Bereitschaftspolizei

The "Bereitschaftspolizei" (literally "Alert Police" or "Readiness Police") are the support and rapid reaction units of Germany's police forces.

Federal Republic

The Federal Ministry of the Interior maintains an office of the "Bereitschaftspolizei" in Berlin which monitors and coordinates the deployment of all "Bereitschaftspolizei" units in Germany. The ministry also provides standardized weapons, vehicles and other equipment.

Federal

The "Bundespolizei" maintains 11 rapid reaction battalions (called "Bundespolizeiabteilung" or BPA) stationed throughout Germany. These units can be called on to reinforce the federal police in any sphere of its missions, and also to support the police forces of the "Länder". They are also trained to assist local authorities in case of disasters and uprisings. They are not only equipped with armored vehicles, buses, water cannons and heavy weapons support, but also earth moving equipment and command and control vehicles. Under new interior ministry plans, the number of federal BPAs will fall by two but the "Bereitschaftspolizei" companies will increase from 28 to 29 comprising approx. 25 percent of Germany’s police support units. [ [http://www.bundespolizei.de/cln_049/nn_249932/DE/Home/__Startseite/Neuorganisation/070426__konzept__neuorganisation,templateId=raw,property=publicationFile.pdf/070426_konzept_neuorganisation.pdf Official BPOL news release on reorganisation (in German)] ]

"Länder"/States

The state "Bereitschaftspolizei" units are part of the "Landespolizei" and are available for crowd control duties and to assist the "Schupos" ("Schutzpolizei") when needed. Aside from their primary function of crowd control, in some states they also train police recruits who serve about three years in combined training and service in these police support units. The units of one federal state can be deployed to assist the police of another state in case of riots, civil disturbances as well as catastrophes.

The "Bereitschaftspolizei" is assigned to barracks and organized along military lines into sections, platoons, and 120 to 150 person training or rapid reaction companies called "Hundertschaften". In most "Länder", the "Bereitschaftspolizei" contingents are formed into 600 - 800 person battalions, but in the six largest "Länder" they are organized into regiments.

Their day-to-day duties vary by locality, in Hamburg they patrol the subway system, assist in raids in the red-light district, and are present at large demonstrations and sports events.

The units are equipped with their own transport, tents, and rations allowing them to be deployed quickly to other "Länder" without having to rely on outside support.

Former German Democratic Republic

The East German Ministry of the Interior maintained the independent Department of the Alert Units of the "Volkspolizei" known as the "Volkspolizei-Bereitschaften" (VPB). It consisted of between 12,000 and 15,000 men (sources disagree) in 21 "Volkspolizei" Alert Units of battalion strength. There was usually one unit per district of East Germany but the key districts of Halle, Leipzig and Magdeburg, with their large working class populations, and Potsdam all had two units. The Presidium of the People's Police in East Berlin had three units located in Basdorf.

Each Alert unit was organized as follows:
*Headquarters section
*Four alert companies:
**One mechanized company in wheeled armored personnel carriers
**Three motorized companies in trucks
*Support company
**Anti-tank platoon with 3x45 mm/57 mm(later ATGM's)
**Artillery platoon with 3x76.2 mm ZIS3 field/anti-tank guns
**Mortar platoon with 3x82 mm mortars
*Headquarters and staff company with:
**signals platoon
**engineer platoon
**chemical platoon
**reconnaissance platoon
**transport platoon
**supply platoon
**control section
**medical section

These units were equipped with light and medium infantry weapons, SK-1 wheeled armoured personnel carriers, SK-2 water cannon (both armoured and unarmoured versions) and buses. Their uniform was the standard "Volkspolizei" grey-green. The political reliability of the Alert Units was of particular importance to the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) as they would be used against the population in the event of social disorders such as the popular uprisings of 17 June 1953 in the industrial areas of East Germany.

References