“During the performance of official duties, taking into account safety considerations and the need to ensure the proper course of the intervention, direct coercive measures were applied against the woman (the assistant to the head of TV Republika – ed.), in the form of handcuffs placed on her hands behind her back,” this is the rather bizarre explanation provided by a police spokesperson following the intervention at the apartment of Tomasz Sakiewicz.
Two weeks ago, police officers entered the apartment that also serves as the office of Tomasz Sakiewicz, president of TV Republika. The intervention was prompted by a report alleging a child’s attempted suicide. According to Sakiewicz, the officers failed to identify themselves upon entering the premises and subsequently handcuffed the assistant to the president of TV Republika. Participants in the incident also reported that the officers searched the apartment.
The incident was one of dozens linked to false reports that have targeted journalists and employees of TV Republika, Gazeta Polska, and the Niezalezna.pl news portal in recent months.
The Warsaw Metropolitan Police Headquarters (KSP) has now responded to questions regarding the course of the intervention. In a letter addressed to TV Republika, Deputy Inspector Jacek Wiśniewski, spokesperson for the Commander of the Warsaw Metropolitan Police, confirmed that handcuffs had been used on the assistant who was present in the apartment.
“During the performance of official duties, taking into account safety considerations and the need to ensure the proper course of the intervention, direct coercive measures were applied against the woman in the form of handcuffs placed on her hands behind her back,”
the KSP spokesperson wrote.
The police stated that the woman had refused to provide her personal details and that officers were conducting procedures aimed at establishing her identity. At the same time, the spokesperson acknowledged that the question of whether the use of coercive measures was justified has not yet been definitively resolved.
“Whether the measures applied were proportionate to the situation encountered at the scene will be the subject of clarification proceedings,”
Deputy Inspector Wiśniewski emphasized.
The KSP response also revealed that one of the two officers involved in the intervention “did not have a name tag or numerical identification badge.” According to the explanation provided, the officer was undergoing an adaptation placement in Warsaw.
However, several questions submitted by TV Republika remain unanswered. Among other things, KSP did not specify exactly how many officers took part in the operation, whether any direct coercive measures other than handcuffs were used during the intervention, whether an internal review of the operation had been initiated, or how the police headquarters assesses the officers’ conduct in terms of compliance with established procedures.
The spokesperson also declined to answer whether handcuffing a non-aggressive woman behind her back is standard police practice during this type of intervention. Nor did he explain the specific circumstances that led to the use of handcuffs beyond the general reference to “safety considerations and the need to ensure the proper course of the intervention.”
The letter likewise failed to address a request for information regarding the scale of similar false reports directed at TV Republika, Gazeta Polska, Niezalezna.pl, and their employees, despite the journalist having specifically asked for such data.
Notably, the spokesperson simultaneously stated that the handcuffs had been applied “in accordance with applicable procedures and legal regulations,” while also adding that “whether the measures used were proportionate to the situation encountered at the scene will be the subject of clarification proceedings.” This apparent contradiction remains unresolved.