Professional ethics in the Police and safety in service. Theoretical and practical issues.

The changes introduced in the system of internal security in Poland after 1990, especially the activities of the Polish Police, are aimed at perceiving the servant role of the whole formation in relation to the society. Progressive professionalisation is connected not only with continuous improvement and exchange of equipment resources, but above all with high expectations towards the officers themselves. In this sense, in order to carry out the statutory tasks well, the policeman should obviously have the latest technological achievements, but it is equally important that he or she has a high sense of morality. In difficult situations, he or she must have no doubts as to how he or she should behave, what is good and what is wrong - what is bad. Ethically deepened professionalism means not only taking care of the quality of their work and its effects, but also taking care of good interpersonal relations, effective protection against unnecessary tensions, observance of the rules of appropriate behaviour and the accompanying diligence and efficiency of their actions. Openness of the Police to society, including building public trust based on ethical principles and absolute respect for human rights, supported by social research, is a testimony to the growing professionalism. The indicated trend in the development of the Polish Police is a new challenge. It is characterized by a return to the ethos of the State Police, but as it should be believed, it will not always meet with full recognition and understanding of the police community. This justifies undertaking research on the relationship between the rules of professional ethics of the police officer and their impact on the safety in service. This article contains a scientific exploration of the issues raised, supported by empirical research on a group of 326 Polish Police officers.