Poster warning potential looters of penalties

Western and Northern Territories were in the early months after the war an ideal place for criminals. Favored by depopulation, ready access to spoils, little control in the new voivodeships by the state, and lack of social bonds. Among the most frequent crimes were mugging, thievery, rape and looting. These were often committed by those who theoretically should protect settlers and undisplaced Germans – Red Army soldiers, militias, state officers. Along with criminals, the new territories were plundered by functionaries providing equipment for institutions (such as music schools) that were operating in central Poland.