Editing Office of State Protection

{{more footnotes|date=December 2012}}
{{Infobox government agency
| name                 = Office of State Protection
| native_name          = Urząd Ochrony Państwa
| native_name_a        = UOP
| native_name_r        = 
| type                 = 
| logo                 = 
| logo_width           = 100px
| logo_caption         = 
| image                = 
| image_size           = 
| image_caption        = 
| formed               = 1990 <!-- {{Start date|YYYY|MM|DD}} OR  -->
| preceding1           = [[Służba Bezpieczeństwa]]
| dissolved            = 2002 
| superseding1         = [[Agencja Bezpieczeństwa Wewnętrznego]]
| superseding2         = [[Agencja Wywiadu]]<!-- up to |superseding6= -->
| jurisdiction         = [[Poland]]
| headquarters         = [[Warsaw]]
| coordinates          = <!-- {{coord|LATITUDE|LONGITUDE|type:landmark_region:US|display=inline,title}} -->
| motto                = 
| employees            = 
| budget               = 
| chief1_name          = Andrzej Barcikowski
| chief1_position      = 
| deputy               = 
| parent_department    = 
| parent_agency        = [[Ministry of Interior (Poland)|Ministry of Interior]]
| child1_agency        = 
| child2_agency        = <!-- up to |child25_agency= -->
| website              = 
}}
The '''Office of State Protection''' ([[Polish language|Polish]]: ''Urząd Ochrony Państwa'' ({{IPA|pl|ˈuʐɔnt ɔˈxrɔnɨ ˈpaɲstfa}}, UOP)<ref>[http://orka.sejm.gov.pl/WydBAS.nsf/0/17C98969A5C511EDC125767F003357C3/$file/S%C5%81OWNIK%20PROCEDUR%20PARLAMENTARNYCH.pdf ''Słownik procedur parlamentarnych''], Kancelaria Sejmu, {{ISBN|83-909381-0-3}}, p. 401</ref>) was the [[intelligence agency]] of [[Poland]] from 1990 to 2002, when it was split into two new agencies.

==Foundation==
The UOP was founded on 6 April 1990 as a department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. [[Krzysztof Kozłowski]] served as the UOP's first chief from 1990 to 1992.<ref name=gw>{{cite news|title=Krzysztof Kozłowski nie żyje. Rozwiązał służbę bezpieczeństwa, milicję zmienił w policję 
|url=http://wyborcza.pl/1,75478,13630508,Krzysztof_Kozlowski_nie_zyje.html#BoxSlotIIMT |work=[[Gazeta Wyborcza]] |date=2013-03-26 |access-date=2013-04-01}}</ref> In 1996 UOP was transformed into a separate government agency under the supervision of the [[prime minister]]. It was responsible for [[intelligence]], [[counter-intelligence]] and government electronic security, including [[telephone]] wiretaps.

==Reasons for formation==
The UOP replaced the communist-era [[Służba Bezpieczeństwa]] (SB), I Departament [[Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration of the Republic of Poland|People's Republic of Poland Ministry of Internal Affairs]] – intelligence, II Departament [[People's Republic of Poland]] Ministry of Internal Affairs – counter-intelligence, whose responsibilities had additionally included the suppression of opposition to the government prior to 1989.

==Agency split==
In June 2002, the agency was split into two separate entities – [[Agencja Bezpieczeństwa Wewnetrznego|Agencja Bezpieczeństwa Wewnętrznego]] (''Internal Security Agency''), which deals with internal security of the country, and [[Agencja Wywiadu]] (''Intelligence Agency''), which deals with foreign intelligence.

== Chiefs ==
* [[Krzysztof Kozłowski]] (1990 – 1990)
* [[Andrzej Milczanowski]] (1990 – 1992)
* [[Piotr Naimski]] (1992)
* [[Andrzej Milczanowski]] (1992)
* [[Jerzy Konieczny]] (1992 – 1993)
* [[Gromosław Czempiński]] (1993 – 1996)
* [[Andrzej Kapkowski]], p.o. szefa UOP (1996 – 1996)
* [[Andrzej Kapkowski]] (1996 – 1997)
* [[Jerzy Nóżka]], p.o. szefa UOP (1997 – 1998)
* [[Zbigniew Nowek]] (1998 – 2001)
* [[Zbigniew Siemiątkowski]], p.o. szefa UOP (2001 – 2002)
* [[Andrzej Barcikowski]] (2002)

==See also==
*[[Instruction UOP nr 0015/92]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.abw.gov.pl Agencja Bezpieczeństwa Wewnętrznego] homepage

{{External national intelligence agencies}}
{{Polish intelligence agencies}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Urzad Ochrony Panstwa}}
[[Category:1990 establishments in Poland]]
[[Category:2002 disestablishments in Poland]]
[[Category:Defunct Polish intelligence agencies]]