Police

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Contrary to nearly all other persons or organs - with few outer as for example the customs authorities or the federal police authorities - the application of direct force is permitted to the police than executive body of the national force monopoly by direct obligation within legal borders.

Demarcations

The police structures exhibit strong differences from state to state. The demarcation of military and police as armed national executive bodies results from the department competence: The police is subordinate to the ministry of the Interior of the Land of the Federal Republic or the national state (in the USA also the municipality or a seized authority like e.g. a university) and represents usually the state inward, while the military is subordinate to the Ministry of Defense and secures the state outward and/or at its borders militarily. This does not exclude that the police organization of a state can be organized military-similarly or militarily (rank). Exemplarily for it the Italian Carabinieri stands or to 1976 the German Federal Border Police (today federal police). These police units partly belong to part of the regular army also to the division of the Ministry of Defense, are militarily trained or, even if they notice in times of peace excluding tasks of police on behalf the Ministry of Justice and interior. Also they can be used in the Kriegsfall as Kombattanten, if they fulfill the international-law requirements. A current example for this is the employment of the Carabinieri after the Iraq war in the Iraq. However this Carabinieri does not have an international-law mandate.

The police is to be differentiated in Germany from the order authorities and the military to. Both demarcations exist only since establishment of the Federal Republic of Germany. The order authorities notice in particular the pursuit of local irregularities. The demarcation is however in the individual Lands of the Federal Republic differently strongly pronounced. Thus a very strict separation exists, in Baden-Wuerttemberg exists the difference actually only in the fact in North Rhine-Westphalia that the Polizeivollzugsdienst for immediate measures and of the police authority, which is responsible for long-term and administrative actions police authorities. In addition, the former German Federal Border Police possessed the police authorities of the German Lands of the Federal Republic to 1994 Kombattantenstatus, not however, although this the subject of political arguments was. Police officers are abroad used also in the framework of missions of the European Union, UN and OSCE (for instance in the Kosovo).

To define the institution is police furthermore from private security agencies (Wachschutz/Security), which are equipped by the state not with special rights, are therefore no implementing organs of the national force monopoly and function therefore frequently only as implementing organs for private house right. They notice representatively of the owners their rights and possess besides the rights, also each citizen are entitled (self-defence, help in need, state of emergency, right to the provisional arrest and special resistance). For large steps also they must take up the services of the police.

Most states are member of the international Kriminalpolizeilichen organization (IKPO Interpol), based for the improvement of international co-operation and co-ordination above all (however not only) in the range of the transnational criminality.

History

Etymologisch leads itself the term police of the old-Greek Polis (to German: "“City"”) off. It called outside of of Greece first mode word of the Romans the entire public administration (today still for instance in the word "“build with the police"” recognizably). Since the Middle Ages good Policey was used as a sign for a good administration. In this meaning the word "“police state"” was originally used. Thus, both a extending to all areas of life became (welfare state) and repressive activity of a "“all too-constant"” state understood.

Only with the arising of the liberalism the competence of the state for the well-being of the particular was denied and the repressive element into the foreground was moved. The state had to only protect against interferences in liberty and property, to which citizens leave development of his personality in the rest of however the responsible person too (night watchman state). Since then by the term of the "“police state"” an excessively repressive state is understood.

The originally devaluing, today however generally colloquial designation "“bull"” has its origin in the Rotwelsch (Gauner) - language, there is called a policeman "“Puhler"”.

Germany

In some areas of Germany the term "“police"” is used in a umfasserenden sense (e.g. "§ 59 PolG Baden-Wuerttemberg) and then everything means within the range of the danger warning transacts state organs (see "“fire police"” or "“Building Department"”). The university-formed police is called then "“Polizeivollzugsdienst"”, which becomes remaining authorities as "“police authorities"” designation.

The federal police (BPOL), until 30.06.2005 under the name Federal Border Police firmiert, is a special police of the federation. It belongs to the division of the Federal Ministry of the inside. Their tasks and powers depend on the law over the federal police (BPolG).

Further police of the federation is the Federal Criminal Investigation Office (Federal Bureau of Criminal Investigations) and the police of the German federal daily.

See major item police (Germany)

Austria

Into Austria the executive is divided to a large extent since 1 July 2005 into the awake body federal police as well as into the law guard. The term federal police designates the awake body federal police. It is ministry of the Interior and other security authorities subordinated, which can create law guard that Ministry of Justice municipalities and cities, in which no federal police headquarters exist, own city police, which is independent of the federal police.

Since 1 July 2005 the tasks of federal safety guard corps and the Kriminalbeamtenkorps as well as the Bundesgendarmerie are noticed of the awake body federal police.

See also: Federal police (Austria)

Switzerland

Into Switzerland the police is divided into the Federal Office for police, the canton police and the city/municipality police. A department of the canton police is the sea-police. The federal police has no own university-formed organs. Only canton and municipalities possess its own police troop. In the further there is the police corps of the SBB, the course police, which are however (corporation) an organization under private law.

See: Police (Switzerland)

Other states

France

In France there are three kinds of police force: To the civil police authorities belong the national police (policy national one) of the ministry of the Interior and the local constabulary (policy Municipale), which is subordinate to the mayor. Besides there is the militarily organized Gendarmerie national one, which is subordinated to the Ministry of Defense.

The civilian order forces derive their self understanding from the explanation of the people and citizen rights from 1789.

Also the French Gendarmerie was created 1791 immediately after the revolution and was in 19. Jh. the model for the Gendarmerien of many other states.

The national police is divided again into the security police (policy administrative one) and the Kriminalpolizei (policy Judicaire).

The auxiliary police CRS, (Compagnies de ) is quite comparable a special-purpose force of the national police, with the GIGN, the Groupe d'Intervention de la Gendarmerie national one of the Gendarmerie.

In course general reform service ranks also "“civilian"” police in France to end twentieth century "“militarized"”, which in inter+official co-operation recognizing, who facilitates whom transferred or subordinated it has to be.