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Citizens’ Militia

Polish police
Also known as: MO

Quick Summary

The Citizens' Militia (Polish: Milicja Obywatelska) was the police force in Poland under communist rule. It included the Motorized Detachments of the Citizens' Militia (ZOMO), which served as a paramilitary riot squad. The ZOMO played a significant role in enforcing martial law and suppressing demonstrations in the early 1980s. After 1990, the police force was reorganized and became known as the Policja, with a diminished paramilitary character. The Internal Security Agency (ABW) replaced the Office of the Protection of the State (UOP) in 2002, handling intelligence services.1

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