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Polizeiliche Schutzaufgaben Ausland der Bundespolizei (PSA BPOL) ("Police Protection Tasks Abroad of the Federal Police", formerly known as ASSIK for Arbeitsstab Schutzaufgaben in Krisengebieten) is a specialized unit of the German Federal Police tasked with providing personal security for German diplomatic missions in conflict regions. [1] [2] [3]
The protection of German diplomatic missions is one of the tasks of the Federal Police. In conflict, the diplomatic protection was carried out by the GSG9 with support of the Federal Criminal Police Office. In 2008, the Federal Ministry of the Interior tasked the Federal Police with reorganizing this form of protection in order to reduce the workload of the GSG9. [4]
Due to the positive responses of the newly established ASSIK, the Federal Police decided to continue the unit as section 44 (Referat 44).
In June 2012, section 44 was dissolved and the unit was attached under the command of the GSG9. [5]
Due to the continuously deteriorating security in various regions, PSA BPOL was tasked with an increasing number of deployments which include the embassies in Yemen, Libya or short-term missions such as in Egypt during the revolution of 2011 and Haiti during the 2010 earthquake. [6]
On August 1, 2017, the Department 11 (BPOLD 11) was formed as an umbrella organization for all specialized units of the Federal Police (i.e. GSG9 and aviation unit) which also included PSA. [7]
Any officer of the Federal German Police with at least 8 years of service may apply for the selection process. The selection process is followed by three months of specialized training which includes:
Upon completion of the first sections of training a stronger emphasis is placed on missions in hazardous regions.
PSA officers deploy in rhythms of three months which are followed by periods of six months in Germany. The periods in Germany are used to train other PSA officers which are currently in pre-deployment training.
One PSA officer was killed during his deployment in Sanaa (Yemen) in October 2013. [8] The 2016 bombing of the German consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif saw intense fighting for PSA officers in the attacked building.
PSA cooperates closely with other units with similar tasks. An a result of the cooperation with the Dutch BSB, the EU-funded project Black Griffin was established which enables several special units tasked with close protection duties to cross-train and to cooperate. Other participants include EKO Cobra from Austria or the Mobile Security Deployments from the United States. [9]
GSG 9 der Bundespolizei, formerly Grenzschutzgruppe 9, is the police tactical unit of the German Federal Police (Bundespolizei). The unit is responsible for combatting terrorism and violent crime, including organized crime. In addition to its headquarters location in Sankt Augustin-Hangelar near Bonn, it also has a base in Berlin. Since 1 August 2017, it has been subordinate to the Federal Police Directorate 11. The state police (Landespolizei) maintain their own regional tactical units known as the Spezialeinsatzkommando (SEK).
The German Federal Coast Guard is a civilian law enforcement organisation whose primary missions are border protection, maritime environmental protection, shipping safety, fishery protection and customs enforcement. The Küstenwache is an association of several federal agencies, not a single entity like the United States Coast Guard.
The European Gendarmerie Force (EUROGENDFOR) is a European rapid reaction force composed of elements of several European police and gendarmerie forces. EUROGENDFOR is tasked with performing policing tasks within the scope of crisis management operations.
Bundesgrenzschutz is the former name of the German Bundespolizei. Established on 16 March 1951 as a subordinate agency of the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the BGS originally was primarily focused on protecting the West German borders. During their early days, BGS units had military structures, training and equipment. The law enforcement officers legally had military combatant status until 1994. A major part of the early BGS personnel joined the newly founded German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) in 1956 and thus significantly contributed to West Germany's rearmament. The BGS was renamed to Bundespolizei on 1 July 2005. The change of name did not have any effect on the legal status or competencies of the agency, but rather reflects its transition to a multi-faceted police agency with control over border, railway and air security.
The Federal Police is the national and principal federal law enforcement agency of the German Federal Government, subordinate to the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community. The Federal Police is responsible for border control, law enforcement across airports and railways, and the protection of federal institutions.
The Bereitschaftspolizei, abbreviated BePo, are the support and rapid reaction units of Germany's police forces. They are composed of detachments from the Federal Police and the State Police forces of Germany.
Spezialeinsatzkommando are police tactical units of each of the 16 German State Police forces. Along with the Mobiles Einsatzkommando (MEK), Personenschutzkommando (bodyguards), and the Verhandlungsgruppe, they are part of the police Spezialeinheiten of each state.
Law enforcement in Germany is constitutionally vested solely with the states, which is one of the main features of the German political system.
The P30 is a polymer framed semi-automatic handgun by Heckler & Koch, available in 9×19mm Parabellum and .40 S&W.
The Wasserschutzpolizei is the river police that patrols the waterways, lakes and harbours of Germany around the clock. The WSP are part of the Landespolizei. The Federal Police maintains 16 patrol craft and helicopters are part of the Coast Guard and assigned to coastal BPOL stations. The watercraft include six offshore patrol vessels, e.g. those of the Bad Bramstedt class, as well as a number of fast inshore vessels and one tugboat.
The LAPV Enok is a Light Armoured Patrol Vehicle of the Bundeswehr, mostly in use with the German Army. It is a significantly further developed Wolf SSA, based on the Mercedes-Benz G-Class.
The Heckler & Koch MG5 is a belt-fed 7.62×51mm NATO general-purpose machine gun manufactured by German firearm manufacturer Heckler & Koch. The MG5 resembles the 5.56×45mm NATO Heckler & Koch MG4 light machine gun, which was adopted into German military service in 2015.
Evidence and arrest units are special units of the German state police forces Landespolizei and the German Federal Police.
Berlin is a city-state and the capital of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The Compulsory Border Protection Service was enacted by the German parliament in the Federal Border Protection Act of 18 August 1972, based on Article 12a of the German Constitution. The remaining provisions of the Federal Border Protection Act were repealed in 1994. However, compulsory border protection service has not been enforced since 1973. Anyone who serves or served in the Federal Border Protection can no longer be assigned to the military service in the Federal Defence Forces. In 2005 the Federal Border Protection was renamed the Federal Police and any mandatory service would be performed there.
The Missions Abroad and Special Operations is a specialized unit within the German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA). The ASE is composed of specially selected and trained BKA personnel that typically operate in high-threat environments.
Bundespolizeidirektion 11 or BPOLD 11 is the unified command of the units with special tasks of the German Federal Police.
