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Federal Border Guard Bundesgrenzschutz | |
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![]() BGS Federal Eagle (Bundesadler) worn from 1976 until 2001 | |
Abbreviation | BGS |
Agency overview | |
Formed | March 16, 1951 (renamed to Bundespolizei on 1 July 2005) |
Superseding agency | Federal Police |
Employees | 16,414 (1956) 38,000 (1999) |
Annual budget | DM 376 million (1970) € 1.942 billion (2004) |
Jurisdictional structure | |
Federal agency | Germany |
Operations jurisdiction | Germany |
General nature | |
Specialist jurisdiction |
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Operational structure | |
Parent agency | Federal Ministry of the Interior |
Notables | |
People |
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Bundesgrenzschutz (German: [ˌbʊndəsˈɡʁɛnt͡sʃʊt͡s] , BGS; English: Federal Border Guard) is the former name of the German Bundespolizei (Federal Police). Established on 16 March 1951 as a subordinate agency of the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the BGS originally was primarily focused on protecting the West German borders. During their early days, BGS units had military structures, training and equipment. The law enforcement officers legally had military combatant status until 1994. A major part of the early BGS personnel joined the newly founded German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) in 1956 and thus significantly contributed to West Germany's rearmament. The BGS was renamed to Bundespolizei on 1 July 2005. The change of name did not have any effect on the legal status or competencies of the agency, but rather reflects its transition to a multi-faceted police agency with control over border, railway and air security.