In brief

• Warsaw city services began installing concrete barriers on streets leading to Krakowskie Przedmieście on Saturday.
• The measure follows a police recommendation after a shooting in Kraków that killed six people and injured fifteen.
• Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski also asked residents to avoid busy areas and ordered extra vigilance in crowded places.

Barriers go up on routes to Krakowskie Przedmieście

Warsaw's city services started installing concrete road barriers on Saturday at the entrances to streets running into Krakowskie Przedmieście, one of the capital's main thoroughfares (Warszawa reaguje na zamach w Krakowie. Pojawią się betonowe zapory – Rzeczpospolita). The concrete blocks are to stand at the junctions with Świętokrzyska, Miodowa, Karowa and Królewska streets (Nowa rzeczywistość na ulicach. W Warszawie rozpoczęto montowanie betonowych zapór – Bankier.pl) (Zapory na stołecznych ulicach. Komunikat prezydenta Warszawy po tragedii w Krakowie – RMF24). Public transport will be diverted while the work is under way.

The decision followed a recommendation from the police, the city's mayor said. Trzaskowski ordered heightened vigilance from the Municipal Guard and duty services, including the city's monitoring centre (Warszawa reaguje po strzelaninie w Krakowie. Betonowe zapory i dodatkowe patrole – Onet). Special attention is to be paid to the Royal Route, the Old Town and other places where crowds gather.

More police on the streets

The mayor said there were more police officers on Warsaw's streets than usual on Saturday. He appealed to residents to stay calm, to rely on verified sources of information, and to avoid walking in the city's busiest spots for the time being.

The attack in Kraków

The shooting took place on Saturday afternoon in the centre of Kraków. A 24-year-old man from Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski drove a car onto the Main Market Square and opened fire, killing six people and wounding fifteen. He was shot and detained by police. Shots were fired from a vehicle moving from the direction of Sławkowska Street, and firefighters urged people to stay away from the square (Strzelanina na Rynku Głównym w Krakowie. Są zabici i ranni – RMF24). Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he was being kept informed by the interior minister and that police were examining the motive and all circumstances of the attack.

Onet reported that the barriers are part of a wider effort to tighten security after the attack.

Read also

• Kraków Main Market Square Shooting: Cardinal Ryś Calls for Unity, Police Defend Response