Officer off duty

General Police Chief Commander, General Marek Bieńkowski handed in his resignation last Friday. As he stated in a press release, the decision was motivated by personal reasons. "I want to thank all those who helped me in the mission of heading the police," wrote Bieńkowski.

The new Minister of Interior and Administration, Janusz Kaczmarek, told the Polish Press Agency that though Bieńkowski's decision came as a surprise to him, he accepted the resignation.  Kaczmarek expressed his appreciation for the former police chief's work and professionalism. He also stressed that he and Bienkowski had already talked about ways in which they could continue to cooperate. According to Kaczmarek, the name of Bieńkowski's successor will be revealed this week. However, Wprost weekly stated on Friday that its sources had confirmed that Konrad Kornatowski will become the new head of police. Kornatowski is presently the head of the department for organized crime in the chief prosecutor's office.

Though gossip about Bieńkowski's exit appeared as early as December last year, the move spurred speculation that it was somehow related to resignation of the former Minister of Interior and Administration, Ludwik Dorn, earlier last week.

One of the leaders of the opposition Civic Platform (PO), Bronisław Komorowski, expressed worry that the resignation of Bieńkowski might cause complications in the uniformed-services sector.

Born in 1959, and a lawyer by education, Marek Bieńkowski has presided over the police since November 2005. Previously, he worked in the Polish Border Guard and in the Supreme Chamber of Control.