Evidence and arrest unit
Evidence preservation and arrest units ( BFE ) are specialized German police forces of the riot police of the state police and the federal police with special tasks in accordance with the police service regulations for managing and deploying the police (PDV 100).
The evidence preservation and arrest units of the riot police of the federal states and the federal riot police support other police forces in taking action against violent troublemakers and carry out evidential arrests at hot spots of unpeaceful events. The main field of activity of the SFOE is the preservation of evidence and the arrest of suspects . In addition, they support individual police duties in special situations in their daily work and can also work in other federal states and in some cases abroad as part of administrative assistance . BFE can also be used as arrest or observation units to support the respective state criminal police offices , the Federal Criminal Police Office and the BFE of other state police forces or the federal police force. If there are no incidents that require the use of a SFOE, the officers do their job in everyday police operations.
Typical areas of application for the SFOE are major events at which violent confrontations are to be expected (riots, demonstrations, football games), or also observations in the context of drug-related crime or other criminal offenses of public interest. Another area of application is preparing and carrying out raids .
There is a demarcation between the tasks of the Special Operations Command (SEK) and the BFE through service regulations . The BFE are units with special tasks, but do not count among the special units of the German police in the narrower sense.
organization
Federal Police
So-called evidence preservation and arrest hundreds (BFHu) have been set up at the Federal Police . They belong to the specialized units of the Federal Police and are affiliated to the Federal Police departments of the Federal Riot Police Directorate . Their tasks are to preserve evidence and to arrest violent troublemakers and suspects. The police officers of a BFHu are specially trained, equipped and “efficient”.
The aim of the units is to arrest individual suspects in a targeted manner from meetings. But they are also used in proceedings against organized crime. Basically, they are used where there is an increased risk, but the use of GSG 9 does not appear necessary. This is the case, for example, if there is no evidence that the suspect was armed. If there are indications of the arming of a person to be arrested, GSG 9 should be requested in accordance with the applicable regulations of the Federal Police. In practice, however, this provision cannot always be applied. Often, the suspect is not yet known to have been armed before an arrest. This results in a corresponding procedure by the evidence preservation and arrest hundred.
Since the end of 2009, the BFHu have received targeted training in dealing with amok situations to expand the range of operations . This resulted in so-called rapid reaction teams. These are able to be moved from the respective location to the crime scene in about 10 minutes. In principle, the emergency services have the task of incapacitating the amok perpetrator and should not take care of the injured.
The first arrest units were established in Winsen an der Luhe and Rosenheim after the death of two police officers in 1987 on Runway 18 West in Frankfurt am Main . The Federal Police now has five such units in the entire federal territory ( Uelzen , Blumberg , Sankt Augustin , Hünfeld , Bayreuth ). A BFHu consists of three evidence preservation and arrest units (BFE), the support service and the supply service. Since 2015, the third SFOE in a hundred has been upgraded as a so-called " SFOE + " through supplementary training for officers and special equipment . The BFE + is used in particularly dangerous situations or searches and is intended to relieve GSG 9, the actual anti-terrorist unit of the Federal Police, in particular in the event of prolonged terrorist or special situations.
In addition to the BFHu, as part of the restructuring of the Federal Police in the Federal Police Directorate, so-called Mobile Control and Monitoring Units (MKÜ) were set up, which, as flexibly deployable units, have the task of dealing with special situations within the area of responsibility of their own Federal Police Directorate without the support of a BFHu or the GSG 9 to deal with.
The equivalent to the BFHu of the federal police in the state police are the evidence preservation and arrest units (BFE) or the support commandos (USK) of the Bavarian police .
State Police
Baden-Württemberg
There are six SFOES in Baden-Württemberg . These have been stationed in the riot police headquarters in Bruchsal (three units) and Göppingen (three units) since the 2014 police reform.
The evidence and arrest units were established in 1997.
Due to the preparations for the soccer World Cup 2006 and the staff reduction in the technical operations units (TEE) an additional unit was set up in Bruchsal and Böblingen , as the riot police should be kept on staff. The unit in Biberach was dissolved and merged with the new BFE Böblingen, both technically and partly in terms of personnel.
The SFOE is involved in all demonstrations with a known potential for violence, for example by right- wing or left-wing extremists , at football games with a high potential for violence in the blocks and in various raids and the evacuation of occupied houses . Outside of this operational area, normal duty is carried out by the riot police , which consists, for example, of further training and support for the protection and criminal police (e.g. large regional searches, monitoring of the narcotics scene, surveillance measures, raids, arrests).
Bavaria
A different concept was implemented at the Bavarian Police . The tasks of the SFOE are carried out there by the support commandos (USK). The USK is partly affiliated to the Bavarian riot police, the other part is subordinate to the responsible police headquarters of the state police (Munich and Middle Franconia). The USK has several locations in Bavaria.
Berlin
There is still no SFOE in the federal capital, Berlin, as there are between one and two arrest trains in every hundred, depending on the structure. The BFE Hundreds originate from the principle of the unit for special situations and mission- related training (EbLT) of the late 1980s, which was founded and promoted by the then Interior Senator Kewenig. However, the EbLT was dissolved after the takeover of government by Red-Green in Berlin in 1989. The foundations for the establishment of arrest units within the riot police were laid in the late 1960s with the so-called grab troops. This concept was taken up in the newly organized operations departments in the early 1980s (pilot phase in EA3 / City Directorate). There, in every operational readiness (hundred) arrest and intervention teams as well as evidence preservation and documentation teams with cameras were formed. These were staffed in the four trains of a standby and were brought together if necessary. The principle of integrated reconnaissance, arrest and security trains was carried on and developed in particular by the support command in Bavaria. Since 2005 the arrest trains in Berlin (usually the 1st train of an EHu) have been known as the Evidence Securing and Arrest Train (BFZ). In principle this corresponds to a SFOE; But with the name you go your own way. If necessary, the BFZ can also be combined with other BFZ to form an evidence preservation and arrest command (BFK). This then corresponds to the size of an evidence and arrest hundred.
The plan is to separate a group from the BFZ for daily duty, which can then operate across the city. This group should, within clearly delimited and defined tasks, take over operations that are below a position for the special operations command .
Brandenburg
The state of Brandenburg has set up a SFOE among the riot police in all four locations of the deployment hun- dreds, which can be deployed in Brandenburg, Berlin and the rest of Germany. The service hundreds are located in Potsdam-Eiche , Oranienburg, Cottbus and Frankfurt / Oder. A SFOE in the mission hundred is always the 1st train and is supported by two further trains in various situations.
Bremen
The Bremen riot police have an evidence preservation and arrest unit.
Hamburg
Hamburg has two evidence preservation and arrest units, which are affiliated with the Technical Operation Hundreds (TEHu). In addition, in contrast to the operational hundreds, the water cannons , divers and the technology belong to the TEHu.
Hesse
The riot police of the Hessian police has four BFEs, which are stationed at the riot police departments Wiesbaden (BFE18), Lich (BFE28), Mühlheim am Main (BFE38) and Kassel (BFE48). Furthermore , two BFEs (BFE58 and 68) are attached to the Frankfurt am Main Police Headquarters.
The evidence preservation and arrest unit in Frankfurt was founded in 1987 on the occasion of the violent demonstrations against the so-called "Startbahn 18 West". This SFOE is affiliated with the Special Services Directorate of the Frankfurt Police Headquarters. Another difference compared to the other units in Hesse is that the Frankfurt BFE is not only used in large-scale riot police situations, but also supports the regular offices in regular duty and carries out planned access by target persons who are willing to use violence, which do not require the use of a SEK.
The SFOE act in a wide variety of areas of responsibility and are deployed in a wide variety of crime areas; Evidence-based arrests in unpeaceful demonstrative situations and sporting events, the fight against robbery and drug-related crime and support for other agencies as a service and much more.
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
At the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Police , the BFE is an independent organizational unit of the riot police department . It is based in Waldeck near Rostock.
Lower Saxony
The state riot police of Lower Saxony has five BFEs each in the riot police departments in Hanover (2 BFEs), Braunschweig , Oldenburg and Göttingen , which are each assigned to a riot police, but act independently in the event of an emergency. The Lower Saxony SFOES were set up from 1993. The pioneer was the special arrest squad set up in Braunschweig in 1988 as the 5th platoon of the 8th staff hundred, whose distinguishing mark is the red V.
North Rhine-Westphalia
The North Rhine-Westphalia police had refrained from setting up special evidence preservation and arrest units until 2018, which was also due to the somewhat different structure of the riot police there overall. The 18 operational hun- dreds and the three technical operational units (TEE) are decentrally assigned to the police headquarters and each perform the tasks of a SFOE.
The coalition agreement of the governing parties CDU and FDP for the state government formed in 2017 by Prime Minister Laschet initially provided for the installation of a total of four BFE trains. In fact, it was decided to create a staggered total of three BFHu, each consisting of two BFE trains, at the riot police locations in Bochum, Wuppertal and Cologne between 2018 and 2021.
The first SFOE nationwide was declared ready for use on February 4, 2019 at the Bochum site after three months of introductory training. The second BFE Bochum has been in operation since the beginning of December 2019, as a result of which the Bochum location has now been completed to BFH and the first BFE Wuppertal is ready for use.
Rhineland-Palatinate
The Evidence Preservation and Arrest Hundertschaft (BFHu) has been a unit of the riot police department of the Police Headquarters Deployment, Logistics and Technology (PP ELT) of the Rhineland-Palatinate Police Department since 2017 . The BFHu is located in Enkenbach-Alsenborn near Kaiserslautern .
Saarland
The BFE in Saarland is affiliated as the 1st platoon of the Saarland Operation Hundred and operates either independently or as a unit in the Hundred.
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony maintains a BFE in Dresden , Leipzig and Chemnitz with the riot police . In addition, the IZD'en (Central Services Inspection) of the Leipzig, Dresden and Chemnitz police departments have evidence preservation and arrest units that support the police in performing their daily duties and dealing with major situations.
Saxony-Anhalt
In the state of Saxony-Anhalt there is a BF-T-Hundertschaft with three BFEn and a technical unit at the state riot police in Magdeburg . The tasks of the SFOEn are divided into support of the individual police service (UPED), advanced training (theory for example in law, duels, sport, shooting, access), observations, demonstrations, football security, Castor transports and other major situations. This is not a final regulation. The scope of tasks is much larger than can be presented here. They are mostly deployed in cooperation with the two tactical hundreds in the country. While the tactical hundreds take on the task of securing or escorting, the BFEs carry out a qualified arrest, for example in the event of disturbances of any kind. In addition to the standard training, this requires further special qualification features. This includes, for example, the use of the multi-purpose stick as a batting, evacuation or arrest stick, basic training as a SFOE officer and ongoing training in arrest techniques, self-defense and entering buildings.
Schleswig-Holstein
The state of Schleswig-Holstein has set up a SFOE at the police department for training and further education and for the riot police in Eutin , which is affiliated with the 1st emergency service stationed there.
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia has a BF-Hundred, which is divided into three trains. This is stationed in the riot police in Erfurt .
criticism
Since 1998 members of evidence gathering and arrest units have been repeatedly criticized for violent behavior towards demonstrators, football fans and bullying within their own ranks. Since they usually do not appear with identification, possible investigations and proceedings usually have to be discontinued, since the identity of the officials cannot be determined.
- Starting in 1998, members and the head of the Hessian riot police in Lich were investigated for false testimony and thwarting of punishments in office or for suspicion of bodily harm.
- In 2010, the Hamburg public prosecutor's office initiated an investigation against a SFOE officer, which led to charges of bodily harm in office.
- After operations by the BFE of the federal police and Bavarian support commandos against Stuttgart-21 opponents and during Castor transports to Gorleben, the police, among others, a Hundred leader, made serious allegations of inappropriate use of force against demonstrators, which resulted in internal investigations.
- In connection with the Stuttgart 21 protests, the responsible public prosecutor received several hundred reports against police officers. In at least one case, in which a SFOE officer was filmed naked by several cameras, investigations into bodily harm were initiated in the office.
- During the protests in Stuttgart 21, video evidence was made public, which allegedly showed that SFOE officials in plain clothes were used as possible agent provocateurs who provoked protesters with physical violence and pepper spray. An official was investigated on suspicion of bodily harm.
- In connection with the Stuttgart 21 protests, there was a request and criticism in 2011 regarding the use of undercover agents who are said to be members of the BFE. In the statement of the Ministry of the Interior of Baden-Württemberg it becomes clear that there was no use of undercover investigators against the protest movement, but against individuals. The answer to the request was refused for reasons of confidentiality and to protect undercover agents.
- In 2011, according to eyewitnesses, Saxon SFOE officials provoked panic in a train station tunnel after a soccer game. The eyewitnesses reported punches, kicks and the use of pepper spray. During this operation, the fan representative, who was present on behalf of the Chemnitzer Police President and Chemnitzer FC supervisory board, was injured. The operation resulted in eight charges of assault against the unknown SFOE officers.
structure
The structure of an evidence preservation and arrest unit differs slightly from one another in the federal states, an exemplary structure is as follows:
- Leadership team - 4 PVB (law enforcement officers )
- Processing team - 2 PVB
- Technical team - 4 PVB
- Evidence Preservation Squad - 6 PVB
- 6 arrest squads - 5 PVB each
This results in a target strength of 46 civil servants.
equipment
The equipment of the officers at the BFEs is designed for a high potential for violence and disturbance and therefore differs considerably from the equipment of the officers in the patrol service or the mission hundred.
Special resources
- Command vehicles
- Processing vehicles partly with internet, mobile fax machine and printer
- Heavy body armor
- Protective vests
- Ballistic protective vests protection class II and III
- Flame protection or flame retardant clothing (overalls, flame protection hood)
- Thigh holster (for normal service weapon)
- Multi-purpose stick (EMS) ( Tonfa ) / multi-purpose stick (MES) / short-extendable stick (EKA) (only certain federal states)
- Penetration tools such as ram, crowbar , cow foot , lockpick and other small tools
- Launchers / pistols for tear gas or stun grenades (depending on the state)
- Portable fire extinguishers
- Special photo and video equipment with the possibility of digital image processing
- Laptop with online editing options
- Mobile phones
- Submachine guns
- Pistols (as service weapon)
- Irritant spray device ( pepper spray 20 ml and 400 ml)
- Conspiratorial headset
literature
- Christoph Ellinghaus: Evidence Preservation and Arrest Unit Thuringia . In: Civil Rights & Police / CILIP. Number 61, 1998.
- Rafael Behr : Cop Culture - The everyday life of the monopoly of violence. Masculinity, behavior patterns and culture in the police. Dissertation. Leske and Budrich, Opladen 2000, ISBN 3-8100-2681-6 . (on the basis of in-depth interviews with an evidence preservation and arrest unit)
- Sven Unger: Use of an evidence preservation and arrest unit. In: Hartmut Brenneisen (Ed.): Project borderline situations: Complete documentation . Verlag Deutsche Polizeiliteratur, 2003, pp. 381–385.
- Frank B. Metzner, Jörg Lang: Police Frankfurt am Main. 24 hours a day. Societäts-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2012, ISBN 978-3-942921-10-7 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ On the history of the SFOE see: Reinhard Scholzen: Schnelles Zugreifen. In: DWJ. 10, 2014, pp. 56-61.
- ^ Federal Police - Federal Riot Police. Retrieved August 28, 2017 .
- ↑ Evidence Preservation and Arrest Units (SFOE) and "civilian crime observers". In: ea-frankfurt.org. Retrieved on May 28, 2020 (German).
- ↑ Hessian Police, History BFE , viewed December 16, 2012.
- ↑ NRW introduces evidence preservation and arrest hundreds (BFE). In: SEK-Einsatz.de. March 2, 2018, archived from the original on September 22, 2018 ; accessed on September 23, 2018 .
- ↑ Axel Spilcker, Tim Stinauer: NRW introduces new special police forces. In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger . February 18, 2018, archived from the original on September 22, 2018 ; accessed on September 23, 2018 .
- ↑ Sabine Kricke: Security in North Rhine-Westphalia: Special Police Unit BFE takes up service in Bochum. In: Rheinische Post . Retrieved February 9, 2019 .
- ↑ Police Rhineland-Palatinate, Riot Police Department. In: polizei.rlp.de. Ministry of the Interior of Rhineland-Palatinate, accessed on March 16, 2018 .
- ↑ The bad jokes of a special unit. on: sueddeutsche.de , May 19, 2010.
- ↑ Protocol of a civilian police officer . In: Arrest, Capture (GESA) and Charging a Protester. Documentation of police minutes and hearing notes (file notes). on: castor.de , 2003.
- ↑ Andrea Böhm: Chronology: February 2000 . In: CILIP. No. 65, 2000.
- ↑ Assault: Charges against police officers after demonstration. on: Abendblatt.de , April 8, 2010.
- ↑ "We are being burned by politics" - police officers tell. on: Abendblatt.de , October 18, 2010.
- ↑ Stuttgart 21: Investigations against thugs in uniform. ( Memento from December 30, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) on: fr-online.de , October 12, 2010.
- ^ S21 initiative: New allegations against police officers. on: badische-zeitung.de , October 8, 2010.
- ↑ Activity undercover investigator in protests against "Stuttgart 21". ( Memento of December 8, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) on: landtag-bw.de (PDF; 46 kB)
- ↑ Elite police injured fan boss. In: Chemnitzer Morgenpost. March 28, 2011.