Security Service

Polish government

Also known as: SB

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Last updated

July 13, 2026

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The Security Service (SB) was a secret political police force in Poland under the communist government. It worked alongside the Citizens' Militia, which included the ZOMO, a paramilitary riot squad. The ZOMO was instrumental in enforcing martial law and suppressing demonstrations in the early 1980s. After 1990, these services were reorganized, and the paramilitary nature of the police diminished. The Office of the Protection of the State (UOP) was established in 1990 for intelligence services, later replaced by the Internal Security Agency (ABW) in 2002. Normal police functions are now under the Ministry of Internal Affairs.1

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Poland
Police
…mobile paramilitary riot squad—and the Security Service (SB), a secret political police force. In the early 1980s ZOMO played a key role in enforcing martial law and controlling demonstrations. The paramilitary nature of the Policja (“Police”), as they became known after 1990, has diminished.
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…mobile paramilitary riot squad—and the Security Service (SB), a secret political police force. In the early 1980s ZOMO played a key role in enforcing martial law and controlling demonstrations. The paramilitary nature of the Policja (“Police”), as they became known after 1990, has diminished.
Read More