Schutzpolizei
| Schutzpolizei der Tanoa Einsatzgruppen | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 15 April 1970 |
| Dissolved | 30 November 2024 |
| Type | Urban uniformed police branch |
| Jurisdiction | Urban areas in directly governed territories of the Tanoa Einsatzgruppen |
| Headquarters | Georgetown, Tanoa |
| Parent agency | Ordnungspolizei |
The Schutzpolizei was the urban uniformed police branch of the Ordnungspolizei from 15 April 1970 until 30 November 2024. It handled ordinary policing in cities and larger towns within directly governed Tanoan territory. Its central branch staff operated from Georgetown, while the first major territorial command was established in Buenos Aires.[1]
History
The Schutzpolizei was created when Jan Paap established the Ordnungspolizei on 15 April 1970. Existing Argentine police stations remained open during the reorganization, but personnel assigned to ordinary urban policing were transferred into the Schutzpolizei. Rural policing was placed under the Gendarmerie.[1]
The Argentine Schutzpolizei command operated from Buenos Aires beneath the wider Argentine Ordnungspolizei command. Transferred officers initially continued using their existing Argentine uniforms while new credentials and Ordnungspolizei ranks were issued. Replacement uniforms were distributed during the transition that continued into 1971.[1]
In 1971, Rodolfo Barrenechea added the Gemeinden der Schutzpolizei as municipal detachments beneath the larger Schutzpolizei commands. They formed the local level of the branch in municipalities that did not require a larger city command.[2]
After Fiji was annexed in 1975, its existing police personnel were redistributed according to their work. Officers serving ordinary urban stations were transferred into the Schutzpolizei, while personnel assigned to rural territorial policing entered the Gendarmerie. Most remained at their existing stations during the transfer. A Fiji Schutzpolizei command operated from Suva beneath the Fiji Ordnungspolizei command.[1]
During the Suva Crisis, Schutzpolizei units became involved after control was lost inside Korovou Prison on 31 December 1979. Officers from Totogo Central Police Station were sent to Walu Bay and established a cordon on Foster Road outside the prison entrance. The cordon was intended to stop resistance supporters outside the prison from reaching the compound. Resistance supporters confronted the officers and forced the Schutzpolizei back from the prison frontage as the unrest spread beyond the prison.
Central control over the Schutzpolizei weakened with the wider collapse of the Ordnungspolizei after 24 November 2024. Urban units continued operating locally where officers remained at their stations. The branch ceased to exist on 30 November when the Tanoa Einsatzgruppen stopped functioning as an organized government.[1]
Organization
The Schutzpolizei formed part of the police structure beneath the Ordnungspolizei.[2] Its central staff operated from Georgetown, while territorial commands directed the branch within directly governed regions. Argentina's main Schutzpolizei command was based in Buenos Aires. Fiji later received a command in Suva after the 1975 reorganization.
Schutzpolizei commands directed ordinary uniformed policing within cities and larger towns. The Gemeinden der Schutzpolizei formed the municipal layer beneath the branch from 1971 and reported through the relevant Schutzpolizei command.
Personnel transferred into the branch used the rank and uniform system of the Ordnungspolizei. During the original Argentine transition, command authority changed before every officer had received the new uniform.[1]