Internal Security : Germany

The maintenance of public security and order is one of the most important tasks of government. In the Federal Republic of Germany it is carried out by institutions of the states and the Federation. The police are for the most part under the jurisdiction of the states. Only in certain fields does the Basic Law assign responsibility to the Federation.

The police in the federal states.

The jurisdiction of the states for the police encompasses all organizational and personnel matters pertaining to their state police forces. The branches of the police forces include the general police forces, the criminal police, the alert forces and the river police. The general police forces are essentially responsible for ensuring public security and order. Their duties range from warding off dangers to prosecuting crime. Most citizens, however, are familiar with the general police forces in their function as traffic police.