Public Order Support Forces of the Federal States
type:
Article
, Topic:
Security
The officers of the public order support forces of the federal states are called up to deal with special law enforcement situations. The office of Commander-in-Chief of the Public Order Support Forces of the federal states, located within the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community, is responsible for ensuring that their cooperation functions smoothly.
Source:
picture alliance/dpa
Each of Germany’s 16 federal states (Länder) has public order support forces within its police force. Overall, these units (BPdL) are staffed with approximately 16,400 officers.
The Federal Minister of the Interior and Community has designated the Commander-in-Chief of the Public Order Support Forces of the federal states (IBPdL) to serve as the link between the federal and state levels. The Commander-in-Chief reports directly to the head of the Federal Police Directorate-General at the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community. This office was established as the result of an administrative agreement concluded between the federal and state governments in 1950.
According to Germany’s constitution, the Basic Law, the Federal Government may, in certain exceptional cases, issue instructions to the state-level police. Consistency and compatibility of the public order support forces in the area of command, operations and equipment are therefore in the federal interest as well.
Tasks of the public order support forces
According to the administrative agreement, the primary task of the public order support forces of the federal states is managing special situations in case of threat. These situations include, for example,
- public demonstrations,
- state visits,
- international summit meetings and conferences,
- special sporting events – in particular football tournaments – and other large-scale events.
The public order support forces are also deployed in threat situations related to natural disasters and serious accidents according to Article 35 (3) of the Basic Law.
Source: BPol
Federal Police The public order support forces assist with snow removal.
The same applies in the event of imminent danger to the existence of a federal state or to its free democratic basic order, according to Article 91 (2) of the Basic Law, and in a state of defence, according to Article 115f of the Basic Law.
Assisting other federal states in such cases is the task of the public order support forces as well. Another task is assisting with regular police duties.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Public Order Support Forces of the federal states
The Commander-in-Chief of the Public Order Support Forces of the federal states (IBPdL) ensures compliance with the administrative agreements concluded between the federal level, represented by the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community, and the federal states. These administrative agreements guarantee uniform organisation and structure and compatible equipment of the public order support forces of the federal states. This is a prerequisite for conducting operations together.
For this purpose, the federal level provides the public order support forces with command, control and operational equipment and supplies as far as the federal budget allows. The equipment and supplies remain federal property. The Commander-in-Chief is also responsible for procurement, adaptation, further development and new design of the command, control and operational equipment and supplies for the public order support forces.
The Commander-in-Chief also ensures that the basic and advanced training of the public order support forces is up to date, to ensure that officers all follow the same procedures when they are deployed. To this end, nationwide seminars and conferences are organised and carried out. The Commander-in-Chief is also authorised to inspect the readiness of the public order support forces by visiting the states and observing operations.
For large-scale international operations, the Commander-in-Chief coordinates the provision and deployment of officers in the federal interest.
In addition to this focus on the public order support forces of the federal states, the Commander-in-Chief is also responsible for sport and security, police training and equipment assistance in cooperation with the state-level police, and certain crisis management tasks. The Commander-in-Chief is assisted by a team of four liaison officers from different federal states in regular rotation.
Further news and press release on the topic
Related topics
-
Police Information Systems
Thanks to electronic data processing, large quantities of data can be analysed, compared and stored. Various databases and systems enable secure information-sharing, which is …
-
Cross-border Cooperation
Ensuring security at home also requires action beyond Germany’s borders. That makes cross-border law enforcement cooperation so important.
-
Schengen
The European Union has come a long way in creating a common area of freedom, security and justice. This successful model includes the freedom of movement and the abolition of …
-
-
Fighting International Terrorism
In the 1970s, terrorism in Germany was mainly a national phenomenon. Today, however, the international nature of terrorism means that new approaches to counter-terrorism are …
-
Frontex
Effective protection of the external borders of the European Union is a core element of Europe’s internal security.
