Police and Border Guard Board

The Police and Border Guard Board () is a unified national governmental agency within the Estonian Ministry of Interior and is responsible for law enforcement and internal security in the Republic of Estonia.
The main tasks of the agency are to ensure and protect the integrity of the Estonian state and, since May 1, 2004, also the European Union border within the territories of the Republic of Estonia; to secure the state borders and the European Union outer border within the territories of the Republic of Estonia, to monitor and identify citizenship, along with handling the documentation, to preserve law and civil order within the borders of the Republic of Estonia and to detect and prevent crime.
History.
Andrus Ansip's Government Cabinet which was established after the 2005 parliamentary elections, stated in its 2007–2011 coalition programme the need for a unified homeland security agency in order to reduce operating costs and upkeep between the ministry and its organizations. On April 13, 2007 the Ministry of the Interior established a working group in order commence research about possible unification of the Estonian Police and Estonian Border Guard agencies. The history of the unified police and border guard boards formally begins with the establishment of the Police and Border Guard Board in 2010.
The final study presented by the working group proposed to unite three main law enforcement organizations, including the Police, Border Guard, and the Citizenship and Migration Board into a single structure capable of carrying out all the tasks. In October 2007, the Ministry of the Interior created another working group with an operational task to start the unification process. On August 31, 2008, the Cabinet approved the creation of a new government organization within the Ministry of the Interior with the unification of these three agencies.
On May 6, 2009, the Estonian Parliament recognized the agency unification idea with the adoption of the "Police and Border Guard Board Law", and changes into other laws regarding the area of competency of the Ministry. In June, the Cabinet appointed Raivo Küüt to be the first director-general of the organization. On January 1, 2010, the Police and Border Guard Board officially started work.
Organization.
"Politsei- ja Piirivalveamet" is a centralized government agency responsible for the preservation of civilian law and order within the country. The organization has more than 7,000 servicemen, of which 6,000 are in active duty, and another 1,000 in the administrative area. The agency is divided into three main operational departments: Police Board ("Politseiamet"), Border Guard Board ("Piirivalveamet"), and the Citizenship and Migration Board ("Kodakondsus- ja Migratsiooniamet"). The structure of the organization is further divided into four regional districts ("prefektuur"), where all duties of the different agencies are exercised and carried out. Each of the four prefectures is combined with several police stations and customer service offices.
Politseiamet.
The Estonian Police (Eesti Politsei in Estonian) are the law enforcement agency of Estonia. The Estonian Police has three national units: the Central Criminal Police, the Central Law Enforcement and the Forensic Service Centre. There are four territorial police units called police prefectures. The local police chiefs are called prefects.
Currently, there are twenty operational police stations and facilities in Estonia.
Piirivalveamet.
The "Border Guard Board" is an armed governmental organization operating since January 2010 within the Ministry of Interior. The main tasks of the agency is to guard and protect the state borders of Estonia on land and at sea, to prevent the forcible change of borders and illegal border crossings and to prevent illegal goods crossing the border. In addition, the Border Guard Board has further responsibilities which also include the border control patrols; assistance within their competence to carry out customs and border crossing points where there is no permanent customs control; arrange for the detection and elimination of pollution in cooperation with other state agencies; to participate in search and rescue operations, ensuring the economic legal regimes, navigation, fisheries and animal hunting law execution and control of airspace and to assist the police.
The activities and planning of the Border Guard Board is based on the perspectives of the dangers to national security and internal stability, commitment neighboring countries, the Nordic countries and the European Union, whose execution guarantees the stability of the Republic of Estonia on the outer, border opportunities to use human and material resources.
Currently there are 28 sea border checkpoints, six airport checkpoints, three motorway border checkpoints, two railway checkpoints and two special border checkpoints meant only to be used between Estonia and the Russian Federation. In addition to these border installations there are six preserved border stations ready to be operational once Estonia has left or no longer maintains the Schengen Agreement between the European Union and Estonia. These facilities are located only in the south on the Estonian-Latvian border.
Kodakondsus- ja Migratsiooniamet.
The "Citizenship and Migration Board" is a government agency which is responsible for organization of the Estonian citizenship matters and personal identification; issues of identity documents and visas; citizens and free movement of the labor force within the country and between other organizations. The agency is further responsible for organizing and cooperating within the international protection protocols. The board is also an institution which patrols the migration situation and in a case of severe violation of the countries laws can also cancel persons residency and deport non-citizens with an undefined citizenship out of Estonia if such matter is required. Currently there are 18 operational Citizenship and Migration Board offices and client service facilities in Estonia.
Structure.
Ranks.
The head of the Police Board is the Director General of Police ("peadirektor"). The head of the regional district is the Police Commissioner ("prefekt"). With the unification of the Police and Border Guard Boards several new service ranks were created which now also includes the ranks of general and an inspector general.
The main color of the Police and Border Guard flag is blue, which is also one of the colors of the national flag. On the agency board the blue symbolises peace and stability. The main figure on the flag is a white standing lion holding a national small coat of arms with its first pawns. The lions tongue and claws are red. The flag design is based on the Estonian police coat of arms. The length and width ratio of the festive parade flag is 7:9 and the diameter of the flag is 105x135 cm.