Before the crime took place

Since 1963, in accordance with the instructions of Department IV of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which dealt with the persecution of people of the Roman Catholic Church, all clerics, priests and bishops, as well as parishes and curiae were placed under surveillance. It was not until the mid-1980s that the management of the ministry decided, that further “production” of TEOKs (Folders of Operational Records on Priests) should be discontinued. TEOKs already existing in the system and in the archives or in the SB cabinets began to be systematically destroyed, probably from July 1989 onwards. At that time, materials concerning Father Jerzy Popiełuszko were also destroyed.