Border Guard Corps
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The Swiss Border Guard (french: Corps des gardes-frontière, german: Grenzwachtkorps, it, Corpo delle guardie di confine, rm, Corp da guardias da cunfin) was a
federal Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...
law enforcement agency 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 ...
, which acted as both the
border guard A border guard of a country is a national security agency that performs border security. Some of the national border guard agencies also perform coast guard (as in Federal Police (Germany), Germany, Guardia di Finanza, Italy or State Border Gua ...
and
customs service Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out of a country. Traditionally, customs ...
for
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
. It was a uniformed and armed section of the Federal Customs Administration, which is attached to the
Federal Department of Finance The Federal Department of Finance (FDF, german: Eidgenössisches Finanzdepartement, links=no, french: Département fédéral des finances, links=no, it, Dipartimento federale delle finanze, links=no, rm, ) is one of the seven departments of ...
. It was the largest civilian security agency on a federal level. Its members were subjected to military criminal law. The Swiss Border Guard took care of the prevention, intervention and repression concerning customs and migration related matters. It enforced border security and national compensating measures under the
Schengen Agreement The Schengen Agreement ( , ) is a treaty which led to the creation of Europe's Schengen Area, in which internal border checks have largely been abolished. It was signed on 14 June 1985, near the town of Schengen, Luxembourg, by five of the t ...
. The guard participated in international missions of the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders (
Frontex The European Border and Coast Guard Agency, also known as Frontex (from French: ''Frontières extérieures'' for "external borders"), is an agency of the European Union headquartered in Warsaw, Poland, exercising in coordination with the borde ...
). By 2021, the Swiss Border Guard was integrated into the Operations Directorate of Federal Customs Administration.


Tasks

The Swiss Border Guard controlled people and merchandise crossing the Swiss border, while combating smuggling and trans-border crime. It also participated in international missions. Furthermore, the Swiss Border Guard supplied agents (Ground and air marshals) to the
Federal Office of Police The Federal Office of Police (Fedpol, german: Bundesamt für Polizei, french: Office fédéral de la police, it, Ufficio federale di polizia, rm, Uffizi federal da polizia) of Switzerland is subject to the Federal Department of Justice and P ...
, the agents being tasked with preventing incidents on board aircraft and at airports. In its entirety, the Swiss Border Guard was tasked with enforcing over 150 national laws. The Swiss Border Guard had three strategic areas of work: * Customs related duties. * Security and policing duties. * Migration related duties. These strategic areas fell within the original legal framework of the Swiss Border Guard. Additionally, the cantons of Switzerland could delegate additional competences to the Swiss Border Guard. The Swiss Border Guard had no own aircraft, therefore the Swiss Border Guard was supported by the
Swiss Air Force The Swiss Air Force (german: Schweizer Luftwaffe; french: Forces aériennes suisses; it, Forze aeree svizzere; rm, Aviatica militara svizra) is the air component of the Swiss Armed Forces, established on 31 July 1914 as a part of the army and ...
with Helicopters (with and without FLIR) and the
RUAG Ranger RUAG Holding (originally Rüstungs Unternehmen Aktiengesellschaft; Joint Stock Defence Company) is a Swiss company specialising in aerospace engineering and the defence industry. Its headquarters are located in Bern, while it also has numerous pr ...
.


Customs duties

Customs duties fulfilled by the Border Guard included: *The fight against smuggling, including the smuggling of prohibited goods such as weapons, narcotics etc. *The collection of taxes and duties such as VAT, customs, and road taxes. *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

Security duties included: *The investigation of persons, objects and vehicles and the detection of counterfeit documents to combat cross-border crime. *The control of cross-border cash transactions to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. *Security operations to ward off criminal acts on board Swiss aircraft in international commercial aviation.


Migration duties

Migration duties included: *Passport controls at the Schengen external borders of Switzerland at the international airports of
Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
,
Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...
, and Lugano-Agno (at
Zurich Airport Zürich Airport (), french: Aéroport de Zurich, it, Aeroporto di Zurigo, rm, Eroport da Turitg is the largest international airport of Switzerland and the airline hub, principal hub of Swiss International Air Lines. It serves Zürich, Switze ...
, this is carried out by the cantonal police in Zurich, at
Bern Airport The Regional Aerodrome Bern-Belp , marketed as ''Bern Airport'',, french: Aéroport de Berne, it, Aeroporto di Berna, rm, Eroport da Berna officially referred to as in German, is a regional aerodrome serving Bern, the de facto capital of Switz ...
by the Bernese cantonal police), as well as random checks at the land borders (internal Schengen border) and inland document checks near the border. *The prevention of illegal entry, departure or transit as well as illegal residence. *The fight against smuggling and trafficking.


Organisation

The Border Guard was divided into the following three hierarchical levels:


Strategic level

The Border Guard Corps Command (''Kommando Grenzwachtkorps'') (Kdo GWK) based in the headquarters in Bern formed the strategic level. It was divided into the sections staff services, operations, technology/logistics, teaching association, and special formation. It was managed by the Chief Border Guard (''Chef Grenzwachtkorps'') (C GWK). The border guard corps command performed strategic and operational tasks. These included the planning and management of national and international operations, national large scale training, foreign assignments, and training. Additional elements of management support included: *The Situation and News Center of the Border Guard (LNZ GWK) in the headquarters evaluated national and international reports, processed and disseminated findings and compiled information bulletins. *The training centers of the Federal Customs Administration in Liestal and the Competence Center for Security and Intervention (KOSIT) in Interlaken provided training and further education.


Operational level

The seven border guard regions formed the operational level. They were provided with the corresponding Roman numerals and a place name and defined according to geotactic aspects. They were led by border guard commanders (Gzw Kdt). Border guard regions carried out operational tasks that were not performed centrally. If required, this also included the supraregional planning and management of major events and operations, large scale training, and foreign assignments. In addition to the Border Guard Command at the Swiss Federal Customs Administration in
Bern german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...
, there were seven regional commandos, called Border Guard Regions: *Border Guard Region I -
Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...
(cantons BS, BL, SO, AG, BE, LU, OW, NW) *Border Guard Region II -
Schaffhausen Schaffhausen (; gsw, Schafuuse; french: Schaffhouse; it, Sciaffusa; rm, Schaffusa; en, Shaffhouse) is a list of towns in Switzerland, town with historic roots, a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in northern Switzerland, and the ...
(Cantons ZH, SH, TG, SZ, UR, ZG) *Border Guard Region III -
Chur , neighboring_municipalities= Arosa, Churwalden, Tschiertschen-Praden, Domat/Ems, Felsberg, Malix, Trimmis, Untervaz, Pfäfers , twintowns = Bad Homburg (Germany), Cabourg (France), Mayrhofen (Austria), Mondorf-les-Bains (Luxembourg), ...
(cantons SG, GR, AR, AI, GL and
Principality of Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarch ...
) *Border Guard Region IV -
Lugano Lugano (, , ; lmo, label=Ticinese dialect, Ticinese, Lugan ) is a city and municipality in Switzerland, part of the Lugano District in the canton of Ticino. It is the largest city of both Ticino and the Italian-speaking southern Switzerland. Luga ...
(Canton TI, command in the municipality of Paradiso) *Border Guard Region V -
Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR-74), ...
(cantons VS, VD, FR) *Border Guard VI -
Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
(Canton GE) *Border Guard VIII -
Porrentruy Porrentruy (, fc, Poérreintru , german: Pruntrut) is a Swiss municipality and seat of the district of the same name located in the canton of Jura. Porrentruy is home to National League team, HC Ajoie. History The first trace of human pre ...
(cantons NE, JU) The original eight border guard regions were introduced on 1 January 2007 as a replacement for the previous four border guard divisions. The Border Guard Region VII (Aargau / Zurich) with command at Zurich Airport was dissolved on 1 April 2011, and divided into border guard regions I (Canton Aargau) and II (Canton Zurich).Tages-Anzeiger:
More weapons confiscated
', 14 February 2011


Tactical level

The 44 border guard posts (Gzw Po) and four operational centers (EZ GWK) of the border guard regions formed the tactical level. They were led by post chiefs (Pch). The border guards ensured service operation and daily service execution. The following organizational units served as important elements of leadership support: *The four operational centers in Basel (EZ GWK North), Chur (EZ GWK East), Chiasso (EZ GWK South) and Geneva (EZ GWK West) were responsible for routine work. *Coordination Centers (CCPD), the two Police and Customs Co-operation Centers (CCPD) in Chiasso and Geneva enabled a rapid exchange of information between Switzerland and Italy and France respectively.


Ranks

The rank insignia on the shoulder straps of the Border Guard corresponded to the military ranks of the Swiss Army. The shoulder straps were additionally provided with the ray cross or Roman numerals (I-VIII). The beam cross indicated carriers assigned to the Border Guard Corps command. The Roman numerals corresponded to the respective border guard region in which the guard works.


Equipment

Border Guards were issued
Heckler & Koch P30 The P30 is a polymer framed semi-automatic handgun by Heckler & Koch, available in 9×19mm Parabellum and .40 S&W. History Early prototypes of the P30 were referred to as the P3000. The P30 is marketed by the manufacturer as a law enforcement s ...
V4 with RUAG ACTION 4 9MM ammunition. Additionally,
Heckler & Koch MP5 The Heckler & Koch MP5 (german: Maschinenpistole 5) is a 9x19mm Parabellum submachine gun, developed in the 1960s by a team of engineers from the German small arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch. There are over 100 variants and clones of the MP5, ...
were available either on some border crossings (kept in dedicated safes) or were loaded onto patrol cars at the beginning of a shift.


See also

*
Federal Office of Police The Federal Office of Police (Fedpol, german: Bundesamt für Polizei, french: Office fédéral de la police, it, Ufficio federale di polizia, rm, Uffizi federal da polizia) of Switzerland is subject to the Federal Department of Justice and P ...
* Austria–Switzerland border *
France–Switzerland border The France–Switzerland border is long. Its current path is mostly the product of the Congress of Vienna of 1815, with the accession of Geneva, Neuchâtel and Valais to the Swiss Confederation, but it has since been modified in detail, the la ...
*
Germany–Switzerland border The border between the modern states of Germany and Switzerland extends to , mostly following the High Rhine between Lake Constance and Basel. Much of the border is within the sphere of the Zurich metropolitan area and there is substantial traf ...
*
Italy–Switzerland border The border between the modern states of Switzerland and Italy extends for , from the French-Swiss-Italian tripoint at Mont Dolent in the west to the Austrian-Swiss-Italian tripoint near Piz Lad in the east. Much of the border runs across the H ...
* Liechtenstein–Switzerland border


Notes and references


External links


Official website
{{Authority control Border guards Borders of Switzerland Federal law enforcement agencies of Switzerland