NCJ Number
231788
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 58 Issue: 7 Dated: July 2010 Pages: 46-49
Date Published
July 2010
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article presents a historical overview of Germany's Federal police force, the Bundepolizei (BPOL).
Abstract
Under the German constitution, Basic Law, each of the 16 Federal States of Germany has the right to police itself. This means that each State has its own police force. In addition, the Federal Border Protection Force (Bundesgrenzshutz or BGS), established in 1951, was reorganized as Germany's Federal police force, known as the German Federal Police or Bundespolizei (BPOL). The BPOL operates under the Federal Interior Ministry's jurisdiction and currently consists of about 41,000 employees which include 33,000 police officers. Basic training for a police officer lasts 2 and a half years. The BPOL includes the border, railway, and airport security police as well as the GSG 9, a special unit of the German Federal Police that combats terrorism and serious violent crimes.