Evidence and arrest units (German: ''Beweissicherungs- und Festnahmeeinheiten'' lit. Units for arrests and securing evidence, abbreviated BFE or BFHu) are special units of the German state police forces Landespolizei and the

German Federal Police The Federal Police (''Bundespolizei'' or BPOL) is the national and principal federal law enforcement agency of the German Federal Government, being subordinate to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community (''Bundesministeriu ...

These units were established in 1987 after the deaths of two police officers during the demonstrations against the expansion of

Frankfurt Airport Frankfurt Airport (; german: link=no, Flughafen Frankfurt Main , also known as ''Rhein-Main-Flughafen'') is a major international airport located in Frankfurt, the fifth-largest city of Germany and one of the world's leading financial centres ...

Organization

BFE units are generally part of the

Bereitschaftspolizei The ''Bereitschaftspolizei'' (literally 'Readiness Police'/On-Call Police (Reserve); effectively riot police) are the support and rapid reaction units of Germany's police forces. They are composed of detachments from the Federal Police and ...

police support groups and their structure may vary between the different state police forces. A sample structure may look like this: * Command: four officers * Technical support: four officers * Securing evidence: six officers * Six arrest teams: five officers per team

BFE+

As a consequence from the terrorist attacks in Paris 2015, each of the five BFE units of the

Federal Police A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws. Jurisdiction LEAs which have their ability to apply their powers restricted in some way are said to operate within a jurisdiction. LEAs ...

was tasked with enhancing one of its squads to a BFE+ unit. The purpose of the BFE+ units is to close the gap between the regular BFE units and the GSG 9, thus reducing the response time and workload for the GSG 9 or the SEK units. BFE+ personnel are trained in a 6-week course by the GSG 9 in special tactics and skills which may be required to deal with threats similar to the Charlie Hebdo attack or the November 2015 Paris attacks. Notable operations of BFE+ include high risk arrests in the course of investigations against a Syrian human trafficking network or riot control during the

2017 G20 Hamburg summit The 2017 G20 Hamburg summit was the twelfth meeting of the Group of Twenty (G20), which was held on 7–8 July 2017, at Hamburg Messe, in the city of Hamburg, Germany. Agenda Apart from the recurring themes relating to global economic gro ...

Duties

Riot control Riot control measures are used by law enforcement, military, paramilitary or security forces to control, disperse, and arrest people who are involved in a riot, unlawful demonstration or unlawful protest. If a riot is spontaneous and irratio ...

* Providing assistance on high-risk warrants * Obtaining evidence of criminal acts during large events such as soccer games or demonstrations

Equipment

Fahrzeuge Beweissicherungs-und Festnahmeeinheit Göttingen

Due to their duties in dangerous environments, the BFE units are often equipped with special equipment which may include:

Special equipment

* Breaching tools * Still and video cameras * Portable fire extinguishers * Crowbars and battering rams

Weapons

Tonfa The ''tonfa'' ( Okinawan: , lit. ''old man's staff'' / ''"crutch"''), also spelled as ''tongfa'' or ''tuifa'', also known as T-baton is a melee weapon with its origins in the armed component of Okinawan martial arts. It consists of a stic ...

or collapsible batons * Maces and other non-lethal weaponry * Sidearms * Submachine guns *

HK G36 The Heckler & Koch G36 (Gewehr 36) is a 5.56×45mm assault rifle designed in the early 1990s by German weapons manufacturer Heckler & Koch as a replacement for the heavier 7.62×51mm G3 battle rifle. It was accepted into service with the ''Bu ...

K (BFE+)

Uniforms

* Ballistic vests * Riot gear * Fire-resistant clothing The arrest units (German: Unterstützungskommandos, abbreviated USK) of the Police of the State of Bavaria wear special uniforms to distinguish themselves from the regular police units. The arrest units wear black uniforms with specialized assignment patches while regular units wear dark blue uniforms.

References

External links

{{Law enforcement in Germany Police units of Germany Non-military counterterrorist organizations