Swiss Border Guard and Police

CSS Analyses in Security Policy CSS ETH Zurich N0. 196, October 2016, Editor: Matthias Bieri Swiss Border Guard and Police: Trained for an “Emergency”? The “refugee crisis” in Germany has shown that when refugee immigration increases significantly, border guard forces need support. Under such a scenario in Switzerland, the Swiss Border Guard (SBG) corps would be supported by the (military) police, who, with their training, have a number of relevant capabilities. However, their de ployability is limited. By Lisa Wildi In autumn of 2015, the German Federal Police (“Bundespolizei”, the former Feder- al Border Guard or “Bundesgrenzschutz”) reached its limits. They were no longer ca- pable of controlling, transporting and registering the arriving asylum-seekers on their own. In the course of the crisis, there were recurring debates over which government authority was to take on which tasks. In Switzerland, too, parliament has repeat- edly discussed since last autumn which forces should support the SBG in the case of an acute crisis. Under the “Asylum Con- tingency Plan” approved by the Federal Administration, cantons, cities, and com- munities in April 2016, the SBG corps would be supplemented by cantonal police forces and, should these not suffice, by soldiers. However, the usual areas of responsi- If the border guard corps reaches its limits, it will receive support from the police in the first instance. The bility are to be preserved as far as possible tasks the police forces were to take on would be determined by their level of training. D. Balibous / REU in the case of a “refugee contingency”. Should the SBG require support, the Fed- eral Department of Finance (FDF), of SBG would be supplemented with profes- sion. In the case of a crisis involving refu- which the SBG is a part, would request po- sional soldiers from the military police gees, moreover, the DDPS would also sup- lice reinforcements – initially from the can- force. Their job would be to protect the port the SBG and the State Secretariat for ton in which assistance is required. Should border guards or to assist them at border Migration (SEM) with troops and material this measure prove insufficient, the FDF checkpoints. If this support is insufficient, in the areas of medical services, construc- and the Federal Department of Defence, militia forces would be deployed, for in- tion, logistics, and transportation. The army Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS) would stance for monitoring and blocking indi- would continue to assist the SEM in iden- submit an application to the Federal Coun- vidual sections of the border. If the auxil- tifying and providing shelter for asylum cil for support by military forces. The Fed- iary deployment of the armed forces lasts seekers. eral Council would then decide on the de- more than three weeks or requires more ployment of soldiers and assign troops to than 2000 troops, parliament would have Regarding the reinforcement of the SBG the SBG. Initially, it is anticipated, the to approve the deployment at its next ses- corps, a number of critics have warned that © 2016 Center for Security Studies (CSS), ETH Zurich 1 CSS Analyses in Security Policy No. 196, October 2016 Comparison of Personnel Resources initial accommodation. Another aspect of viduals and certain installations which are everyday work was to identify and arrest in need of special safeguard, for managing those who assisted the refugees in entering disasters, and for the fulfillment of other the country. tasks of national significance. Support is given in accordance with the subsidiary Due to the large number of refugees arriv- principle, i.e., only if the civilian authorities ing, the Federal Police were temporarily are no longer able to handle the tasks en- overstretched in some of the German trusted to their responsibility. states. Officers put in countless hours of overtime and reached their limits of endur- Until a few years ago, the professional unit ance. First, Federal Police officers were of the military police had carried out a sub- called in from neighboring federal states to sidiary protection mission for the SBG assist them. Armed law-enforcement corps. This subsidiary support mission, agents of the German customs authority codenamed LITHOS, was due to the secu- were also deployed. State police supported rity situation and the SBG’s lack of own them, for instance by organizing transpor- assets. It lasted from 1997 to 2012. For 16 tation for the refugees, registering refugees, years, a daily average of 84 military police or finding accommodation. Furthermore, officers served on behalf of the SBG. -Un they provided protection for the refugees in der the “Ordinance on troop deployments the arrival centers. in support of the border police” (Verord- nung über den Truppeneinsatz für den Several state governments offered extensive Grenzpolizeidienst, VGD), military forces, support to the federal government. For in- including military police, may carry out stance, the Bavarian government offered three types of tasks at the frontier: moni- the assistance of Bavarian police officers to toring the border, protecting border guards the Federal Police along the border. How- and police officers at border checkpoints ever, due to jurisdictional rules, this offer and in the open country, and similar com- was turned down. For the same reason, no parable tasks. The ordinance also stipulates Bundeswehr soldiers or military police that military forces may only be deployed were involved in policing the border cross- to the frontier for the kinds of tasks for ings or in domestic security measures. which they are trained. These tasks are the prerogative of the fed- the police and the military police can only eral and state police forces. However, sol- Cooperation between the SBG corps and support but not replace border guards, diers did assist with construction of refugee the cantonal police forces has also been in- since their training does not correspond to housing and registering asylum-seekers. tense in recent years. It has been governed that of the border guard. However, their re- by cooperation agreements, spective training programs are very similar. The respective training which were prompted by the The question arises, therefore, what kind of expansion and transformation border policing tasks would even be re- programs are very similar. of the SBG’s tasks in recent quired during an “asylum contingency” and years due to Switzerland’s ac- to which extent (military) police and bor- The civil protection services, which include cession to the Schengen/Dublin Agree- der guards are trained to handle these tasks, the fire brigade, the Technisches Hilfswerk ment in 2008. Ever since, the border guards including the cooperation this would re- (Federal Agency for Technical Relief), the have been active not just at the immediate quire. In the following, we will look at the Red Cross, and other relief organizations, border, but also in the rear areas further in- so-called “refugee crisis” that Germany ex- took responsibility for preliminary medical land, necessitating arrangements and coor- perienced in 2015 to establish which tasks services, and provided food and clothing. A dination with local police forces. In every- were carried out by the Federal Police, the great number of volunteers supported the day life, cooperation between police officers state police forces, and the Bundeswehr relief efforts. and border guards has become a matter of (armed forces). The subsequent section will routine. The SBG frequently supports the focus on training and cooperation of Swiss Switzerland: Existing Cooperation cantonal police forces in border regions. (military) police and border guards. In Switzerland, although the SBG and the Today, border guards carry out traffic con- military police (Militärische Sicherheit, Mil- trols and administer breathalyzer tests, The “Refugee Crisis” in Germany Sich) and the SBG and the police cooper- check compliance with work and rest peri- In Germany, the Federal Police are respon- ate during everyday work, collaboration is od regulations, and secure crime or acci- sible for border protection and controlling not part of their basic training. Under the dent scenes in cases of burglary, domestic arrivals. During the so-called “refugee cri- Federal Constitution, the armed forces violence, or car crash. Moreover, the pro- sis” of autumn 2015, their main tasks were: may give support to the civilian authorities fessional military police units also extend screening arrivals at the border crossings, in warding off significant threats to inter- sporadic support to the SBG and the can- organizing the crowd upon arrival, ensur- nal security and managing other exception- tonal police corps for traffic control or ing order and safety, recording personal al situations. Under the Military Act, the identity checks. Under a new draft of the data and fingerprints, cross-checking data army can extend support if requested by military law, they would be permitted to with databases, issuing temporary docu- the civilian authorities. Inter alia, soldiers give ad-hoc assistance to civilian police and ments, and transporting asylum-seekers to may be deployed for the protection of indi- the SBG corps. © 2016 Center for Security Studies (CSS), ETH Zurich 2 CSS Analyses in Security Policy No. 196, October 2016 The intense cooperation between police rest people, or how to apply joint opera- Comparison of Curricula and border guards and the similarities in tional tactics. their everyday work are also illustrated by the latest research, soon to be published in Trainees are also taught how to react ap- the “2016 Bulletin on Swiss Security Poli- propriately in crisis or conflict situations, cy”. Cantonal police officers and border how to communicate in a manner that is guards already cooperate quite closely appropriate for the situation, or how to compared to other official state institutions deal with stress. Ethics and human rights in the field of security policy; the threats are also on the curriculum for both forces, they combat are largely identical.

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