Germany's Federal Border Patrol — a Model for Canada? Dianne DeMille — CASR Editor
As the political, military and economic imperatives of Europe have changed, so has the mandated tasks of the Border Patrol. With the advent of the European Union, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the opening of Germany's eastern borders, the Border Patrol now places most emphasis on patrolling the borders with Poland and the Czech Republic. Of greatest concern is international smuggling operations — cars, drugs, and, of increasing importance, humans.
After the September 11 attacks, the German cabinet approved an anti-terrorism package which stipulated, among other provisions, that members of the Border Patrol would be specially trained and deployed as armed Sky Marshals in an attempt to prevent airplane hijackings.
What tasks and capabilities of the BGS might be of interest to Canada?
Most notably, the BGS is a police force with a tightly controlled mandate. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) are overstretched, especially in rural areas, and often unable to fulfill all the tasks that are required of them. It is unrealistic to ask this federal police force to take on the new role of Border Police as well. Canada might, following Germany's lead, consider developing a new police force specifically recruited and trained to patrol border crossings, airports, and seaports.
Since our coastlines are a much greater challenge than those of Germany, the task of 'public safety on the high seas' might best be left to the Navy. (The Royal Australian Navy provides a good model.) Likewise the 'protection of federal buildings' could more reasonably left to the RCMP under normal civil conditions, or, in times of national emergency, to the appropriate wing of the Canadian Forces.
For a new Canadian Border Police perhaps the most urgent task would be to patrol our large, vulnerable ports. These gaping entries into our country have been left largely unsupervised since the Ports Police were disbanded. As is the practice in Germany, it would be beneficial to have a separate college for officers of the Border Police to build a strong sense of professionalism and esprit de corps.