Police join rangers as tourists push Polish national park rules to the limit

Police in Poland have joined national park rangers on patrol as crowds flock to the country's spectacular Tatra mountains for the summer season—and some visitors appear to be treating the protected area as their personal playground.

Lake Morskie Oko, a popular tourist attraction in Poland's southern Tatra Mountains.

Photo: Maksym Kozlenko, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

This season has already seen a number of high-profile cases of transgressions of the Tatra National Park's strict rules.

Tourists have been filmed bathing in Morskie Oko, a picturesque lake nestled between the mountains, and other protected lakes and ponds, which is strictly prohibited.

"The presence of uniformed officers helps keep things safe and orderly, particularly in the busiest areas, such as around the upper station of the cable car to Kasprowy Wierch or near mountain shelters, where there can sometimes be up to 300 people at once," said local police spokesman Roman Wieczorek, adding that police assistance helps prevent tense situations from escalating.

Michał Owczarek has the story.

Click on the audio player above to listen