Hamburg Police
Encyclopedia
The Hamburg Police is the German
Landespolizei
force for the city-state
of Hamburg
. Law enforcement in Germany
is divided between federal and state
(Land) agencies. A precursor to the agency, the Polizey-Behörde, has existed since 1814.
The State Minister for the Interior oversees the Hamburg Police, which consists of aviation, water, road and port patrols, and crime investigation. The city of Hamburg is served by police station
s of the Uniformed Police . Head of police is Polizeipräsident Werner Jantosch. In 2008 Hamburg Police had 500,335 deployments.
in Amsterdam
, and in 1770, 284 men operated in 64 districts. In 1787, a force patrolling the port (the ) was established, though this was merged with the police in 1875.
Before the French occupation of Hamburg (1806–1814) the Wedde was the government agency collecting fines, and the Prätur an agency — more like a court — to arbitrate, e.g. in cases of bankruptcy, or differences on rental fees. In 1814, the government of Hamburg (Rat) established a standardised police agency (Polizey-Behörde). The former brought tasks from the Wedde and Prätur into the new police. The night watch and the police coexisted until 1876, when the watch was dissolved.
The night watch, Wedde, Prätur, port patrol, and later police were supported by the military
. In 1842 the police consisted of 48 men and 425 members of the night watch, whilst Hamburg had a population of 200,000. In 1870, 650 Constable
rs, the same as the British name, were introduced to the police, including a mounted unit.
After several changes of structure and oversight agency — also the establishment of Political Police to monitor the labour movement
from 1894 to 1918 — the police force was headed by a president of the police since 1912. From 1890 on, the police force began to transform into a military-like force. In 1910 rifle
s were bought, because of riots in Berlin
. Pistols for the police were bought in 1917. After the First World War
, riots and civil disorder caused the reinforcement of the police with soldiers and militia. After the period of the German Revolution of 1918–1919 the Hamburg Police had a Sicherheitspolizei (protection or security police) and a Ordnungspolizei
(order police). The Order Police were stationed in barracks. In 1920, during the Kapp Putsch
the police, specially the leading officers, showed itself as unreliable. After several administrative changes the Sicherheitspolizei was dissolved and replaced by the Order Police. As of 1932 the police consisted of 21 units, with 2,100 men. In 1933, there were 5,500 men, including the criminal investigation units and the administration.
(1933–1945), the Gleichschaltung
took part in police too. The state police units were transferred to the armed forces
. The now 56,000 members of the Landespolizei were incorporated as self contained police units no longer existed. In 1936 all other police units were under the control of the SS by law. The annexation of Austria
, the occupation of the Sudetenland
(both in 1938), and the occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1939 were accompanied by readiness exercises of the police force. During the annexation of Austria
from 2,614 policemen 1,000 participated in the Verladeübung (embarkation exercise) of total 20,000 men.
In 1939 three Hamburg police battalions (staff and 4 companies) were transported to Poland
and stationed among others in Kielce
, Tomaszów, and Końskie
. All units took repressive measures against the civil population or were in combat against the regular Polish army, guarded prisoner of war, participated in drumhead courts-martial, supported the SS in the so-called resettlement of the native population, executed so-called hostages, and carried out Jew hunts and mass shootings; for example in the following two incidents.
On 13 July 1942, the Hamburg Reserve Police Battalion 101, stationed in Zamosc
, Bilgoraj, Radzyn
, and later in the Lukow area, under the command of Mayor Wilhelm Trapp executed 30 Jews, man, women and children near Józefów
. On 19 August 1942, the 2nd company of the 101 executed in a mass shooting more than 800 Jewish people from Lomazy. After the war, Trapp and several other were investigated by British authorities and Polish Military Mission and extradited to Poland in 1946. In July 1948 Trapp was sentenced to death and executed. In the 1960s the involvement of policemen from Hamburg were investigated also by the German
prosecutors. In 1964, several men were arrested and held in custody. In 1968 the verdicts were passed: 3 men sentenced to 8 years imprisonment, one to 6 years, and one to 5 years. Six other — all lower ranks — were found guilty but not sentenced. Since the 1980s the Hamburg State Ministry of the Interior researched the history of the police force during the Weimar Republic
and Nazi Germany.
was installed as head of the police ministry in 1947. After several changes, in 1962 an interior ministry was formed and succeeded the police ministry. Senator Helmut Schmidt
was the first minister of the interior.
In their research Norbert Steinborn and Karin Schanzenbach — later published as a book titled Die Hamburger Polizei nach 1945 — ein Neuanfang, der keiner war — (The Hamburg Police after 1945 — a new beginning that was not) — described the situation of the police force after the Second World War, the process of denazification
, the development up to the North Sea flood of 1962
and the following incorporation of the police into the State Ministry of the Interior.
On 3 May 1945, the first order for the police force in Hamburg by the 609 Detachment Hansestadt Hamburg, the military administrative government for Hamburg, was to stand by armed. On 7 May 1945, precise regulations for the German police offices were published. In 1945 head of the police was the British Colonel Michel O'Rorke, chief of the Public Safety Branch. At the beginning of May 1945, the police force had 1,720 active officers, 3,456 reserve officers, 7,000 air safety officers, and 585 criminal investigation officers. More than 2,000 officers were on "foreign missions" — the Nazi term for war activities — or prisoners of war. The first political cleansing was the lay-off of the air safety police and the reserve police. Most Nazi-leaders and Gestapo
members disappeared before the British occupation because they feared prosecution. In June 1945, the more than 100 leading police officers were impeached and by May 1950 more than 1,300 officers of the medium and higher ranks had to leave the police force, although some were later hired again. The leading positions were filled with former officers whom the Nazi system had persecuted. Bruno Georges, a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany
., was the first chief of police.
In 1947, the British Military Government gave control of the police force to the Hamburg Government and the first chief of the police office was First Mayor Max Brauer
. The Government of Hamburg
was not satisfied with the new Police Law which was based on British police regulations and, e.g., banned officers from being in a political party or union.
During the 1950s the police force was often in confrontation with strikers. In 1952, a strike of 175 chemical workers was described by the media as political and the head of the workers council as a communist. The police were used to protect strike-breakers. In June 1952, Chief of Police Georges told the police commission that a disproportionate number of police officers, more than 90 daily, had been in action for a such a small company. The strikes and student demonstrations were one argument to establish a police support unit Bereitschaftspolizei
.
In 1975, the police horse units were abolished. 42 horses and 52 officers had patrolled the Harburg Hills
and other areas in the suburbs of Hamburg.
In 1995, in context with the Hamburg police scandal (See below: Controversies and incidents), the office of Police Commissioner was initiated. In 1998, State Traffic Administration was outsourced as a separate company . In 2004, the police was more centralized, e.g. the state police offices were dissolved.
The Polizei Hamburg consists of the Zentraldirektion (head office) of the uniformed police (Schutzpolizei) with its regions City / West, East, and South, and their police stations (Polizeikommissariate [PK]), the Landeskriminalamt
(lit. state criminal police office), the Wasserschutzpolizei
(Water Police) controlling traffic in the port of Hamburg, the Landesbereitschaftspolizei
(lit. stand-by or readiness police), the Traffic Office (Verkehrsdirektion), and several other administrative offices.
Units are among others the Criminal Investigation Services (Kriminalpolizei), the Special Weapons and Tactics Unit (Spezialeinsatzkommando
) and Mobile Surveillance Units (Mobiles Einsatzkommando), and the Polizeiverkehrskasper, a Punch
used in kindergartens to educate children since 1948. The helicopters and the police orchestra are units of the Stand-By Police.
Schools for the Hamburg police are the state police school and the school for the water police. The school for the water police is also the central educational institution for all German state water police units. The Police College Hamburg offers a bachelor's degree for police officers of higher ranking and security managers.
Hamburg Police has a own museum, as of 2009 it is closed for renovations. The collection started in 1893.
s, the service group (ranking of a Beamter
[rough: civil clerk]) is also indicated through the hatband of the peaked cap
. The hatband of the senior service is gold, upper service is silver, and the intermediate service is blue. The uniformed police and the Water Police of the Hamburg Police has the following rank structure, in descending order:
_sml.jpg)
Senior service (German: Höherer Dienst)
Upper service (Gehobener Dienst)
Intermediate service (Mittlerer Dienst)
. Its responsibilities are to avert danger, to maintain the public security
, to render assistance, and the provision of information. Law enforcement in general under the oversight of the prosecutor
, prosecution of infractions, traffic control, and administrative assistance are also tasks. Hamburg Police has several programs of prevention, like protection against burglary and traffic education.
for the city-state of Hamburg. Its tasks are defined in the Gesetz zum Schutz der öffentlichen Sicherheit und Ordnung (SOG) — the state law of the protection of security and order — for acts to avert danger, and the Federal Strafprozeßordnung (StPO) (Code of criminal procedure), for the law enforcement itself.
. There are 24 police stations for the uniformed police, in addition to an airport police station and a station at the main railway station Hamburg Hauptbahnhof
.
The most well known station is the so-called Davidwache, officially known as Polizeikommissariat 15 and designed by Kurt Schumacher
. The building was expanded in 2004, and serves the red light district
around the Reeperbahn
street. The station even has its own fansite (Davidwache Hamburg — Die inoffizielle Fanseite. ) selling T-shirts; Jürgen Roland
's 1960 film Polizeirevier Davidwache describes the work at the police station; also the film Fluchtweg St. Pauli — Großalarm für die Davidswache (International title: Hot Traces of St. Pauli, UK: Jailbreak in Hamburg) (1971) featured the station; the documentary Meine Davidwache from 2008; and the book Einsatz auf St. Pauli Geschichten aus der Davidwache by Ingeborg Donati and Thomas Mettelmann describe the all day work of police officers.
As of 2009, the Water Police (Wasserschutzpolizei
) had five stations, two of which are not actually in Hamburg. One is located at the mouth of the Elbe
river in Cuxhaven, Lower Saxony
, and another is a sub-station in Lauenburg, a town in Schleswig-Holstein
. The other three are in Hamburg proper.
s in Hamburg, built 1958–1962; the so called Polizeihochhaus (Police skyscraper). In 1997 the government of Hamburg
decided to build a new headquarters at the area of the stand-by police in Alsterdorf
quarter. In 2000 the headquarters moved to the new building in Alsterdorf.
pistols, 575 Heckler & Koch P2000 V2
pistols, 482 Heckler & Koch MP5
submachine guns. Communication is provided by 5,805 radio units and 1,652 mobile phones. The car pool was used for 18.3 mil. kilometer.
Since 2005, the uniformed police wear blue uniforms. Hamburg Police was the first German state police to change from green to blue. The change was initiated by the former Minister Ronald Schill
. The financing model for police equipment was new to Germany, private economy granted a passive credit to the government of Hamburg
, so all uniforms could be changed at once. Hamburg's Polizeieinsatzfahrzeuge — the formal name for patrol cars — are called "Peterwagen", because of a misunderstanding between a German clerk and a British officer. The clerk, wanting an authorization for new radio controlled patrol cars, tried to spell patrol car with "P, like Peter..". The British officer interrupting "Oh, I know, Peterwagen!" forwarded the petition.
Hamburg pocket
On 8 June 1986, the Hamburg Police closed in
on 861 protesters and contained them in the open area of the Heiligengeistfeld
for 13 hours. The demonstrators were held without food, water and toilets. Demonstrations against the use of nuclear power developed in the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster
. On the day before, groups of protestors, on their way to the Brokdorf Nuclear Power Plant
, were stopped by the police. On Sunday, 8 June, several people of the anti-nuclear movement wanted to protest against the police actions. The Hamburger Kessel (lit. Hamburg pocket, the word Kessel can also be translated as kettle.) were sentenced legal wrong, by the Hamburg regional court, and all involved were adjudged a solatium
of DM200. The 4 police leaders of the Hamburg pocket were declared guilty of deprivation of personal freedom, but only admonishment and had to pay a fine.
Hamburg police scandal
In 1994 a Parliamentarischer Untersuchungsausschuss (PUA) (parliamentary commission of enquiry) was installed after the resign of the State Minister for the Interior Werner Hackmann, because of several accusations of xenophobia
, with assaults and alleged police brutality
. The commission was in existence for over two years — the longest term in Hamburg's history by now. In 1996 the findings stated that right wing extremist events in the police were no individual cases. During the investigations, State Police Colonel Heinz Krappen resigned too, but some accusations turned out to be wrong. The whole incident is known as Hamburg police scandal, and a police complaints authority — to investigate independent and unprejudiced, and to break the "wall of silence", which was often noticed during investigations within the police — was installed in 1998, but dissolved by Senator Ronald Schill
in 2001.
. Eighteen were shot, intentionally and heinous or in affect, one was plunged to death, one was knifed, and one was crushed. Six officers died in accidents. The youngest was 19, the oldest 58 years old.
and Hamburg Airport
where in 2008, the first combined airport-police station for Federal and State police was established. A company of the German military police
(4./FJgBtl 151) is stationed at the Reichspräsident-Ebert-Kaserne (Imperial President
Ebert
barracks) in the Altona
borough. The Zollkriminalamt
Hamburg is the customs office in the district of the Oberfinanzdirektion (OFD) Hamburg. In 2006 the OFD had 2,441 employees.
Hamburg is also served by the Bezirklicher Ordnungsdienst (BOD) — comparable with the British Police Community Support Officer
s — employed by the boroughs of Hamburg
. The BOD deals with administrative offences like not leashed dogs and vandalism.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Landespolizei
Landespolizei
thumb|[[Germany|German]] police officer in [[Hamburg]]The Landespolizei are the main police forces of Germany. They are under the sole jurisdiction, funded and operated by the states of Germany.-History:...
force for the city-state
City-state
A city-state is an independent or autonomous entity whose territory consists of a city which is not administered as a part of another local government.-Historical city-states:...
of Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
. Law enforcement in Germany
Law enforcement in Germany
Law enforcement in Germany is constitutionally vested solely with the states, which is one of the main features of the German political system. Therefore, unlike France, Italy, the United States, Canada or many other countries, Germany has no federal police force comparable to the Italian...
is divided between federal and state
States of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
(Land) agencies. A precursor to the agency, the Polizey-Behörde, has existed since 1814.
The State Minister for the Interior oversees the Hamburg Police, which consists of aviation, water, road and port patrols, and crime investigation. The city of Hamburg is served by police station
Police station
A police station or station house is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, along with locker rooms, temporary holding cells and interview/interrogation rooms.- Facilities...
s of the Uniformed Police . Head of police is Polizeipräsident Werner Jantosch. In 2008 Hamburg Police had 500,335 deployments.
History
Before the police force was established, there was a night watch and a port patrol. The night watch was a professional force whose duties included calling the hours at night and closing the city gates. In 1671, the watch was reorganised along the lines of the SchutterijSchutterij
Schutterij refers to a voluntary city guard or citizen militia in the medieval and early modern Netherlands, intended to protect the town or city from attack and act in case of revolt or fire. Their training grounds were often on open spaces within the city, near the city walls, but, when the...
in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, and in 1770, 284 men operated in 64 districts. In 1787, a force patrolling the port (the ) was established, though this was merged with the police in 1875.
Before the French occupation of Hamburg (1806–1814) the Wedde was the government agency collecting fines, and the Prätur an agency — more like a court — to arbitrate, e.g. in cases of bankruptcy, or differences on rental fees. In 1814, the government of Hamburg (Rat) established a standardised police agency (Polizey-Behörde). The former brought tasks from the Wedde and Prätur into the new police. The night watch and the police coexisted until 1876, when the watch was dissolved.
The night watch, Wedde, Prätur, port patrol, and later police were supported by the military
Hamburg Citizen Militia
The Hamburg Citizen Militia or Hanseatic Citizen Guard was a citizen militia of the free cities and Hanseatic city of Hamburg, formed from conscripted citizens and inhabitants of the city. It was formed in 1814 and dissolved in 1868....
. In 1842 the police consisted of 48 men and 425 members of the night watch, whilst Hamburg had a population of 200,000. In 1870, 650 Constable
Constable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions.-Etymology:...
rs, the same as the British name, were introduced to the police, including a mounted unit.
After several changes of structure and oversight agency — also the establishment of Political Police to monitor the labour movement
Labour movement
The term labour movement or labor movement is a broad term for the development of a collective organization of working people, to campaign in their own interest for better treatment from their employers and governments, in particular through the implementation of specific laws governing labour...
from 1894 to 1918 — the police force was headed by a president of the police since 1912. From 1890 on, the police force began to transform into a military-like force. In 1910 rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
s were bought, because of riots in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. Pistols for the police were bought in 1917. After the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, riots and civil disorder caused the reinforcement of the police with soldiers and militia. After the period of the German Revolution of 1918–1919 the Hamburg Police had a Sicherheitspolizei (protection or security police) and a Ordnungspolizei
Ordnungspolizei
The Ordnungspolizei or Orpo were the uniformed regular police force in Nazi Germany between 1936 and 1945. It was increasingly absorbed into the Nazi police system. Owing to their green uniforms, they were also referred to as Grüne Polizei...
(order police). The Order Police were stationed in barracks. In 1920, during the Kapp Putsch
Kapp Putsch
The Kapp Putsch — or more accurately the Kapp-Lüttwitz Putsch — was a 1920 coup attempt during the German Revolution of 1918–1919 aimed at overthrowing the Weimar Republic...
the police, specially the leading officers, showed itself as unreliable. After several administrative changes the Sicherheitspolizei was dissolved and replaced by the Order Police. As of 1932 the police consisted of 21 units, with 2,100 men. In 1933, there were 5,500 men, including the criminal investigation units and the administration.
Second World War atrocities
During Nazi GermanyNazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
(1933–1945), the Gleichschaltung
Gleichschaltung
Gleichschaltung , meaning "coordination", "making the same", "bringing into line", is a Nazi term for the process by which the Nazi regime successively established a system of totalitarian control and tight coordination over all aspects of society. The historian Richard J...
took part in police too. The state police units were transferred to the armed forces
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
. The now 56,000 members of the Landespolizei were incorporated as self contained police units no longer existed. In 1936 all other police units were under the control of the SS by law. The annexation of Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, the occupation of the Sudetenland
Sudetenland
Sudetenland is the German name used in English in the first half of the 20th century for the northern, southwest and western regions of Czechoslovakia inhabited mostly by ethnic Germans, specifically the border areas of Bohemia, Moravia, and those parts of Silesia being within Czechoslovakia.The...
(both in 1938), and the occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1939 were accompanied by readiness exercises of the police force. During the annexation of Austria
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
from 2,614 policemen 1,000 participated in the Verladeübung (embarkation exercise) of total 20,000 men.
In 1939 three Hamburg police battalions (staff and 4 companies) were transported to Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and stationed among others in Kielce
Kielce
Kielce ) is a city in central Poland with 204,891 inhabitants . It is also the capital city of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship since 1999, previously in Kielce Voivodeship...
, Tomaszów, and Końskie
Konskie
Końskie is a town in central Poland with 20,328 inhabitants , situated in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship , previously in Kielce Voivodeship . Most of the town labour force was employed in the local foundry in the late 80s and early 90s...
. All units took repressive measures against the civil population or were in combat against the regular Polish army, guarded prisoner of war, participated in drumhead courts-martial, supported the SS in the so-called resettlement of the native population, executed so-called hostages, and carried out Jew hunts and mass shootings; for example in the following two incidents.
On 13 July 1942, the Hamburg Reserve Police Battalion 101, stationed in Zamosc
Zamosc
Zamość ukr. Замостя is a town in southeastern Poland with 66,633 inhabitants , situated in the south-western part of Lublin Voivodeship , about from Lublin, from Warsaw and from the border with Ukraine...
, Bilgoraj, Radzyn
Radzyn Podlaski
Radzyń Podlaski is a town in eastern Poland, about 60 km north of Lublin, with 16,140 inhabitants . Situated in the Lublin Voivodeship , previously in Biała Podlaska Voivodeship . It is the capital of Radzyń Podlaski County.The town was founded in 1468. The most important landmark is the...
, and later in the Lukow area, under the command of Mayor Wilhelm Trapp executed 30 Jews, man, women and children near Józefów
Józefów
Józefów is a very common placename in Poland.Towns:* Józefów in Masovian Voivodeship, near Warsaw*Józefów, Biłgoraj County in Lublin Voivodeship Villages:...
. On 19 August 1942, the 2nd company of the 101 executed in a mass shooting more than 800 Jewish people from Lomazy. After the war, Trapp and several other were investigated by British authorities and Polish Military Mission and extradited to Poland in 1946. In July 1948 Trapp was sentenced to death and executed. In the 1960s the involvement of policemen from Hamburg were investigated also by the German
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
prosecutors. In 1964, several men were arrested and held in custody. In 1968 the verdicts were passed: 3 men sentenced to 8 years imprisonment, one to 6 years, and one to 5 years. Six other — all lower ranks — were found guilty but not sentenced. Since the 1980s the Hamburg State Ministry of the Interior researched the history of the police force during the Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
and Nazi Germany.
After the war
In the first days of the British occupation of Hamburg, policemen showed the British forces the way. From 1945 onwards, the Hamburg Police was directly under the administration of the British forces, until First Mayor of Hamburg Max BrauerMax Brauer
Max Julius Friedrich Brauer was a German politician of the Social Democratic Party and First Mayor of Hamburg....
was installed as head of the police ministry in 1947. After several changes, in 1962 an interior ministry was formed and succeeded the police ministry. Senator Helmut Schmidt
Helmut Schmidt
Helmut Heinrich Waldemar Schmidt is a German Social Democratic politician who served as Chancellor of West Germany from 1974 to 1982. Prior to becoming chancellor, he had served as Minister of Defence and Minister of Finance. He had also served briefly as Minister of Economics and as acting...
was the first minister of the interior.
In their research Norbert Steinborn and Karin Schanzenbach — later published as a book titled Die Hamburger Polizei nach 1945 — ein Neuanfang, der keiner war — (The Hamburg Police after 1945 — a new beginning that was not) — described the situation of the police force after the Second World War, the process of denazification
Denazification
Denazification was an Allied initiative to rid German and Austrian society, culture, press, economy, judiciary, and politics of any remnants of the National Socialist ideology. It was carried out specifically by removing those involved from positions of influence and by disbanding or rendering...
, the development up to the North Sea flood of 1962
North Sea flood of 1962
The North Sea flood of 1962 was a natural disaster affecting mainly the coastal regions of Germany and in particular the city of Hamburg in the night from 16 February to 17 February 1962...
and the following incorporation of the police into the State Ministry of the Interior.
On 3 May 1945, the first order for the police force in Hamburg by the 609 Detachment Hansestadt Hamburg, the military administrative government for Hamburg, was to stand by armed. On 7 May 1945, precise regulations for the German police offices were published. In 1945 head of the police was the British Colonel Michel O'Rorke, chief of the Public Safety Branch. At the beginning of May 1945, the police force had 1,720 active officers, 3,456 reserve officers, 7,000 air safety officers, and 585 criminal investigation officers. More than 2,000 officers were on "foreign missions" — the Nazi term for war activities — or prisoners of war. The first political cleansing was the lay-off of the air safety police and the reserve police. Most Nazi-leaders and Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
members disappeared before the British occupation because they feared prosecution. In June 1945, the more than 100 leading police officers were impeached and by May 1950 more than 1,300 officers of the medium and higher ranks had to leave the police force, although some were later hired again. The leading positions were filled with former officers whom the Nazi system had persecuted. Bruno Georges, a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
., was the first chief of police.
In 1947, the British Military Government gave control of the police force to the Hamburg Government and the first chief of the police office was First Mayor Max Brauer
Max Brauer
Max Julius Friedrich Brauer was a German politician of the Social Democratic Party and First Mayor of Hamburg....
. The Government of Hamburg
Government of Hamburg
The government of Hamburg is divided into executive, legislative and judicial branches. Due to the characteristic that Hamburg is a city-state and a municipality in Germany, the governance deals several details of state politics and community politics. It takes place in two ranks; a city-wide and...
was not satisfied with the new Police Law which was based on British police regulations and, e.g., banned officers from being in a political party or union.
During the 1950s the police force was often in confrontation with strikers. In 1952, a strike of 175 chemical workers was described by the media as political and the head of the workers council as a communist. The police were used to protect strike-breakers. In June 1952, Chief of Police Georges told the police commission that a disproportionate number of police officers, more than 90 daily, had been in action for a such a small company. The strikes and student demonstrations were one argument to establish a police support unit Bereitschaftspolizei
Bereitschaftspolizei
The Bereitschaftspolizei are the support and rapid reaction units of Germany's police forces...
.
In 1975, the police horse units were abolished. 42 horses and 52 officers had patrolled the Harburg Hills
Harburg Hills
The Harburg Hills are a low ridge in the northeastern part of the German state of Lower Saxony and the southern part of the city state of Hamburg...
and other areas in the suburbs of Hamburg.
In 1995, in context with the Hamburg police scandal (See below: Controversies and incidents), the office of Police Commissioner was initiated. In 1998, State Traffic Administration was outsourced as a separate company . In 2004, the police was more centralized, e.g. the state police offices were dissolved.
Organisation
The Ministry of the Interior has the legal and technical oversight for the law enforcement agencies. The current Minister of the Interior is Christoph Ahlhaus. Since 2004 Walter Jantosch has been the president of the police.The Polizei Hamburg consists of the Zentraldirektion (head office) of the uniformed police (Schutzpolizei) with its regions City / West, East, and South, and their police stations (Polizeikommissariate [PK]), the Landeskriminalamt
Landeskriminalamt
Landeskriminalamt - is the German term for a State Investigation Bureau in Germany. LKAs are part of the state police which, in turn, is directly subordinate to the respective state ministry of the interior.-Investigations:...
(lit. state criminal police office), the Wasserschutzpolizei
Wasserschutzpolizei
The Wasserschutzpolizei is the water police that patrols the waterways, lakes and harbours of Germany around the clock. The WSP are part of the Landespolizei ....
(Water Police) controlling traffic in the port of Hamburg, the Landesbereitschaftspolizei
Bereitschaftspolizei
The Bereitschaftspolizei are the support and rapid reaction units of Germany's police forces...
(lit. stand-by or readiness police), the Traffic Office (Verkehrsdirektion), and several other administrative offices.
Units are among others the Criminal Investigation Services (Kriminalpolizei), the Special Weapons and Tactics Unit (Spezialeinsatzkommando
Spezialeinsatzkommando
Spezialeinsatzkommandos are the special response units of the German state police forces. German SEKs are full-time units whose members do not perform any other duties, and are essentially the equivalent of American SWAT Teams...
) and Mobile Surveillance Units (Mobiles Einsatzkommando), and the Polizeiverkehrskasper, a Punch
Punch and Judy
Punch and Judy is a traditional, popular puppet show featuring the characters of Mr. Punch and his wife, Judy. The performance consists of a sequence of short scenes, each depicting an interaction between two characters, most typically the anarchic Punch and one other character...
used in kindergartens to educate children since 1948. The helicopters and the police orchestra are units of the Stand-By Police.
Schools for the Hamburg police are the state police school and the school for the water police. The school for the water police is also the central educational institution for all German state water police units. The Police College Hamburg offers a bachelor's degree for police officers of higher ranking and security managers.
Hamburg Police has a own museum, as of 2009 it is closed for renovations. The collection started in 1893.
Rank structure
Police ranks are shown with epauletteEpaulette
Epaulette is a type of ornamental shoulder piece or decoration used as insignia of rank by armed forces and other organizations.Epaulettes are fastened to the shoulder by a shoulder strap or "passant", a small strap parallel to the shoulder seam, and the button near the collar, or by laces on the...
s, the service group (ranking of a Beamter
Beamter
The German word Beamter means civil servant, and is pronounced , with a glottal stop between the 'e' and the 'a'...
[rough: civil clerk]) is also indicated through the hatband of the peaked cap
Peaked cap
A peaked cap, forage cap, barracks cover, or combination cap is a form of headgear worn by the armed forces of many nations and also by many uniformed civilian organizations such as law enforcement agencies...
. The hatband of the senior service is gold, upper service is silver, and the intermediate service is blue. The uniformed police and the Water Police of the Hamburg Police has the following rank structure, in descending order:
| Title | Epaulette |
|---|---|
| Polizeivizepräsident (Vice-President of the Police) | |
| Leitender Polizeidirektor (Sold group B 2) (Police lieutenant colonel general) |
|
| Leitender Polizeidirektor (Sold group B 2) (Police major general) |
Senior service (German: Höherer Dienst)
| Title | Epaulette | |
|---|---|---|
| Uniformed Police | Water Police | |
| Leitender Polizeidirektor (Police brigadier general) |
||
| Polizeidirektor (Police colonel) |
||
| Polizeioberrat (Police lieutenant colonel) |
||
| Polizeirat (Police major) |
||
| Polizeirat (Police major candidate) |
|
Upper service (Gehobener Dienst)
| Title | Epaulette | |
|---|---|---|
| Uniformed Police | Water Police | |
| Erster Polizeihauptkommissar (Police staff captain) |
||
| Polizeihauptkommissar (Sold group: A12) (Police senior captain) |
|
|
| Polizeihauptkommissar (A11) (Police captain Police captain - France :France uses the rank of capitaine for management duties in both uniformed and plain-clothed policing. The rank comes senior to lieutenant and junior to commandant.... ) |
||
| Polizeioberkommissar (Police 1st lieutenant) |
||
| Polizeikommissar (Police lieutenant) |
||
| Polizeikommissar Anwärter (Police lieutenant candidate) |
|
Intermediate service (Mittlerer Dienst)
| Title | Epaulette | |
|---|---|---|
| Uniformed Police | Water Police | |
| Polizeihauptmeister mit Amtszulage (Police sergeant major) |
|
|
| Polizeihauptmeister (Police sergeant major) |
||
| Polizeiobermeister (Police sergeant 1st class) |
||
| Polizeimeister (Police sergeant) |
||
| Polizeimeister Anwärter (Police sergeant candidate) |
- See also:
Tasks
The Hamburg Police is part of the executiveExecutive (government)
Executive branch of Government is the part of government that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the idea of the separation of powers.In many countries, the term...
. Its responsibilities are to avert danger, to maintain the public security
Public security
To meet the increasing challenges in the public security area, responsible public institutions and organisations can tap into their own intelligence to successfully address possible threats in advance...
, to render assistance, and the provision of information. Law enforcement in general under the oversight of the prosecutor
Prosecutor
The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
, prosecution of infractions, traffic control, and administrative assistance are also tasks. Hamburg Police has several programs of prevention, like protection against burglary and traffic education.
Legal basis
Hamburg Police has the legal jurisdictionJurisdiction
Jurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility...
for the city-state of Hamburg. Its tasks are defined in the Gesetz zum Schutz der öffentlichen Sicherheit und Ordnung (SOG) — the state law of the protection of security and order — for acts to avert danger, and the Federal Strafprozeßordnung (StPO) (Code of criminal procedure), for the law enforcement itself.
Stations
Hamburg Police stations are called Polizeikommissariate. The areas of responsibility do not correspond to the local government areas of the boroughs and quarters of HamburgBoroughs and quarters of Hamburg
The city of Hamburg in Germany is made up of 7 boroughs and subdivided into 105 quarters . Most of the quarters were former independent settlements...
. There are 24 police stations for the uniformed police, in addition to an airport police station and a station at the main railway station Hamburg Hauptbahnhof
Hamburg Hauptbahnhof
is the Hauptbahnhof for the German city of Hamburg. It was opened in 1906 to replace 4 terminal stations. Hamburg Hauptbahnhof is operated by DB Station&Service...
.
The most well known station is the so-called Davidwache, officially known as Polizeikommissariat 15 and designed by Kurt Schumacher
Kurt Schumacher
Dr. Kurt Schumacher , was chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Germany from 1946 and first Leader of the Opposition in the West German Bundestag parliament from 1949 until his death...
. The building was expanded in 2004, and serves the red light district
Red Light District
Red Light District may refer to:* Red-light district - a neighborhood where prostitution is common* The Red Light District - the title of the 2004 album by rapper Ludacris* Red Light District Video - a pornography studio based in Los Angeles, California...
around the Reeperbahn
Reeperbahn
The Reeperbahn is a street in Hamburg's St. Pauli district, one of the two centres of Hamburg's nightlife and also the city's red-light district...
street. The station even has its own fansite (Davidwache Hamburg — Die inoffizielle Fanseite. ) selling T-shirts; Jürgen Roland
Jürgen Roland
- External links :*...
's 1960 film Polizeirevier Davidwache describes the work at the police station; also the film Fluchtweg St. Pauli — Großalarm für die Davidswache (International title: Hot Traces of St. Pauli, UK: Jailbreak in Hamburg) (1971) featured the station; the documentary Meine Davidwache from 2008; and the book Einsatz auf St. Pauli Geschichten aus der Davidwache by Ingeborg Donati and Thomas Mettelmann describe the all day work of police officers.
As of 2009, the Water Police (Wasserschutzpolizei
Wasserschutzpolizei
The Wasserschutzpolizei is the water police that patrols the waterways, lakes and harbours of Germany around the clock. The WSP are part of the Landespolizei ....
) had five stations, two of which are not actually in Hamburg. One is located at the mouth of the Elbe
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
river in Cuxhaven, Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
, and another is a sub-station in Lauenburg, a town in Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
. The other three are in Hamburg proper.
Headquarters
The first police headquarters of 1814 was an office building at Neuer Wall street. After the Second World War the police was headquartered at in the 9th floor of an office building at the former Karl-Muck-Platz (now Johannes-Brahms-Platz). Later it moved to one of the first skyscraperSkyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
s in Hamburg, built 1958–1962; the so called Polizeihochhaus (Police skyscraper). In 1997 the government of Hamburg
Government of Hamburg
The government of Hamburg is divided into executive, legislative and judicial branches. Due to the characteristic that Hamburg is a city-state and a municipality in Germany, the governance deals several details of state politics and community politics. It takes place in two ranks; a city-wide and...
decided to build a new headquarters at the area of the stand-by police in Alsterdorf
Alsterdorf
Alsterdorf is a quarter in the Hamburg-Nord borough of the Hamburg, Germany. The name has its origin after the river Alster which become later the dams Außenalster and Binnenalster in the center of Hamburg...
quarter. In 2000 the headquarters moved to the new building in Alsterdorf.
Equipment
Hamburg Police has 9,748 employees, including 6,174 uniformed policemen, 1,521 crime investigation officers, 498 officers of the water police and 1,555 in the administration. They are fitted out with patrol cars, water cannons, helicopters, boats, and 7,176 protection vests, 9,400 riot agent canisters, 8,236 SIG Sauer P 6 pistols, 34 Walther P5Walther P5
The Walther P5 is a 9mm semi-automatic pistol developed in the mid-1970s by the German small arms manufacturer Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen. It was designed with the German police forces in mind, who sought to replace existing 7.65mm pistols with a modern service sidearm incorporating enhanced...
pistols, 575 Heckler & Koch P2000 V2
Heckler & Koch P2000
The Heckler & Koch P2000 is a German semi-automatic pistol introduced late in 2001 and intended primarily for law enforcement, paramilitary, and commercial markets. It is based around the technology involved in the USP Compact pistol...
pistols, 482 Heckler & Koch MP5
Heckler & Koch MP5
The Heckler & Koch MP5 is a 9mm submachine gun of German design, developed in the 1960s by a team of engineers from the German small arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch GmbH of Oberndorf am Neckar....
submachine guns. Communication is provided by 5,805 radio units and 1,652 mobile phones. The car pool was used for 18.3 mil. kilometer.
Since 2005, the uniformed police wear blue uniforms. Hamburg Police was the first German state police to change from green to blue. The change was initiated by the former Minister Ronald Schill
Ronald Schill
Ronald Barnabas Schill is a former judge, the founder of the German political parties Partei Rechtsstaatlicher Offensive and Pro DM/Schill...
. The financing model for police equipment was new to Germany, private economy granted a passive credit to the government of Hamburg
Government of Hamburg
The government of Hamburg is divided into executive, legislative and judicial branches. Due to the characteristic that Hamburg is a city-state and a municipality in Germany, the governance deals several details of state politics and community politics. It takes place in two ranks; a city-wide and...
, so all uniforms could be changed at once. Hamburg's Polizeieinsatzfahrzeuge — the formal name for patrol cars — are called "Peterwagen", because of a misunderstanding between a German clerk and a British officer. The clerk, wanting an authorization for new radio controlled patrol cars, tried to spell patrol car with "P, like Peter..". The British officer interrupting "Oh, I know, Peterwagen!" forwarded the petition.
Controversies and incidents
The Hamburg Police has often been criticized for single incidents like arrests, conduct during demonstrations, or false radar speed checks. Two events are notable, because of the reaction of the public, the media, the government, and their legal aftermath.Hamburg pocket
On 8 June 1986, the Hamburg Police closed in
Kettling
Kettling is a police tactic for controlling large crowds during demonstrations or protests. It involves the formation of large cordons of police officers who then move to contain a crowd within a limited area. Protesters are left only one choice of exit, determined by the police, or are completely...
on 861 protesters and contained them in the open area of the Heiligengeistfeld
Heiligengeistfeld
Heiligengeistfeld is an area of Hamburg in the St. Pauli quarter. Since 1893 the funfair Hamburger DOM is held here. In times where this area is not used for exhibitions, circuses or the DOM it is a car park...
for 13 hours. The demonstrators were held without food, water and toilets. Demonstrations against the use of nuclear power developed in the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster
Chernobyl disaster
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine , which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities in Moscow...
. On the day before, groups of protestors, on their way to the Brokdorf Nuclear Power Plant
Brokdorf Nuclear Power Plant
Brokdorf Nuclear Power Plant is close to the municipality of Brokdorf in Steinburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It started in October 1986 by a first-of-its-kind joint venture between PreussenElektra and Hamburgische Electricitäts-Werke...
, were stopped by the police. On Sunday, 8 June, several people of the anti-nuclear movement wanted to protest against the police actions. The Hamburger Kessel (lit. Hamburg pocket, the word Kessel can also be translated as kettle.) were sentenced legal wrong, by the Hamburg regional court, and all involved were adjudged a solatium
Solatium
Solatium is a form of compensation for emotional rather than physical or financial harm.- Scots law :It is used in Scots law mainly to denote reparation for pain and suffering in personal injury cases...
of DM200. The 4 police leaders of the Hamburg pocket were declared guilty of deprivation of personal freedom, but only admonishment and had to pay a fine.
Hamburg police scandal
In 1994 a Parliamentarischer Untersuchungsausschuss (PUA) (parliamentary commission of enquiry) was installed after the resign of the State Minister for the Interior Werner Hackmann, because of several accusations of xenophobia
Xenophobia
Xenophobia is defined as "an unreasonable fear of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange". It comes from the Greek words ξένος , meaning "stranger," "foreigner" and φόβος , meaning "fear."...
, with assaults and alleged police brutality
Police brutality
Police brutality is the intentional use of excessive force, usually physical, but potentially also in the form of verbal attacks and psychological intimidation, by a police officer....
. The commission was in existence for over two years — the longest term in Hamburg's history by now. In 1996 the findings stated that right wing extremist events in the police were no individual cases. During the investigations, State Police Colonel Heinz Krappen resigned too, but some accusations turned out to be wrong. The whole incident is known as Hamburg police scandal, and a police complaints authority — to investigate independent and unprejudiced, and to break the "wall of silence", which was often noticed during investigations within the police — was installed in 1998, but dissolved by Senator Ronald Schill
Ronald Schill
Ronald Barnabas Schill is a former judge, the founder of the German political parties Partei Rechtsstaatlicher Offensive and Pro DM/Schill...
in 2001.
Line of duty deaths
As of 1997, Hamburg Police had lost 26 police officers since World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Eighteen were shot, intentionally and heinous or in affect, one was plunged to death, one was knifed, and one was crushed. Six officers died in accidents. The youngest was 19, the oldest 58 years old.
Federal and other law enforcement agencies
There are several agencies stationed in Hamburg proper not part of the Hamburg police. The State Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Landesamt für den Verfassungsschutz) is Hamburg's domestic intelligence agency. The Federal Police are stationed at Hamburg HauptbahnhofHamburg Hauptbahnhof
is the Hauptbahnhof for the German city of Hamburg. It was opened in 1906 to replace 4 terminal stations. Hamburg Hauptbahnhof is operated by DB Station&Service...
and Hamburg Airport
Hamburg Airport
Hamburg Airport , also known as Hamburg-Fuhlsbüttel Airport , is an international airport serving Hamburg, Germany.It originally covered . Since then, the site has grown more than tenfold to . The main apron covers . The airport is north of the centre of the city of Hamburg in the Fuhlsbüttel...
where in 2008, the first combined airport-police station for Federal and State police was established. A company of the German military police
Feldjäger
For the German Military Police in WWII see: Feldjaegerkorps and FeldgendarmerieIn presence Feldjäger is the name of military police of the Bundeswehr, Germany's armed forces. The term Feldjäger, literally meaning field huntsmen or field Jäger, has a long tradition and dates back to the mid-17th...
(4./FJgBtl 151) is stationed at the Reichspräsident-Ebert-Kaserne (Imperial President
President of Germany
The President of the Federal Republic of Germany is the country's head of state. His official title in German is Bundespräsident . Germany has a parliamentary system of government and so the position of President is largely ceremonial...
Ebert
Friedrich Ebert
Friedrich Ebert was a German politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany .When Ebert was elected as the leader of the SPD after the death of August Bebel, the party members of the SPD were deeply divided because of the party's support for World War I. Ebert supported the Burgfrieden and...
barracks) in the Altona
Altona, Hamburg
Altona is the westernmost urban borough of the German city state of Hamburg, on the right bank of the Elbe river. From 1640 to 1864 Altona was under the administration of the Danish monarchy. Altona was an independent city until 1937...
borough. The Zollkriminalamt
Zollkriminalamt
The German Customs Investigation Bureau in Cologne and its investigation offices are federal agencies that fall under the German Finance Ministry...
Hamburg is the customs office in the district of the Oberfinanzdirektion (OFD) Hamburg. In 2006 the OFD had 2,441 employees.
Hamburg is also served by the Bezirklicher Ordnungsdienst (BOD) — comparable with the British Police Community Support Officer
Police community support officer
A police community support officer , or community support officer is a uniformed non-warranted officer employed by a territorial police force or the British Transport Police in England and Wales. Police community support officers were introduced in September 2002 by the Police Reform Act 2002...
s — employed by the boroughs of Hamburg
Boroughs and quarters of Hamburg
The city of Hamburg in Germany is made up of 7 boroughs and subdivided into 105 quarters . Most of the quarters were former independent settlements...
. The BOD deals with administrative offences like not leashed dogs and vandalism.
External links
- Website in . Retrieved 2009-09-24