At the tender age of 19, in January 1979, I joined the Federal Borderguards Germany in the lovely City of Coburg. At this time, the Federal Borderguards was known as "the green ghosts"! We were given this nickname by the Americans. We used to patrol together along the border with the former DDR. The common German name for this Special Police was "BGS" or, in full, the Bundesgrenzschutz. It was formed as a police service, to handle any border related issues – so we were organised along military lines in terms of methods, and structure. It’s similar to the Gendarmerie in France.

 

After 1981 we were recognised as being more ‘police like’ in nature, and our uniforms we changed to be the same as the State Police in Germany. Step by step the Bundesgrenzschutz was adopting the lesson plans of the County Police force, and we worked closely together with the County Police at violent demonstrations inside Germany, such as Castor (nuclear transport), Labour Day demonstrations throughout Germany (1 May events), soccer games and much more.

 

A division of the Bundesgrenzschutz police was already engaged in protecting Lufthansa offices and also German Embassies all over the World. The momentous events of November 1989 meant that many tasks changed following the unification of East and West. Suddenly the border related tasks of the BGS changed to the Czech Republic, Poland and Switzerland.

 

In 1992 I had an urge to do something different and I offered to serve in the overseas German embassy protection wing. To qualify for this I had to have special training with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bundeskriminalamt and GSG 9. After I passed my course, I was sent out to Ireland to work as Chief of Security at the German Embassy in Booterstown / Dublin. For a year I was protecting the Embassy staff members and the Embassy itself.

 

In December 1994 I went to the German Embassy in Beijing/VRC for one year and in 1999 I was sent to Turkey as Deputy Chief of Security to the biggest Embassy of Germany to Ankara.

 

Meanwhile, possibilities opened up for German Police Officers to serve on Mission for the United Nations, OSCE and EU. So, in 2003 I signed up for a special course to be able to be part of this new and exciting task. My first Mission was from 2004-2005 for the United Nations in Kosovo (UNMIK). I served there for more than a year as Team Leader of Border Intelligence and later as Instructor for KPS Officers in Defensive Tactics Training. While serving in Kosovo, the Bundesgrenzschutz was incorporated into the German Federal Police.

  

In March 2007 I applied to the Luebeck College of Higher Education (Academy of Police) as Instructor and Teacher in Defensive Tactics Training. In October 2007 I went abroad again to protect a German Embassy. This time it was in Prague / Czech Republic. After my return I took over the position of Trainer/Instructor of Police Defensive Tactics in the Regional Headquarters of the Federal Police in Munich. Now I am responsible for 11 District Headquarters for Defensive Tactics.

  

In 2010 I started a new training program to be able to serve for the European Union. After I passed all the courses, I applied for EUMM to Georgia. Since May 11th 2010 I have been serving in Zugdidi as a Monitor for the EU. After I returned from Georgia Mission, I started to study at the Federal Police Academy for higher education and graduated in 2012. Right now I continue my job in Munich at the Federal Police RHQ as Chief Instructor for Police Defensive Tactics.

 

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

There will be lots of pictures to find under gallery. Due to the fact I don't have all the email addresses of those colleagues, sportfriends I was not able to write first about getting their OK. So, if you see your self on one of the pictures and you are not willing to be displayed here, please let me know. Just write to info@kiab.de and tell me what picture should be blinded, flurred or taken out.