In 2004, the National Police Headquarters organized a Historical Symposium, inviting police officers collecting police accessories and researching history of law enforcement in Poland. This meeting marked the beginning of cooperation between police and historians dealing with the history of the Police. In 2005, at the next symposium organized by the IPA Poland, the Police Collectors Club was established. The Club currently has more than 100 members representing Polish, English and Canadian workers of so called ‘’uniformed services’’ collecting police accessories, retracing police history, and reconstructing historical events involving the Police. The aim of the Club was to promote the collecting amongst the police and the general public, as well as association of people interested in collecting memorabilia related to the police formations.
With the development of the Club subsequent historical symposia were organized (last one in 2007 in the Warsaw Metropolitan Police Training Centre located in Tomice near Góra Kalwaria). Currently, the activities of the Club members are focused on the presentation of historical Polish and foreign police equipment in exhibitions organized by Police units, cultural institutions and museums – for example, in 2009, an exhibition entitled “90 years of the Police” held in the Pomeranian Military Museum in Bydgoszcz to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the State Police, and in 2011, an exhibition entitled “Colour and weapons,” held at the National Museum in Krakow to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Military Police establishment.
Police Collectors Club acts under the patronage of the Polish Section of the IPA and represents our association during the central celebrations of the Police Day – for example in 2011, in the Castle Square in Warsaw, in 2013 and 2014 – in the Marshal Pilsudski Square in Warsaw. Club members participate in meetings organized by foreign IPA sections collectors, such as organized in 2012 meeting of the IPA Bratislava and IPA Berlin. The club cooperates with the authors of historical books. Fr example, in 2011, with the participation of the Club members the album “The symbolism of Polish security organizations” was released.
In 2014, the Club celebrated its 10th anniversary. Celebrations associated with it were held at the symposium, which was held on September 4-6 at the resort JuraPark in Bałtów, the Holy Cross (świętokrzyskie) province.
