“The main job of the search and rescue teams is to provide aid to migrants of unregulated legal status that find themselves near the border on the Polish side and who have lost their way in the forests, wetlands, and in difficult-to-reach areas, and whose life and health might be in danger,” Major Andrzej Juźwiak said.

According to him, the special units comprise a dozen officers with appropriate skills and CPR experience who additionally know the terrain very well.

He added that they have been provided with professional equipment, such as first-aid kits and thermal blankets, and that they will be collaborating with non-governmental organizations and other services, including specialized medical rescue teams.

The border crisis

Since 2021, Poland has been dealing with the so-called ‘migrant crisis’ orchestrated by the Belarusian regime, which led to thousands of people trying to illegally force their way into Poland.

In response, the previous government built a physical barrier that was completed last year. It consists of a 5.5-meter-high fence of steel spans topped with razor wire, has a length of 186 kilometers, and is under continuous monitoring.

The physical barrier is accompanied by an electronic one, 206 kilometers long, equipped with 3,000 day-night and thermal imaging cameras, and 400 kilometers of detection cables.