Poland deploys 20,000 cops in schools, inspects 80k educational institutions amid rising youth violence

Poland deploys 20,000 cops in schools, inspects 80k educational institutions amid rising youth violence
Ambulances stand outside a TEB Edukacja post-secondary school building following a knife attack on Minska Street in Warsaw, Poland, October 10, 2026.

Around 20,000 police officers are being deployed to schools across Poland on Monday after Prime Minister Donald Tusk pledged to tackle what he described as growing violence among young people.The deployment aims to strengthen security at schools following three recent stabbings within four days, Reuters reported.On Monday, police said they had inspected around 80,000 educational institutions and detained 135 people since Friday.Tusk, who chaired a crisis meeting on Sunday, said the glorification of violence in certain corners of the internet was having a harmful impact on young people.“We have observed a rise in the fascination with violence, both in Poland and worldwide… we are witnessing a grim trend of violence,” Tusk said, adding that content promoting Nazi ideology and a “cult of strength”, along with violent computer games, were major contributing factors.In one case, police said a boy had created a model of his school in the Roblox game and simulated attacks on students. He was found in possession of a firearm, ammunition and knives.However, authorities dismissed rumours that the violent incidents were connected to an online challenge or an organised group. Reuters reported.On Thursday, a 15-year-old former pupil wearing a helmet-mounted camera killed a caretaker and injured two teachers at a primary school in Leszczydol-Nowiny, north-east of Warsaw.On Wednesday, a 19-year-old injured 10 people, including himself, at a school in Ostroleka, north of the capital.The most recent attack took place on Saturday, when three people were injured at a further education college in Warsaw. It was Poland’s third stabbing attack at an educational institution in four days.Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said a “clear message” was needed.“There will be no tolerance for any attacks on Polish children, nor for the descent of public life into anarchy,” Kierwinski told state news channel TVP Info.

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