New housing allowance. From PLN 900 to PLN 1,800. Payments from July 1

• As Donald Tusk pointed out, the current system did not keep up with reality and was limited to small additions that did not meet the real needs of officers.
• The new solution is expected to significantly improve the financial situation of officers in a short time.
• The key step is to equalize their status in terms of housing benefits with the status of soldiers of the Polish Army, the Prime Minister said. From July 1, they are to amount to PLN 900 to PLN 1,800.

The new benefits will provide officers with greater flexibility and better adjustment of housing conditions to their needs. They will be able to use one of four forms of support (depending on the options available in a given unit):

• housing benefit,
• allocation of residential premises,
• allocation of temporary accommodation,
• a place in a boarding school or boarding lodgings.

- Today's decisions, especially those concerning housing allowance, are of a historic nature. It was a traditional postulate of the Ministry of Interior and Administration services that this benefit could function in the same way as in the army - said Minister of Interior and Administration Tomasz Siemoniak.

This issue has been one of the main reasons for people leaving the Police for years. New solutions are intended to counteract this problem.

Minister Tomasz Siemoniak announced the quick submission of the bill to the Sejm.

- I hope that with the support of the Prime Minister this bill will be passed by the government and will not raise any controversy in the parliament, because the Police protects everyone - added the Minister of Interior and Administration.

• Housing benefits will be paid monthly from 1 July.
• Their amount will depend on the location and will range from PLN 900 to PLN 1,800 per month.
• They will be exempt from tax, and officers will be able to use the funds, among other things, to rent a property or pay off a mortgage.

This year, the Police budget has been increased by 41% compared to 2023 and amounts to PLN 20.31 billion. There has not been such an increase in expenditures for years.

In 2024, officers received a 20 percent pay increase. This year, another 5 percent increase is planned. A new financial solution has also been introduced since May 1, 2024, which is intended to encourage people to join the uniformed services. The salary of a police officer in the position of a trainee has increased by PLN 1,010. Thanks to this, the first salary of police officers and firefighters, Border Guard officers and the State Protection Service has been equalized to the salary of an ordinary soldier.

The effects of the government's actions are already visible - the number of candidates for the Police has increased by almost 50 percent compared to 2023.

The head of government stressed that he wants to maintain this positive trend and introduce further solutions that increase the attractiveness of the service.

- We were very keen to make the Police service attractive again, so that there would be more people interested in joining it than those who leave for various reasons - said Donald Tusk.

The government remains in dialogue with trade unions. A special team for improving service conditions has been established in the Ministry of Interior and Administration. Its task is to develop a new program for the modernization of the Police, Border Guard, State Fire Service and State Protection Service. The team is also working on, among other things, legal changes concerning the remuneration system, solutions to secure the housing needs of officers and facilitating access to health care services in the Ministry of Interior and Administration facilities.