In connection with a wanted notice issued for Zbigniew Ziobro, Poles, as part of a protest against using the emergency number 112 as an element of a political fight against the opposition, have been calling the number and informing operators that they know where the former justice minister is staying. They provide his location so that the services are not used in vain. After one such call, the caller was visited by the police. The officers wanted to issue him a fine, which he refused to accept.
Police visit a man who called 112 about Ziobro
Yesterday, a prosecutor issued a decision to search for former justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro by means of a wanted notice. The notice, including the image and personal details of the Law and Justice (PiS) MP, was published on the website of the Warsaw Metropolitan Police Headquarters. Yesterday evening on TV Republika, MP Jan Kanthak suggested calling the indicated numbers and reporting that Zbigniew Ziobro is in Hungary, where – as is widely known – he has been granted political asylum.
The wanted notice for Zbigniew Ziobro lists a number for the department responsible for locating wanted persons, as well as the emergency number 112, along with a note that anyone who has information about the whereabouts of the wanted person should report it using one of these numbers.
A resident of Łódź called 112 to report that Ziobro is in Hungary. Shortly afterward, police officers arrived at his home. The man posted an online entry in which he described the entire incident in detail.
“A wanted notice has been issued for Zbigniew Ziobro. Some people sincerely dislike this figure, others sincerely respect him. That is not what matters here. The Polish state, the National Prosecutor’s Office, knows exactly where this suspect is. He is in Hungary and has political asylum. Whether this is good or bad is irrelevant. Nevertheless, a wanted notice is issued in which, as an equivalent contact number, the emergency number is included – a number that until now was supposed to ensure our health and safety. So I called 112. I wanted to hear what the legal procedure is for such a report in a situation where it can, in fact, be made by the majority of citizens with even a rudimentary knowledge of current politics. After providing information about Minister Ziobro’s whereabouts, I was told that I was joking and blocking the emergency number, which is an offense. An hour later, two police officers knocked on my door and, in an atmosphere far from polite, handed me a notice of suspected commission of an offense. An offense that arose directly from the precise instructions contained in the wanted notice. In this way, the law enforcement services themselves admit that this notice is not meant to search for anyone, but rather for a political campaign,” we read.