brandenburg State. They also mentioned the fact that the German State of Brandenburg has started to employ Polish citizens to train them to become German police officers.
On Wednesday, the Prorector for Student Affairs at the Police Academy in Szczytno, lieutenant colonel Dr. Sławomir Zubański, and die ERASMUS+ coordinator, Anna Ćwiklińska, welcomed the visitors from Germany. A multi-media presentation on selected aspects of training and professional development in the Polish police was shown. The following visit of the shooting gallery gave a lively impression of the practicing drill at the Police Academy.
In the afternoon of the same day, the Germans experienced an English lesson at the Polish police academy. The group of students was extremely interested in the topic. These students were experienced officers who took part in a two-months-seminar, only focusing on the improvement of their English language skills! The students were asking many questions, and not only questions referring to the given subject.
A visit to gain an inside view of the police work of Olsztyn, a major town in Poland with 175 000 inhabitants, was on the schedule for Thursday. Olsztyn is the centre of the Polish Warmian-Masurian Voivodship. Friday, 26 May 2017, was the day for the visit of the small police station of Mikołaki. This police station is not only in charge of community policing, it also houses the facilities of the water police.
The visit of Szczytno has helped a lot to boost the relationship between our University of Applied Sciences and the Police Academy of Szczytno in Poland. It was made possible by ERASMUS+. The further development of a bilateral optional module for international students was intensely discussed as well as possible future visits of lecturers and students in Germany and Poland. We would like to express our greatest gratitude to all members of the academic staff who made it possible to visit Szczytno in the framework of ERASMUS+.
