Spezialeinsatzkommando

Spezialeinsatzkommandos (SEK) (previously also known as "Sondereinsatzkommando") are the special response units of the German state police forces. The comparable unit of the German Federal Police is the GSG 9.

Organization

The organization of special police forces varies from state to state. Whilst most states have installed one SEK in their capital, some states took regional crime focuses into account and established SEK units in major cities, such as the North Rhine-Westphalia Police or Rheinland-Pfalz State Police. The Bavarian State Police and Hessen State Police have two SEKs each, one covering the north and one covering the south of the state. The SEK can be attached to the "Bereitschaftspolizei" or to a big regional police headquarters. The trend in most states is, however, to have the SEK subordinate to the "state investigation bureau", whenever possible in a unit also consisting of the "Mobiles Einsatzkommando" (MEK). The internal organisation of SEKs rests on the units themselves and therefore differs as well.

The SEK of South Bavaria has an alpine component and the SEK units of Bremen and Hamburg have elements trained for maritime tasks.

Some SEKs also have specialized negotiation groups ("Verhandlungsgruppen" or VGs).

Eligibility and training

Any state police officer is eligible to apply for service in an SEK but it is a common rule only to consider applications from officers with at least two years duty experience. The age limit is mostly between 23 and 35 years, whilst operatives have to leave the entry teams when reaching the age of 42 (or 45). Generally, both sexes can be recruited, however, only a few policewomen have been able to handle the extensive and challenging tests. At the moment, only the SEK units of Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein and South-Hesse have women in their ranks.

The requirements mainly demand physical and psychological strength, discernment and capacity for teamwork, and only up to 30 percent of all candidates pass the tests. The length of the training necessary to become an operative in a SEK unit differs from state to state but is generally five to eight months long.

Missions

Mainly unrecognized by media and public, the most tasks of the SEK units are execution of Arrest warrants and dealing with barricaded suspects. However, hostage sieges, kidnapping and raids do belong to their tasks as well as other scenarios like personal security detail for VIPs or witnesses.Since the 1970s, the SEKs of each state have handled several thousand deployments.

Equipment

Unlike the State Police, an SEK is totally independent when it comes to choice of equipment. The basic gear of every officer is - apart from a standard sidearm - a submachine gun, typically the Heckler & Koch MP5. Other weapons found in the unit's inventory include assault rifles such as the Heckler & Koch G36 or the Austrian Steyr AUG rifle, and shotguns of different type. The most common precision rifles used are the Heckler & Koch PSG1 and other weapon systems manufactured by Blaser, Unique Alpine and Accuracy International. Some units own specialized weapon systems such as the G8 machine gun or the French PGM Hecate II .50-caliber sniper rifle.

MEKs

Mobile operational units ("Mobile Einsatzkommandos" or MEKs) operate hand-in-hand with the SEK. These plain-clothed units specialize in surveillance, quick arrests and situations which become "mobile." They are often used in investigations involving organized crime or blackmail. The MEK is often also the organisation providing close protection units for the state's senior leaders, including the state minister president.

Trivia

The SEK units of the states that belonged to the German Democratic Republic prior to 1990 do partially consist of officers who were members of the East Germany's GSG 9 counterpart, a unit called "Diensteinheit IX".

SEK members always operate masked to protect their identities.

German SEKs are "full time" units whose members are not active in regular service (e.g., patrol duty) anymore.

On many occasions, SEK officers appear plainclothed on the scene, only wearing their special protective gear and carrying their weapons. This happens when off-duty SEK officers are called to a crime scene.

ee also

* GSG 9
* KSK
* Kampfschwimmer
* Zentrale Unterstützungsgruppe Zoll

External links

* [http://www.polizei.de Polizei.de] de icon