- Two men who tried to rob a flood-damaged petrol station in Kłodzko were caught red-handed and fined 500 PLN
- Even higher penalties may be imposed on criminals who robbed cars of volunteer firefighters when they arrived to help clean up the effects of flooding on one of the properties. Police are looking for the thieves
- The main command warns that in the areas affected by the flood, there are also officers of the criminal division, also in plain clothes, to immediately react in such situations.
- “Anyone who wants to enrich themselves on human suffering, instead of helping flood victims and raising a hand on their property, will be met with a ruthless reaction from law enforcement agencies,” assures the Police Headquarters.
- More important information can be found on the Onet home page
So far, police have evacuated almost nine thousand people in southern Poland. However, not everyone wants to leave their belongings, among others, for fear of thieves. Especially since the first cases of people taking advantage of the difficult situation in flooded towns have already appeared. The police are already receiving the first reports of such cases.
They tried to rob a gas station. The police caught them red-handed
“We warn potential thieves!! All those who want to get rich from human suffering, instead of help flood victims and raise their hands on their property, they will be met with a ruthless reaction from law enforcement agencies,” the Police Headquarters warns in a statement posted this morning on its official profile on the X website.
— So far, we have received 12 reports of this type. These were, for example, reports from people who saw suspicious characters hanging around apartments or houses from which people were evacuating. However, we have one confirmed incident — from Kłodzko. Two men who wanted to rob an Orlen petrol station were caught red-handed — Inspector Katarzyna Nowak, spokeswoman for the Police Headquarters, told Onet.
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The incident was recorded by one of the residents of Kłodzko. The recording shows how men trying to enter a gas stationdamaged by the flood wave. A moment later They run away from the police through the mud, but the officers catch up with one of the menThe recording was posted online and even shared by General Wiesław Kukuła, Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Army.
“We are sending soldiers equipped with night vision and thermal imaging devices to support the Police. Looters – night and lack of electricity will no longer be your allies,” he wrote.
As it turns out, the thieves have already been punished. — The men tried to take alcohol and cigarettes from the gas station. Their value was less than PLN 800, so it was classified as a misdemeanor. The men have already been fined 500 PLN each. — says Katarzyna Nowak in an interview with Onet.
Search for thieves who robbed firefighters’ cars
— The remaining reports have not been confirmed yet. It is worth emphasizing that in the places affected by the flood there are also police officers from the criminal division, also in plain clothes, to arrest such potential criminals on the spot. If anyone sees anything suspicious, call 112. We will definitely not ignore any signal. However, you should not report it, for example, on Facebook, as one of the users did, calling for help to a house being robbed on this social networking site, but call this emergency number, immediately providing the address — emphasizes the spokeswoman for the Police Headquarters.
— Every crime of this type is theft, but the court takes into account the motivation and special circumstances when assessing guilt and imposing a sentence. When assessing the evidence, it may therefore take into account that someone wanted to enrich themselves on human suffering. Then it has the possibility of applying the highest penalty. And we can expect that courts will treat people who want to exploit human tragedies in this way — emphasizes Katarzyna Nowak.
This is probably how the perpetrators who robbed cars of the Volunteer Fire Department in Cisie in Silesia will probably be treated when they came to help remove the effects of flooding on one of the properties. This outrageous event took place on the night from Saturday to Sunday. “The cars of our firefighters who went to the operation, left at the intersection of ul. Cisiańska with ul. Zielona and ul. Wręczycka in the town of Blachownia, were robbed and their windows were broken. If anyone saw anything or knows anything, please contact us immediately,” the firefighters wrote on their Facebook page.
The police are looking for thieves. “Unknown perpetrators broke into BMW X5 and Opel Astra cars parked in this place, from where they stole a CB radio and other items (…) Witnesses to the incident, people in possession of recordings from car video recorders are asked to contact the police officers of the Blachownia Police Station at tel. no. 47 85 806 10 or 112. We guarantee anonymity,” the uniformed officers appeal.
Donald Tusk: Anyone caught will be treated really ruthlessly
Donald Tusk announced severe penalties for such crimes on Monday. The following day he confirmed his assurances once again.
– I was also asked, I mean the request of the Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration and the Prosecutor General, the Minister of Justice, to convey the assurance to all flood victims that the police and prosecutor’s office will act ruthlessly, quickly and using all available tools against looters, against all those who would like to take advantage of the situation of people who had to leave their homes – said the Prime Minister.
– Everyone caught will be treated really ruthlessly. We are not joking. In the situation that the flood victims found themselves in, acting against their property, robbing their homes is an exceptionally heinous crime. The Prosecutor General assured me that each such case – of course within the framework of existing law – will be prosecuted ruthlessly and will be treated as a crime deserving the highest penalty allowed by law – added the head of government.
