Border Guard Corps

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Logo of the Border Guard
Rank badge of a staff adjutant of the GWK, assigned to the GWK command
Border guard in Basel-Lysbüchel
Emergency vehicle in a new design
Emergency vehicle in the old design
Border guards patrolled the Seerhein
Boat of the Border Guard in Basel

The Grenzwachtkorps , GWK for short , ( French Corps des gardes-frontière, Cgfr , Italian Corpo delle guardie di confine, Cgcf , Rhaeto-Romanic Corp da guardias da cunfin ) is the uniformed and armed part of the Federal Customs Administration , which is subordinate to the Federal Department of Finance . It is the largest national, civil security body in Switzerland . The members of the border guard are subject to military criminal law . On the basis of a state treaty, the border guards also take on sovereign tasks in the Principality of Liechtenstein .

The border guard is the federal instrument for:

  • Prevention, intervention and repression in the area of ​​customs and migration.
  • Implementation of border police matters and national substitute measures in cooperation with the cantons.
  • Operations for the benefit of the European border protection agency Frontex .

As part of a restructuring of the Federal Customs Administration EZV, which will now appear under the name of the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security BAZG , the job profiles of border guards and customs officers are to be merged.

tasks

Emergency vehicle in a new design

The border guard controls the movement of people and goods across the border and combats organized and gang smuggling as well as cross-border crime. The border guard also takes part in international operations. It also provides so-called air and ground marshalls to ward off criminal acts on board Swiss aircraft in international commercial air traffic . In this context, the border guard enforces around 150 legal enactments.

However, the border guard basically fulfills the same tasks as customs and works closely with them. The specific skills are used mutually.

There are three strategic areas of responsibility:

  • Customs duties
  • Security police duties
  • Migration tasks

The fulfillment of the three strategic task areas at the border takes place originally, i. H. according to the primary order. In border areas, in rail traffic and at airports, customs duties in particular are carried out originally, and duties are delegated by the cantons.

Customs duties

Customs duties include a .:

  • the fight against the smuggling of taxable, licensed or prohibited goods such as weapons, narcotics, etc.
  • the collection of taxes and duties such as value added tax, customs and road traffic charges.
  • the fulfillment of economic, commercial, health and environmental police tasks such as the fight against undeclared work, the trade in counterfeit branded goods and medicines as well as the trade in protected animal and plant species.

Security police duties

The security police tasks include a .:

  • Searching people, property and vehicles and uncovering forged documents to combat cross-border crime.
  • the control of cross-border cash movements to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.
  • the security inserts to prevent criminal acts on board Swiss aircraft in international commercial air traffic.

Migration tasks

The migration tasks include a .:

  • the border police passport controls at the Schengen external borders of Switzerland at the international airports of Geneva, Basel and Lugano-Agno - at Zurich airport this is carried out by the Zurich canton police, at Bern-Belp airport by the Bern canton police - as well as spot checks at the land borders ( Schengen internal borders) and internal foreigners controls near the border.
  • the prevention of illegal entry, exit or transit as well as illegal stay.
  • combating human smuggling and trafficking.

organization

The border guard is divided into the following three hierarchical levels:

Strategic level

The Grenzwachtkorps command (Kdo GWK) based in the Oberzolldirektion (OZD) in Bern forms the strategic level. It is divided into the sections staff services, operations, technology / logistics, teaching association and special formation. It is led by the Chief Border Guard Corps (C GWK).

The Border Guard Command performs strategic and operational tasks. This includes the planning and management of national and international operations, supraregional heavyweight training, foreign assignments and training.

The following organizational units also serve as additional elements of management support:

  • the situation and intelligence center border guard corps (LNZ GWK)
  • the situation and information center of the border guard corps (LNZ GWK) in the Oberzolldirektion (OZD) in Bern evaluates u. a. national and international reports from, processes and disseminates knowledge and creates information bulletins
  • the training centers (AZL / KOSIT)

Training and further education takes place in the training center of the Federal Customs Administration (AZL) in Liestal and in the Competence Center for Security and Intervention (KOSIT) in Interlaken.

Operational level

The seven border guard regions (Gzw Reg) form the operational level. They are provided with the appropriate Roman numerals and a place name and are defined according to geotactic criteria. They are led by border guard commanders (Gzw Kdt).

The border guard regions perform operational tasks that are not performed centrally. If required, this also includes the supraregional planning and management of major events and operations, training of heavyweights and foreign assignments.

Tactical level

The 44 border guards (Gzw Po) and four operations centers (EZ GWK) in the border guard regions form the tactical level. They are managed by post chiefs (Pch). The border guards ensure the operation and the daily execution of duty.

The following organizational units also serve as important elements of management support:

  • the operations centers border guard corps (EZ GWK)
  • the four operations centers in Basel (EZ GWK Nord), Chur (EZ GWK Ost), Chiasso (EZ GWK Süd) and Geneva (EZ GWK West) provide u. a. ensure the coordination of operations, provide support, and process and disseminate information and wanted reports.
  • the cooperation centers (CCPD)
  • the two cooperation centers for police and customs matters (CCPD) in Chiasso and Geneva enable a quick exchange of information between Switzerland and Italy or France.

Border guard regions

The seven border guard regions

In addition to the Border Guard Command at the Federal Customs Administration in Bern, there are seven regional commands, called the Border Guard Region:

  • Border Guard Region I - Basel (Cantons BS, BL, SO, AG, BE, LU, OW, NW)
  • Border guard region II - Schaffhausen (cantons ZH, SH, TG, SZ, UR, ZG)
  • Border Guard Region III - Chur (Cantons SG, GR, AR, AI, GL and Principality of Liechtenstein)
  • Border guard region IV - Lugano (Canton TI; command in the municipality of Paradiso)
  • Border guard region V - Lausanne (cantons VS, VD, FR)
  • Border Guard Region VI - Geneva (Canton GE)
  • Border guard region VIII - Pruntrut (cantons NE, JU)

The originally eight border guard regions were introduced on January 1, 2007, to replace the previous four border guard districts. The border guard region VII (Aargau / Zurich) with command at Zurich Airport was already abolished on April 1, 2011 and divided between the border guard regions I (canton Aargau) and II (canton Zurich).

Areas of application

The border guard has four strategic operational priorities. These are based on the performance mandate of the Federal Customs Administration (LA EZV). This is defined by the head of the Federal Department of Finance (FDF).

The four strategic focus areas relate to:

Focus on the border

This includes controls at the customs offices / border guards in road, rail and ship traffic.

Application focus border area

This includes controls in the intermediate area, in the border area, on border waters and in cross-border rail traffic.

Main use airport

This includes passport controls at the international airports in Basel, Geneva and Lugano-Agno as well as controls at non-customs airports.

Main use mail and courier traffic

This includes controls in letter post centers and at courier companies in cooperation with customs.

Specialists

The fight against organized smuggling and cross-border crime place high demands on the border guards. It therefore employs a number of specialists with in-depth specialist knowledge in the various areas:

  • for guiding protective, narcotics or explosives detection dogs
  • for the detection of forged documents
  • for vehicle inspection to find smuggling hiding spots.
  • for the analysis of narcotics
  • for X-raying luggage and objects
  • for the observation unit of the customs administration for the fight against smuggling and the support of the customs investigation
  • for assignments abroad
  • for security operations in civil aviation (air or ground marshals)

education

The training to become a border guard takes three years. Theoretical training takes place in the training center of the Federal Customs Administration (AZL) in Liestal , the practical training in the region to which the student is assigned.

conditions

The following requirements are required of applicants:

  • Swiss citizens or dual citizens. Dual citizens may not have completed any foreign military service.
  • a federal certificate of proficiency for at least three years of basic vocational training or an equivalent certificate (e.g. Matura certificate).
  • Age between 20 and 35 years
  • Minimum height of 168 centimeters for applicants or 160 centimeters for female applicants
  • good intellectual, psychological and physical performance
  • good swimmer
  • Visual acuity corrected or uncorrected at least 0.7 for the better and 0.5 for the worse eye, uncorrected binocular at least 0.1
  • normal discernment of colors
  • normal hearing
  • good repute
  • Driver's license category B.

For this, applicants must have basic characteristics such as teamwork, sociability, communication skills, quick comprehension, independence, assertiveness, reliability and perseverance. Great importance is also attached to the external appearance.

Training content

Basic training takes place in the first year. This consists of theoretical modules and practical assignments at the border. The basic training focuses on the areas of border guards, customs, law, criminalistics, searches, document checking, shooting, security and intervention techniques, psychosocial skills and sport.

Anyone who has successfully completed all modules and specialist examinations in their first year of service and meets the requirements of the doctoral degree regulations will be admitted to the federal professional examination “Border guard with federal specialist certificate”. This is carried out in the form of a practical professional examination.

After the basic training, further training takes place in the second and third years of service, in which the knowledge is deepened with further modules. The advanced training focuses on the areas of search and rescue, document checking, customs service, criminalistics, security services and operational tactics.

The border guard training is only completed after passing the modules in further training in the second or third year of service. After completing the border guard training in the second year of service and being promoted to corporal in the fourth year of service, employees are in principle open to all functions as specialists or managers, depending on their qualifications.

Personnel and equipment

The Border Guard Corps does not have its own aircraft, so the Border Guard Corps is supported by helicopters (with and without FLIR) and ADS 95 drones from the Swiss Air Force .

Functions in the border guard corps

The personnel categories and functions in the border guard are distinguished according to the employment relationship between:

Administrative staff

This includes the staff of the commandos of the border guard regions (Kdo Gzw Reg) and the command of the border guard corps (Kdo GWK) in Bern.

Operating personnel

This includes the staff of the border guards (Gzw Po), the operations centers (EZ GWK) and the special formation of the Federal Customs Administration (SOFO EZV). It also includes the specialists.

Squad

This includes personnel with the degree of sergeant or higher who have a managerial function.

Superiors

This includes staff with a field level or higher who have a managerial function and who conduct staff appraisals and appraisals with their subordinate employees.

Grade in the border guard corps

The degree badges on the armpit loops of the Border Guard Corps correspond to the military degrees of the Swiss Army . The armpit loops are also provided with the ray cross or Roman numerals (I to VIII). The cross of rays shows carriers who are assigned to the Border Guard Command. The Roman numerals correspond to the respective border guard region in which the porters work.

Web links

Commons : Grenzwachtkorps  - collection of images

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Federal Council sets the course for the further development of the customs administration. Retrieved June 2, 2019 .
  2. ↑ NZZ Online: New Aargau - Zurich border guard region started. January 12, 2007.
  3. ↑ Tages-Anzeiger: More weapons confiscated. February 14, 2011.