This year, summer international student internships under the Erasmus+ programme were inaugurated by Sergeants Class II, Michał Stawkowski and Dawid Sasak, third-year students of “Police Studies.” From 26 May to 6 June, they stayed at the National Police Central District Police Station in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. This trip was not only an excellent opportunity for professional development but also allowed the scholarship holders to deepen their knowledge of the functioning of Spanish police services and to exchange experiences with foreign officers.

During their stay, the students became acquainted with the organizational structure and responsibilities of all departments of the local police. Particularly valuable were the experiences gained while performing patrol duties with Spanish officers. This allowed them not only to understand the methods and specific nature of preventive actions carried out in urban environments but also to learn about the daily challenges faced by the police in this part of Europe. Working in street patrols made the students aware of cultural and social differences that influence the way police duties are carried out.

The students also had the opportunity to serve with undercover operational teams focusing on preventing pickpocketing and identifying and neutralizing organized crime groups operating in this area. Observing working methods and participating in these activities enabled the scholarship holders from the Police Academy in Szczytno to better understand the importance of effective investigative and operational work.

Michał Stawkowski and Dawid Sasak also visited a police center dealing with the issue of illegal immigration from African countries, where they were introduced to procedures, tools, and the specifics of operations undertaken with regard to migrants. This was an extremely valuable experience, providing insight into the complexity of the migration issue from the perspective of uniformed services.

Another part of the programme was a visit to the police station located in the seaport area of Las Palmas, where the Polish trainees were introduced to inspection procedures, preventive actions, and cooperation with port and border services. This was an opportunity to learn about the specifics of work in a unit responsible for safety in coastal and port zones.

The scholarship holders also attended a meeting with officers from the counter-terrorism unit. They were presented with the structure of the unit, its operating principles, operational means used in countering terrorist threats, and cooperation with other national and international services. The students had the opportunity to see how multifaceted and complex the contemporary challenges are in the area of public safety.

Another stage of the stay was an internship in the cybercrime department, where Michał Stawkowski and Dawid Sasak learned about data analysis methods, preventive actions in cyberspace, and ways of prosecuting cybercrime perpetrators. They were shown basic tools used in cybercrime analysis and methods for handling cases of online fraud, hacking attacks, and illegal data trafficking on the web. The importance of continuous skill development in this rapidly evolving field was strongly emphasized.

One of the most important moments of the trip was participation in the “Black Shadow” police operation aimed at arresting members of an organized criminal group involved in drug trafficking and smuggling. The operation was carried out in cooperation with the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration), Europol, the British NCA (National Crime Agency), and authorities from Portugal, Colombia, and Cape Verde. Participation in these activities was extremely valuable – it allowed the students to observe multinational operational cooperation up close, understand the realities of conducting coordinated international actions, and witness the real impact of information exchange on the effectiveness of law enforcement.

The Erasmus+ internship at the National Police Central District Police Station in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria was an extremely valuable professional experience that significantly broadened the students’ knowledge about the functioning of police services in another EU country.

The trip not only allowed them to gain new knowledge and practical skills but also enabled the establishment of professional contacts with officers from other countries, which may lead to further cooperation in the future.

Participation in the Erasmus+ mobility programme highlighted the enormous importance of international experience exchange in raising the standards of police work, increasing operational effectiveness, and strengthening the common European security system.