FEDERAL POLICE

The Federal Police (Bundespolizei or BPOL) is a (primarily) uniformed federal

police force in Germany. It is subordinate to the Federal Ministry of the
Interior (Bundesministerium

des

Innern

(BMI)).[1] Ordinary

police

forces,

meanwhile, are under the administration of the individual German states

(Bundeslnder) and are known as the Landespolizei.
The Bundespolizei was

formerly

known

as

the Bundesgrenzschutz (BGS)

("Federal Border Guard"), which had a more restricted role. Prior to 1994 BGS
members also had military combatant status due to their historical foundation and
border-guard role in West Germany. In July 2005 the law renaming the BGS as
the BPOL was enacted.
The BPOL has the following missions

Border security (Grenzpolizei or Grepo), to include passport control (only

at borders with non-EU member countries prior to September 2015) and the
provision of coast guard services along Germany's 700 km coasts.

Protection of federal buildings such as Schloss Bellevue, the residence of

the German Bundesprsident; they also protect the two highest German
courts, both in Karlsruhe:

The Federal

Constitutional

Court

of

Germany (Bundesverfassungsgericht) and

The Federal Court of Justice of Germany (Bundesgerichtshof)

Providing the federal government's mobile response force for internal

security events.

Providing transportation security at international airports and on the

German railways.

Providing counter-terrorism forces (GSG 9).

Providing air (or sky) marshals.

Supporting international police missions for the United Nations and EU

in Kosovo, Sudan, Liberia, Afghanistan, Gaza Strip, Moldova and Georgia.

Providing in-house security for some German embassies.

Providing rescue helicopter service.

The Bundespolizei can also be used to reinforce state police if requested by a
state (Land) government. The BPOL maintains these reserve forces to deal
with major demonstrations, disturbances or emergencies, supplementing the
capabilities of the State Operational Support Units. Several highly trained
detachments are available for crisis situations requiring armored cars, water
cannon or other special equipment.
BPOL has investigators conduct criminal investigations only within its
jurisdiction; otherwise the cases are referred to the appropriate state police
force or to the federal criminal investigative agency, the Federal Criminal
Police (Bundeskriminalamt, BKA).
In addition, the Bundespolizei cooperates closely with German state
executive authorities, such as prosecutor's offices (Staatsanwaltschaft) in
pursuing criminal investigations.

HISTORY
In 1951 the West German government established a Federal Border Protection
Force (Bundesgrenzschutz or BGS) composed of 10,000 men under the Federal

Interior Ministrys jurisdiction. The force replaced allied military organisations

such as the U.S. Constabulary then patrolling West Germanys borders. The
BGS was described as a mobile, lightly armed police force for border and internal
security despite fears that it would be the nucleus of a new German army. When
West Germany did establish an army, the Bundeswehr, BGS personnel were
given the choice of staying in the BGS or joining the army. Most decided to join
the army.
In 1953, the BGS took control of the German Passport Control Service. In 1976,
the state police grades replaced the military rank structure and BGS training was
modified to closely match that of the state police forces (Landespolizei). The
West German Railway Police (Bahnpolizei), formerly an independent force, and
the East German Transportpolizei were restructured under the BGS in 1990.
In July 2005, the BGS was renamed the Bundespolizei or BPOL (Federal Police)
to reflect its transition to a multi-faceted federal police agency. The change also
involved a shift to blue uniforms and livery for vehicles and helicopters. The
German Interior Ministry reviewed the structure of the BPOL in 2007 and in
March 2008 made the structure leaner to get more officers out of offices and onto
patrol.

BMW STANDARD PATROL CAR

A Bundespolizei van

Uniforms

BMW R 1150 RT motorcycle

Bundespolizei Eurocopter Super Puma

From 1945 all German police forces wore different colored uniforms but since the
mid seventies the police of all West German Lnder and West Berlin have worn
the same green and beige uniform, most parts designed by Heinz Oestergaard in
the early seventies. The standard uniform consists of tunic, parka, pullover
without shroud, coat, visor cap and neck tie in moss-green, trouser, pullover and
cardigan in brown-beige, shirt (long and short sleeve) in bamboo-yellow. Shoes,
boots, holsters, leather jackets and other leather gear were black.
Leather gloves were olive-drab. Exceptions: Visor caps with a white top were
worn by the Verkehrspolizei, by the Schutzpolizei during traffic regulation. White
gloves, tunics and coats were worn during traffic regulation and by the
Verkehrspolizei during ceremonial duties (like white holsters and leather gear). In
some Lnder all officers worn visor caps with white tops in general.
The Wasserschutzpolizei worn standard uniforms of a slightly different design.
Instead of moss-green anything was (and still is) dark-/navy-blue, the shirt was
white and the visor cap had a white top. The BGS wore an all forest green
uniform with bamboo-yellow shirt. After German
Reunification the Volkspolizei was broken up into Landespolizei and switched to
the standard uniform. During the period of transition they still worn their old
uniforms but with western style sleeve and cap ensigns.

Because most European countries have blue police uniforms, most German
states as well as the federal police are introducing newly designed dark blue
uniforms to conform with the common blue image of the police in Europe. The
police forces in Bavaria still remain to use the old Oestergaard design, however,
starting in 2016, the old uniforms are to be replaced by new blue colored
uniforms. All other states have already begun or completed the shift from green
to dark blue.
In line with the uniforms, police vehicles and various items of equipment are also
changing colour from green to blue.

older style uniform is still worn only in Bavaria.

new uniform of the Hamburg State Police.

Law enforcement in Germany is constitutionally vested solely with the

states, which is one of the main features of the German political system.
Policing has always been a responsibility of the German states even after 1871
when the country was unified. The 1919 constitution of the Weimar Republic did
provide for the possibility of creating a national police force, should the necessity
arise, but it was only in the Nazi era that state police forces were unified under

central control and a national police force created (Reichssicherheitshauptamt or

RSHA). The police became a tool of the centralized state and the Nazi party.
Following the defeat of 1945, Germany was divided; in 1949 the three western
zones were turned into the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany),
the Soviet zone became the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). Each
country pursued a different path concerning law enforcement.
In light of the gross misuse of power by the centralized Nazi state, the new
constitution of West Germany provided for a strict separation of powers, placing
law enforcement firmly in the hands of the states. The only policing allowed at the
federal level was border control (Bundesgrenzschutz including the coast guard)
controlled by the Ministry of the Interior and originally organized along
paramilitary lines, the Federal Criminal Police Office. Since 2005, Germany's
borders became largely open because of the European Union, and the
Bundesgrenzschutz was renamed the Bundespolizei (Federal Police), which is
still limited to rail traffic, airports, ports, and several other special duties.
East Germany created a centralized police force under the Ministry of the Interior,
the paramilitary Volkspolizei (literally "People's Police"). It also established
a border police force (Grenztruppen der DDR), initially an independent force,
later integrated into the army and then reorganized as an independent military
organization.

Sleeve and cap ensigns of the 16 state police forces and

theBundesgrenzschutz (Federal Border Guard)

ORGANIZATION
All state police forces are subordinate to the Land Minister of the Interior. The
internal structures of these police forces differ somewhat (which makes
generalizations subject to local variation), but usually immediately subordinate to
the interior ministries are the regional police headquarters (called Prsidium in
most

states, Landespolizeidirektion in

Baden-Wrttemberg).

These

direct

operations over a wide area or in a big city and have administrative and
supervisory functions.

The Prsidium often has direct control of the forces specialist units such
as highway patrols, mounted police detachments and canineunits. Under the
regional

headquarters,

there

are

several

district

police

headquarters

(Direktionen) serving communities of from 200,000 to 600,000 citizens.

Subordinate to each Direktion, there are several local stations (Inspektion) or
precincts (Revier) that are manned on a 24-hour basis, conduct day-to-day
policing and serve as points of contact for local citizens. Below this level,
the Polizeiposten is a small police office manned by one or two officers, normally
only during office hours.

Territorial
The State Police wear the state patch on the uniform sleeve and sometimes
metal city badges are worn over the right breast pocket indicating which police
department they work for. Police officers can be transferred anywhere within their
state.
Once skilled, officers of the state police can be moved theoretically nationwide. In
practice, such requests are made by the officers themselves. They usually swap
workplaces with an exchange partner from another federal state ('Stellentausch',
job rotation). Such an exchange is thus possible nationwide and is not dependent
on the state.

Operational
State police forces are divided into the following branches:

Schutzpolizei ("Schupo") - the uniformed police officers who patrol the streets
and respond to emergency calls etc.

Since the mid-late seventies the following police departments are sub branches of the
Schupo:

Bereitschaftspolizei (BePo) - Uniformed units of the LaPo that provide additional

manpower for the Schupo, natural disasters, sporting events, traffic control or
demonstrations.

In 1950 the Bepo was founded as a paramilitary organized, armed and trained police
force; today their main task is riot/crowd control. In some states the police academy is
still part of the Bepo. It is common that after the police academy the younger officers
had to serve three to five years with the Bepo.

Verkehrspolizei - The traffic police in Germany.

Autobahnpolizei -

The highway

patrol in

Germany.

In

some

states

the

Autobahnpolizei is a sub division of the Verkehrspolizei department.

Wasserschutzpolizei (WSP) - The river police for patrolling rivers, lakes and
harbours. For practical reasons the WSP of one state may be in charge for territory
of another state (e.g., in Hamburg, the WSP is in charge for the Elbe River in the
states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein and
Hamburg.)

It is common that all of the branches listed above serves in uniform and in plain clothes
too. A lot of states have plain cloth units to fight the so-called street crimes (e.g.
burglary, car theft, drug dealing) build up 100% with Schupo officers.

Wachpolizei ("Wapo")

Today

called

Angestellte

im

Objektschutz/Gefangenenwesen (employees guarding buildings, embassies or

watch over and transport convicts), are non-sworn officers in, e.g., Berlin and
Baden-Wrtemberg.

Kriminalpolizei ("Kripo") - the detective branch, responsible for investigations. For

instance, if a car is broken into, the Schupo will respond, secure the car, notify the
owner etc., and then hand the case over to Kripo for investigation. This is called
"Erster Angriff", literally "first advance".

Landeskriminalamt (LKA) - State Investigation Bureau supervises police

operations aimed at preventing and investigating criminal offences, and coordinates
investigations involving more than one Prsidium. Some crimes are exclusive tasks
of the LKA like crimes against the constitution, organized crime, youth gangs or
political motivated crime.

Dedicated to the LKA:

Spezialeinsatzkommando (SEK) - The SWAT teams of the German state police.

(In Hamburg MEK.)

Mobiles Einsatzkommando (MEK) - The MEKs are plain clothes teams of the
LKA with special tasks like mentioned above and special manhunt units.

Personenschutzkommando - Personal security plain clothes unit, protecting

politicians and VIPs.

TRAINING
The individual Lnder and the Federal Police conduct basic police training for their
personnel. The length and thoroughness of this training contributes in large degree to
the high level of police professionalism in Germany. Teaching all aspects of police work
takes time but supports a uniform career structure that aims to avoid premature
specialization, lets officers think in broad terms, makes career field changes easier and
improves promotion opportunities.
German citizenship is not required to be a police officer in Germany. Police departments
in big cities are especially keen to recruit officers from ethnic minorities to reduce

language and cultural barriers. However, minorities still make up less than one percent
of officer numbers.
The Land police have had women members since the forces were reconstituted after
World War II. Initially, female officers were only assigned to cases involving juveniles
and women but in the mid-1970s they were allowed to become patrol officers. The
proportion of women on patrol duty is set to rise as 40-50 percent of police school
inductees are currently female.
Most police recruits are taken on directly after leaving school and spend about two and
a half years at police school in combined classroom tuition and on-the-job training with
police departments and the Bereitschaftspolizei. These people qualify as regular police
officers and wear green (or light blue on the new blue uniforms) stars on their shoulder
straps, denoting rank in the first echelon of the police service.
After duty as a patrol officer, someone with an outstanding record or wealth of
experience can go on to two or three years at a higher police school or college of public
administration to qualify for the upper echelon which starts with Polizeikommissar (one
silver star) and ascends toErster Polizeihauptkommissar (four or five silver stars). Direct
entry candidates with the Abitur high school diploma can also take these courses. Some
states such as Hessen now train all their police officers for the upper echelon to improve
pay and promotion chances.
The very few candidates who qualify for the police services executive ranks study for
one year at a state police academy and then for another at the German Police
University (Deutsche Hochschule der Polizei DHPol) in Mnster-Hiltrup where
graduates earn a master's degree in police administration. Direct-entry candidates with
a university degree only study for six months at the DHPol. The executive echelon
begins with Polizeirat (one gold star) and culminates with the Land chief of uniformed
police (gold wreath with one to three stars) or Federal Police chief (gold wreath with four
stars). The DHPol that the states and Federal Interior Ministry administer jointly also
provides specialized vocational courses for senior police personnel.