Replacement of police and border guard chiefs described as "political"

National police chief Jan Michna resigned on Friday evening following a meeting with Interior Minister Krzysztof Janik. Michna, who has been replaced by head of the Warsaw police Antoni Kowalczyk, has been given the job of working on the new police law. Meanwhile, head of the Border Guard, Marek Bienkowski, has been dismissed after refusing to step down voluntarily. He has been replaced by Jozef Klimowicz. Janik's predecessor as Interior Minister, Marek Biernacki, called the decisions political. "This was the night of the generals. At 8 pm they were called in for a meeting and heard that further cooperation was impossible. This comes at a difficult time for the State and civilization," he said. The new police chief pledged to try and move policemen out from behind their desks and onto the streets, something he is widely accredited with achieving in Warsaw. (Zycie, p. 1; Rzeczpospolita, p. 2) T.J.