On 18 February 2026, a team was set up in the Senate to combat vandalism and illegal graffiti. Senator Monika Piątkowska’s initiative is a response to the increasing destruction of public and private property and the rising costs of removing it. The losses are estimated at tens of millions of zlotys per year, and the detection rate of perpetrators remains alarmingly low.
Team to combat vandalism and illegal graffiti – an impulse from Krakow
The idea to establish the team arose after reports from Krakow local government officials, who pointed out the difficulties in removing illegal inscriptions from historic tenement buildings. In many cases, determining the owner of the property is time-consuming or impossible, which blocks the city’s intervention. Senator Monika Piątkowska pointed out that regulations are needed to allow municipalities to remove graffiti at their own expense, without having to obtain the owner’s consent. Over time, it became apparent that the scale of the phenomenon goes far beyond isolated cases. The problem affects large cities, smaller towns and transport infrastructure. The destruction of facades, railway carriages and stops generates huge expenses, and the perpetrators rarely face consequences. In practice, this means a sense of impunity, which encourages further acts of vandalism.
Koleje Mazowieckie counts its losses in millions
One of the most telling examples is the data presented by Koleje Mazowieckie. In 2023-2024, the company spent over PLN 31 million on cleaning graffiti from carriages. Over 100,000 square metres of carriage surfaces were damaged, and some trains had to be temporarily withdrawn from service due to damage. The costs are also borne by local governments, which finance the cleaning of buildings, noise barriers and engineering structures. These expenses burden local budgets and limit funds for other public tasks. With the low effectiveness of prosecuting perpetrators and the small number of final judgments, the system for responding to vandalism proves to be insufficient.
Team to combat vandalism and illegal graffiti
During the founding meeting, the team’s presidium was elected. Senator Monika Piątkowska was appointed chair, with Senator Waldy Dzikowski and MP Dominik Jaśkowiec serving as deputies. The committee also includes Senators Agnieszka Gorgoń-Komor, Janusz Gromek, Joanna Sekuła, Małgorzata Sekuła-Szmajdzińska, Jerzy Wcisła and Jacek Trela, as well as MP Jerzy Meysztowicz. The members of the team declare that they are working on amendments to the laws on local government and the finances of local government units in order to provide municipalities with more effective legal and financial instruments. Modifications to criminal law provisions are also being considered. Experts and representatives of the younger generation are to be involved in the activities in order to broaden the perspective of the debate.
Cooperation between institutions in the fight against vandals
The team adopted rules of procedure defining the scope of work. The tasks include analysing existing regulations, initiating legislative changes and supporting measures to reduce the scale of vandalism and illegal graffiti. Cooperation with public institutions, non-governmental organisations and expert circles has also been announced. The next meeting was scheduled for 4 March 2026. Parliamentarians are to review the opinion of the Codification Commission on the proposed changes to the law. The results of this work will determine whether local governments and transport operators will receive real tools to more effectively combat vandalism, which today generates high costs and largely goes unpunished.
Source:Senate of the Republic of Poland
See also:Monument|Renovation|City|Warsaw|Architecture in Poland
