Official titles of the German police
The official titles of the police - colloquially also ranks are - called Germany the civil service terms of offices that a law enforcement officer holds. In the preparatory service , the civil servants do not use an official title (since they have not yet been assigned an office), but a service title .
The official titles are nationwide for the middle , the upper and the higher service up to and including grade A 16 . State regulations are only in place for civil servants who hold special management positions in salary order B. The titles of civil servants in the preparatory service are regulated by state law, as is the salary, which has been determined by the states themselves since the federalism reform .
In the uniformed service, the service and office designations are visible through shoulder flaps or slip-on loops made of fabric (but usually not with emergency suits). They show stars, stripes / stripes in the preparatory service, sometimes in combination with stars or stripes / stripes in the water protection police . The background of the epaulettes is blue or green. They are pointed towards the end. At the water police and in the Federal Police Office in See , the underground is navy blue. From 1974 to 2003, the uniformed law enforcement officers of the Hessian Police did not wear any badges that represented their official title. Since 2000, the Federal Border Guard has adapted the look of the shoulder pieces to the state police. Previously, shoulder pieces with different braided cords and gold- or silver-colored square stars were worn, as they were already common in the police and military before the Second World War . Furthermore, until the changeover, the officers of the Federal Border Guard Office-See wore the same badges as the other Federal Border Guard officers. Today they wear badges that are similar to those of the water police, cf. Official titles of the Federal Border Police and official titles of the Federal Police .
The police officers of the federal states have the following service and official titles for law enforcement officers.
For official titles of the German Federal Police, see Official titles of the Federal Police .
Preparatory service (training)
Career of middle law enforcement service
| Service / office title | Protection police in BE, BB, TH and the federal police | Protection police in BW | Protection police in BY, HH, MV, ST, SN | Hamburg Water Police |
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| Police Chief Candidate - PMA |
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Police Oberwachtmeister - POW from the 2nd year of training only in Bavaria |
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Career of the senior police enforcement service
| Service / office title | Protection police in BY, BE, BB, HH, HE, NW, RP, SL, SN, ST, TH, Federal Police | Protection police in HB, MV, NI, SH | Hamburg Water Police | Water Police Federal Police |
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| Police Commissioner Candidate - PKA |
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| Police Oberwachtmeister (3rd qualification level / senior service) only in Bavaria |
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Career of higher police force
| Service title | Protection police | Federal Water Police |
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| Police Referendar or Police Adviser Candidate - PRef or PRA |
 
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The badges vary considerably in this service designation. In some countries no badge, sometimes not even a uniform, is worn, in other countries and with the federal police a golden braid is worn as a badge, in others (e.g. Baden-Württemberg) a blue star and a golden braid. If the civil servants already hold a status-related office of the senior service career, a golden braid is worn in addition to the shoulder piece of the senior service (Bremen, Brandenburg, Berlin, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, North Rhine-Westphalia, federal government). In Hesse, the braid may be worn after passing the career test for the higher police enforcement service, if the officer has already been assigned a function office of the higher service but has not yet been assigned to a post (entry office) of the higher service.
additional information
- The abbreviations for police chief candidate and police commissioner candidate differ in the countries. They are either PMA and PKA, KA or PMAnw and PKAnw.
- In some countries PKA are promoted to police chief sergeants (with an additional silver wire) during the probationary period.
Protection police
With the water police, the badges are called stripes or strands , depending on the country . But they do not differ in appearance. They are always gold in color. Wide strands / stripes are 12 mm (senior service), narrow strands / stripes are 8 mm wide (medium service), the strands / stripes on the shoulder board of the Chief Police Officer are usually 30 mm wide.
Usually the stars are arranged one above the other in a row. The following rule applies to Baden-Württemberg and Saxony: If there are four stars, two are arranged one above the other and two across them next to each other. With all other badges they are arranged one above the other.
Career of middle law enforcement service
| Service / office title | Salary according to BBesO | Protection police | Water police | Hamburg Water Police |
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| Police Chief - PM | A 7 |
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| Chief Police Officer - POM | A 8 |
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| Police Chief Master - PHM 5 | A 9 |
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| Police Chief Master - PHMZ 5 | A 9 with official allowance |
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- * Protection police only for Baden-Württemberg and Saxony
** Protective police only in Baden-Württemberg, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Schleswig-Holstein, Thuringia, federal police (since July 1, 2012)
There has been no PHM in Berlin since summer 2010.
Career of the senior police enforcement service
| Official title | Salary according to BBesO | Protection police | Water police | Hamburg Water Police |
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| Police Commissioner - PK | A 9 |
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| Police High Commissioner - POK | A 10 |
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| Police chief inspector - PHK | A 11 |
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| Police Chief Inspector - PHK (A12) | A 12 |
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| First Police Chief Commissioner - EPHK | A 13 |
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- * Protection police only for Baden-Württemberg and Saxony
** In Saxony-Anhalt, since February 1, 2010, civil servants and former civil servants who have previously held an office designation of the senior service of salary group A 13 can be awarded the office designation council with a corresponding addition on request (for example police adviser instead of first police chief inspector) . Officials appointed after the date will be given the title the same. In Saxony-Anhalt, the former final offices of the senior service have been eliminated due to the change in structure. The previous higher and higher service were combined in career group 2. This change is becoming apparent in many countries.
Career of higher police force
| Official title | Salary according to BBesO | Protection police | Water police |
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| Police Council - PR | A 13 |
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| Higher Police Council - POR | A 14 |
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| Police Director - PD | A 15 |
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| Chief Police Director - LPD or Ltd. PD | A 16 / B 2/3 |
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 or four wide and one narrow strips / strands |
Particularly prominent positions in the higher service
These offices are only set up for careers with the police, but not with the water police.
| Official title | badge |
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| Department Director at the Police Headquarters Frankfurt am Main (Hesse)
Department director as general representative of the director of the Police Academy (Lower Saxony) Rector of the Police University of Applied Sciences ( Saxony-Anhalt ) Deputy Director of the Police College (Rhineland-Palatinate) Deputy Police President (Bremen) Vice President in a Federal Police |
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| Director of the State Office for Education, Training and Personnel Matters (North Rhine-Westphalia)
Director of the State Office for Central Police Services (North Rhine-Westphalia) Director of the Police University (Rhineland-Palatinate) |
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| Head of the City Police Department (Saxony) Police inspector (Baden-Württemberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (since March 1, 2011), Rhineland-Palatinate (since July 2013)) Police President [B5] (Bremen) President of the State Police Directorate (Thuringia) |
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President of the Federal Police Headquarters
Police President (Berlin) State Police President (Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Saxony, Hesse (since 2011)) Ministerialdirigent as head of the department for public safety and order in the Ministry of the Interior and Sport (Saxony-Anhalt) |
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Criminal police
Police officers of the criminal investigation department generally do not wear a uniform, but rather “civilian clothes adapted to the situation” (“civil clothing”).
Career of middle law enforcement service
- Sergeant - KM
- Chief of Police - COM
- Kriminalhauptmeister - KHM (BesGr A 9 with or without official allowance)
In some countries there is no middle service in the criminal police, and since the mid-1990s there has been no middle service in the Federal Criminal Police Office .
Career of the senior police enforcement service
- Detective Inspector - KK
- Criminal Superintendent - KOK
- Kriminalhauptkommissar - KHK (instructed in BesGr A 11 or A 12)
- First Chief Inspector - EKHK
In addition to the criminal police, only in Berlin does the separate career of the commercial field service exist , which is expressed in nationally unique official titles:
- Trade Commissioner - GK
- Trade Commissioner - GOK
- Trade Commissioner - GHK
- First Trade Commissioner - EGHK
The official titles in the higher service in the commercial field service are analogous to those in the higher criminal service (see below).
Career of higher police force
- Kriminalrat - KR
- Chief Criminal Police Officer - KOR
- Detective Director - KD
- Chief criminal director - LKD (e.g. NRW) or LtdKD
use
- Head of department (from 20 officers) at a criminal investigation department
- Head of Commissariat (no minimum number of staff)
- Head of Inspection of a Criminal Police
- Head of the criminal investigation department
- Head of the criminal investigation department (e.g. PP Frankfurt am Main, 820 officials)
- Head of a police department
In Baden-Württemberg also:
- Head of a large police station (police council, police chief council)
- Head of a command and task force
Particularly prominent positions in the higher service
- State criminal director (LKD, Baden-Württemberg as department head in the state police headquarters; LdsKD North Rhine-Westphalia)
- President of the State Criminal Police Office (Baden-Württemberg)
- State Criminal Police Director (Berlin) LKPolD (until January 2006, since then Director of the State Criminal Police Office )
- Director at the Federal Criminal Police Office (as head of a department, paid according to salary group B 3)
- Vice-President of the Federal Criminal Police Office (paid according to salary group B 6)
- President of the Federal Criminal Police Office (paid according to salary group B 9)
Officials at training and further education centers or police schools
The official titles at these institutions vary widely. In some countries, the head of this facility has a special title, e.g. B. Director of the State Police School. In other countries, this post is provided by senior civil servants without a specific title.
In some countries there are separate universities of applied sciences for training for the higher service, e.g. B. in Baden-Württemberg and Saxony-Anhalt. The head of this facility is called Rector there .
In some federal states (e.g. Bavaria) there are teachers for general subjects at the police schools. These often have the following names:
- Police school teacher (BesGr. A 11)
- Police school teacher (BesGr. A 12)
- Main Police School Teacher (BesGr. A 13)
In other countries, general subjects are taught by employees or civil servants (without a specific official title).
Police medical service
| Official title | Salary according to BBesO | badge |
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| Medical Council or Government Medical Council |
A 13 |
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| Senior Medical Council or Government Medical Council |
A 14 |
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| Medical Director or Government Medical Director |
A 15 |
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| Senior Medical Director or Senior Government Medical Director |
A 16 |
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This service is available in all countries, whereby the official title of Senior Medical Director may not be assigned or the service may also be provided by employees who then do not have an official title. In contrast to the administrative service, the medical service carries the Aesculapian staff as a career symbol.
Administrative service
Mostly acting in the background, the administrative service active in all police forces is rarely found in uniform. The non-police tasks in the police are carried out by officials of the non-technical administrative service as well as civil servants . Sometimes it turns out to be necessary and expedient that these members of the police are also recognizable as such and therefore wear uniform. Already at the Federal Border Police they also wore the Hermes or Mercury staff on shoulder pieces, which were appropriate for the office , as a traditional symbol of the administration. The police in some countries also procured and issued shoulder pieces that correspond in the colors and the number of stars or stripes (water police) with the comparable offices of police colleagues, but were also embroidered with the cadaver in the color of the stars. For collective bargaining employees there are also variants without asterisk; here only the caduceus is embroidered in the color of the comparable career group . Apart from the labeling described above, it is also practiced (e.g. in Bavaria) that administrative officers deployed in uniform wear the same uniform (including shoulder pieces) as law enforcement officers.
Police music
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| Medium service (not in all countries) | High service (not in all countries) |
Officials and employees in the police music corps and police choirs wear a lyre or clef illustration on the shoulder pieces instead of their rank badge in some countries and with the federal police (there only employees) . In some countries and at the federal police, officers wear their usual badge.
history
time of the nationalsocialism
At the time of National Socialism there were, among others, the following official titles, which at that time were still referred to as ranks and differed slightly within the various organizations:
Order police
Within the Ordnungspolizei , the gendarmerie, the protective police of the municipalities, the protective police of the Reich, the water police and the fire police had the following ranks with effect from April 10, 1941 until the end of the war:
- candidate
- Sergeant
- Red Sergeant
- Constable
- Sergeant major
- Revier-Oberwachtmeister (district Oberwachtmeister) and Zugwachtmeister
- Hauptwachtmeister and Oberjunker
- master
- Lieutenant and Revier (district) lieutenant
- First lieutenant and Revier (district) first lieutenant
- Captain and Revier (district) captain
- major
- Lieutenant colonel
- Colonel
- Major general
- Lieutenant General
- general
The name of the organization, ie "the gendarmerie" or "the police" or "the fire police" was added to the rank. The ranks of Lieutenant General and General existed only in the Reich's Schutzpolizei.
The rank badges differed in the basic color: gendarmerie light red, protection police of the communities dark red, protection police of the empire green, water protection police sand-colored, fire protection police crimson red and the generals of all police forces green.
In the Ordnungspolizei, the other subdivisions had their own ranks.
Security police
Within the State Prussian Criminal Police and also in the coordinated State Criminal Police ( Reichskriminalpolizeiamt (RKPA) with subordinate Criminal Police Headquarters and Criminal Police Offices) as well as in the Secret State Police (Secret State Police Office (Gestapa) with subordinate State Police Headquarters) the following service offices were used from 1937/40
- Criminal assistant candidate in preparatory service
- Detective Trainee
- Detective Assistant
- Chief Detective Assistant
- Criminal secretary
- Detective District Secretary
- Criminal inspector
- Detective inspector
- Detective
- Detective Director
- Government and Criminal Council
- Higher government and criminal councilor
- Government and criminal director
- Reich criminal director
For reasons of salary law, the ranks of the detective commissioner and the detective council were divided into “up to 15 years of service” and “over 15 years of service”. The detective commissioner over 15 years of service was equal in terms of his salary to the first lieutenant of the police with an annual salary of 3,900 to 5,900 Reichsmarks (as of 1938). With an annual salary of 4,800 to 7,000 RM (as of 1938), the criminal inspector for 15 years of service was on an equal footing with the captain of the police force. A government and criminal director had the same salary as a colonel in the police, up to RM 10,600.
By decree on the appointment of a chief of the German police in the Reich Ministry of the Interior of June 17, 1936, the entire police apparatus, consisting of the main offices of the Ordnungspolizei and Security Police , was subordinated to the Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler as head of the German police in the Reich Ministry of the Interior . For the members of the Security Police (Sipo), entry into the Schutzstaffel (SS) or the Security Service (SD) was suggested and facilitated by appropriate circulars. The officers concerned had the relevant SS rank in addition to their police rank (so-called " rank adjustment "). The measure mainly affected officers of the Kripo, as Gestapo officers had previously been increasingly recruited from the ranks of the SS and SD or other Nazi organizations and so over time supplemented and, if necessary, replaced "politically unreliable" specialists from the former Prussian Political Police .
Helpers of the security police and the SD
In the Third Reich, women were examined as candidates for the Security Police and the SD in a six-month course to determine which career they were best suited for. The choices were:
- Female criminal police (middle and senior prison service)
- Clerks especially at SD
- Interpreters
- Educators in police youth protection camps
- Technical staff (laboratory assistants, photographers, dactyloscopic staff, news assistants, etc.)
- Administrative officers
The following ranks could be achieved according to suitability:
- Detective assistant for examination
- Chief Detective Assistant
- Criminal secretary
- Chief Criminal Secretary
- Detective Inspector
- Detective
GDR
See also
- Police uniform (Germany)
- Official titles of the Federal Police
- Official designations of the German customs administration
- Official designations of the Federal Border Guard
- Official designations of the railway police
Web links
- Rank badge of the Baden-Württemberg police
- Rank badge of the Bavarian Police
- Rank badge of the Berlin police
- Rank badge of the Bremen police
- Rank badge of the Hamburg police
- Rank badge of the Hessen Police
- Rank badge of the Police of Saxony
- History of the German police uniform