The Schutzpolizei (German pronunciation: [ˌʃʊt͡spoliˈt͡saɪ]), or Schupo (IPA: [ˈʃuːpo]) for short, is a branch of the Landespolizei, the state level police of the German states. Schutzpolizei literally means security or protection police but is best translated as Uniformed Police.
The Schutzpolizei has by far the largest number of personnel, is on duty 24 hours a day and has the broadest range of duties. On patrol duty, mainly in vehicles, they keep their respective area under surveillance. As in most other countries, the uniformed police in Germany are usually the first to arrive at the scene of an incident, whether it is a murder or traffic accident. They also take the initial action (Erster Angriff), even if the case is handed over to investigators of the Kriminalpolizei (Kripo) later.
These police officers are also responsible for promoting public safety, crime prevention, criminal prosecution and traffic control.
During the time of the Nazi regime the Schutzpolizei became a part of the Ordnungspolizei, an organ of the Nazi state.
In 1943-1944 German Schutzpolizei murdered about 2000 Polish civilians in street executions in occupied Warsaw, until the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising.
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