Law enforcement in Germany

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Law enforcement in Germany is divided between the different levels of federalism: the federal level (Bund) and the state level (Länder) and formerly the local level (Kommunen).

Contents 1 Federal police 2 State police 3 Local police 4 The public prosectutor's office 4.1 GSG9 5 Violations of human rights 6 References

[edit] Federal police

In May 2005, the Bundesgrenzschutz (German Federal Border Guard) was renamed Bundespolizei (Federal Police) to reflect new responsibilities for domestic security that combine law enforcement and intelligence. The organization not only is responsible for protecting the country's train stations, airports and the borders but also participates in United Nations peacekeeping missions and supports intelligence-gathering activities.

[edit] State police

The German states are responsible for managing the bulk of Germany's police forces. They are divided into the following units: the Landespolizei (lit. State Police; the general police force, for crime prevention and response), the Bereitschaftspolizei (lit. Emergency Police; the riot police, a quick reaction force that supports the Landespolizei and guards demonstrations and major public events), and the Wasserschutzpolizei (water police, responsible for guarding the country's rivers and waterways).

[edit] Local police

From 1945 until the mid-seventies, there were local police forces, such as the Munich Police Force, which were merged with the Landespolizei forces during the major reorganisations of the German police.

[edit] The public prosectutor's office

The Staatsanwaltschaft (public prosecutor’s office) is responsible for reviewing police investigations and handling criminal prosecutions.

[edit] GSG9

GSG 9 is a special unit that was created for preventing hostage incidents, assassinations, and organized crime. Former German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher established the unit after the terrorist attack on Israeli athletes at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.

[edit] Violations of human rights

Despite isolated reports of abuses of police detainees, Germany’s police generally respect individual human rights. For further information, see: Human rights in Germany

[edit] References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Police of Germany

• This article contains material from the Library of Congress Country Studies, which are United States government publications in the public domain.