The
Bundespolizei (
BPOL) is the (primarily) uniformed
federal police force of
Germany. It is subordinate to the
Federal Ministry of the Interior (
Bundesministerium des Innern)
[1]. Ordinary police forces (which are much more sizable in combined numbers) fall under the administration of the individual German states (
Bundesländer) and are known as the
Landespolizei.
The Bundespolizei was previously known as the Bundesgrenzschutz (BGS) ("Federal Border Guard") and had a more restricted role until July 1, 2005 when the law renaming the BGS as the BPOL was enacted. Prior to 1994 BPOL members also had military combatant status due to their historical foundation and border guard role.
The BPOL has the following missions
The Bundespolizei can also be used to reinforce state police if requested to do so by a state (Land) government. The BPOL maintains these reserve forces to deal with major demonstrations, disturbances or emergencies to supplement 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.
