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*Referat Verbrechensbekämpfung - detective branch (Kriminalpolizei/Kripo) and plain chlothes units of the Schupo.
*Referat Verbrechensbekämpfung - detective branch (Kriminalpolizei/Kripo) and plain chlothes units of the Schupo.
*Referat Zentrale Aufgaben - central services:
*Referat Zentrale Aufgaben - central services:
**Verkehsdienst - traffic police
**Verkehrsdienst - traffic police
**Direktionshundertschaft - a company special police
**Direktionshundertschaft - a company special police
**Diensthundführer - K9
**Diensthundführer - K9

Revision as of 16:36, 23 February 2012

Der Polizeipräsident in Berlin
Patch of the Berlin Police
Patch of the Berlin Police
Common nameBerliner Polizei / Polizei Berlin
Agency overview
Formed23 June, 1848
Employees22,000 [1]
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionBerlin
Location of Berlin shown in Germany
Size891.85 km²
Population3,479,740
Governing bodySenate of Berlin
Constituting instruments
  • Allgemeines Gesetz zum Schutz der öffentlichen Sicherheit und Ordnung (ASOG Berlin) (Law of the protection of security and order)
  • Strafprozeßordnung (StPO) (Code of criminal procedure)
General nature
Operational structure
HeadquartersPlatz der Luftbrücke 6
12101 Berlin
Agency executive
Website
Official website
Berliner map divided into the 6 directorates
A patrol car in green-silver livery

The Berlin Police (Template:Lang-de -The Police Chief of Berlin-, or commonly Berliner Polizei) is the German Landespolizei force for the city-state of Berlin. Law enforcement in Germany is divided between federal and state (Land) agencies.

History

Overview

In March 1848 Berlin was one place of the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states, also called the March Revolution. At this time in Berlin existed just a small number of police officers (circa 200 officers, 400,000 citizens) with limited authority, the so called Revierpolizei (literally police station police). To fight the revolution back, the chief of police, Polizeipräsident Dr. Julius Freiher von Minutoli asked the Prussian army for help. They send two guard cavallery regiments (the Regiment Gardes du Corps (cuirassiers), the 1. Garde-Dragoner Regiment "Königin Victoria von Großbritannien und Irland" (dragoons)), and three guard infantry regiments (1. and 2. Garderegiment zu Fuss, Kaiser Alexander Garde-Grenadier-Regiment Nr.1). Circa 230 citizens were shot or killed by saber because the guard troops had the order "Immer feste druff!" (~ strike them hard). After a couple of days the troops were withdrawn and a militia ("Bürgerwehr") with a strenght of 20,000 men was founded. But, to make it short, the militia was worthless.

Shortly after the revolution, King Frederick William IV of Prussia founded the "Königliche Schutzmannschaft zu Berlin" in June 1848. It was the first modern police force in Germany from the viewpoint of then and today. It consists of 1 Oberst (colonel) 5 Hauptleuten (captains) 200 Wachtmeister (sergeant) 1,800 Schutzleute (officers), 40 of them mounted.


In 1935, during the Nazi regime it was dissolved like all other German police forces, and replaced by the Ordnungspolizei corps under the command of Heinrich Himmler.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989) and the Reunification of Germany (1990), the police corporations of West Berlin, with 20,000 employees, and East Berlin, with 12,000 employees; were united under the direction of the western police chief Georg Schertz.[1]

Police chiefs

This is a list of police chiefs from 1945:[2]

Organization

Directorates

Berlin Police is divided into 6 local directorates (Direktion). Each local directorate is responsible for one to three Berliner districts:

Each Direktion had a couple of Abschnitte (precincts, all in all 38) where the patrol car staff (Schutzpolizei/Schupo) is located. Other sub departments of a Direktion are (not all listed):

  • Referat Verbrechensbekämpfung - detective branch (Kriminalpolizei/Kripo) and plain chlothes units of the Schupo.
  • Referat Zentrale Aufgaben - central services:
    • Verkehrsdienst - traffic police
    • Direktionshundertschaft - a company special police
    • Diensthundführer - K9

Units

  • Landeskriminalamt (LKA):[9] The criminal investigations division is responsible for investigating the most serious crimes (exclusive tasks of the LKA like crimes against the constitution, organized crime, youth gangs or political motivated crime f.e.) and works closely with the six local directorates.

The LKA supervises police operations aimed at preventing and investigating criminal offences, and coordinates investigations involving more than one Direktion. Dedicated to the LKA:

  • Direktion Zentrale Aufgaben (Dir ZA):[10]

The directorate central operations has the following sub branches:

  • Bereitschaftspolizei (BePo) - Uniformed units (two battalions, each with 4 companies and an engineer unit) that provide additional manpower for the Schupo, natural disasters, sporting events, traffic control or demonstrations (riot/crowd control).
  • Wasserschutzpolizei (WSP) - The river police for patrolling rivers, lakes and harbours.
  • Zentraler Verkehrsdienst - The traffic police with many sub departments for (just examples): Honor escorts during state visits, Autobahnpolizei (highway police), tracing for vehicles without insurance or known drivers without a license, specialized units for the controling of vehicles with hazardous materials,
  • Diensthundführer - K9
  • Polizeihubschrauberstaffel Berlin (PHuSt BE) - The Berlin Police run a Eurocopter EC135 helicopter together with the Bundespolizeipräsidium Berlin.
  • Objektschutz/Gefangenenwesen - The Berlin Police has a special branch for the guarding of buildings, espacially embassies or watch over and transport convicts. These non-sworn officers are employees with limited police authority. They are armed and wear the same uniform as the Schupo but different rank insignias.
  • Zentrale Serviceeinheit (ZSE):[11] The central service unit is responsible for all administrative and logistical support. The general education and training are in charge through the police academy in Berlin.


  • Freiwillige Polizei-Reserve Berlin (FPR):[12] The law on the volunteer police reserve of 25 May 1961, in West Berlin, created a paramilitary organization to protect important infrastructure like power plants and drinking water supply f.e., Since the eighties it became more and more an branch in which citizens were able to voluntarily committed to the safety of their city as they were able to support the Schupo in daily service. Disbanded in 2002.

See also

References