International police missions

type: Article , Topic: Security

German police officers are deployed around the world to stabilize countries in crisis.

For nearly 30 years, German police officers serving in mandated peace-keeping missions and bilateral police projects, mainly as trainers, mentors and observers, have helped stabilize countries in crisis. Their deployment is managed by the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community and the joint federal–state working group on international police missions (AG IPM) of the standing conference of German interior ministers.

Tasks and goals

More than 200 officers from the Federal Police, the state police forces, the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) and the Federal Customs Administration are currently serving in missions organized by the EU, the UN and the OSCE as well as in the bilateral police project in Afghanistan and with FRONTEX at the EU’s external borders.

They are helping to mitigate the causes of illegal migration where they arise: in the countries of origin and transit. The duties of German police officers include advising high-ranking officials in security ministries and police administrations in the sub-Saharan region as well as training trainers, criminal investigators and border guards at the police academies in Bamako, Mali and Kabul, Afghanistan.

In this way, police missions provide a lasting and effective contribution to the fight against human smuggling and illegal migration. The goals of German police participation in missions are thus closely linked to ensuring the internal security of Germany and Europe.

Areas of operation

In view of the fact that Germany’s federal and state police forces currently have their hands full at home and at the EU’s external borders in dealing with migration and the threat of international terrorism, the Federal Government and the IPM working group select law enforcement and geographic priorities very carefully.

Most German police officers are currently serving in UN and EU peace-keeping missions

In future, these priorities could be expanded to include Libya or North Africa as soon as the security situation and political conditions there allow.

Sending as many police officers as possible is less important than providing the necessary expertise in the right place. For example, the number of EU member state experts seconded to EU missions has fallen by more than half since 2012, from more than 1,600 to fewer than 800.

Respected worldwide

German police officers have gained an excellent reputation among countries in crisis and mission organizers as highly competent and yet modest.

Their service to stabilize countries in crisiswwill continue to be an important contribution to the internal security of Germany and Europe.

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