Minors as Covert Human Intelligence Sources of the Polish Police. Part 1

In 1990, due to the political changes in Poland, the issue of using Covert Human Intelligence Sources (CHIS) in combatting crime aroused controversy. Therefore, in the hastily and secretly prepared police laws, it was limited to provisions which just merely signalled the possibility of the Police using this method of intelligence gathering. Despite further modifications of the existing police law, the use of CHIS is still only referred to in the Act on the Police, 1990: Article 22(1). It states that: “While performing its tasks, the Police may be assisted by persons who are not police officers”. The laxity of this wording is particularly evident in the context of precise and understandable regulations in countries such as Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the United States of America. The use of minors’ help is not regulated at the level of internal confidential police regulations, which makes it difficult for police officers to fight juvenile delinquency. The aim of the research has been to determine whether the legal conditions in Poland prevent the use of underage covert human intelligence sources. The analysis led to the conclusion that there are no legal obstacles, but the use of juvenile informants should depend on the fulfillment of certain conditions.