Polish police now enjoy confidence from 63.2% of respondents, down from 72.5% in October 2024 — a fall of 9.3 percentage points. Over the same period, distrust rose from 17.6% to 26.7%, according to the poll.
IBRiS said the decline stems mainly from people shifting out of the “rather trust” category (down 7.2 percentage points) into distrust, suggesting confidence in the force was shallow and easily eroded.
“The dynamics of trust in the police are striking,” said Kamil Smogorzewski, IBRiS’s communications director, noting it shows high volatility and “is very sensitive to current events.”
Firefighters remain the most trusted services. The State Fire Service is trusted by 97.1% of respondents (down 0.1 percentage point), while the Volunteer Fire Service rose 3.7 points to 96.8%. In both cases, IBRiS said expressions of distrust are marginal.
Municipal (city or gmina) guards face a crisis of confidence. Their trust score fell 8.1 points in under a year, from 59.4% to 51.3% in September 2025, driven largely by a shift from “rather trust” to “rather distrust,” which increased by 7.9 points.
Smogorzewski said firefighters are viewed as apolitical and focused on saving lives and property, underpinning their enduring reputation, whereas municipal guards — often tasked with enforcement such as parking rules — are more exposed to criticism and negative emotions.
(jh)
Source: PAP