Police and Border Guard Board
| Estonian: Politsei- ja Piirivalveamet | |
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| Agency overview | |
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| Formed | 1 January 2010 |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Estonia |
| Headquarters | Pärnu mnt 139, Tallinn 59°24′31.67″N 24°44′12.91″E / 59.4087972°N 24.7369194°ECoordinates: 59°24′31.67″N 24°44′12.91″E / 59.4087972°N 24.7369194°E |
| Agency executive |
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| Parent agency | Ministry of the Interior |
| Website | www |
The Police and Border Guard Board (Estonian: Politsei- ja Piirivalveamet) is a unified governmental agency within the Estonian Ministry of Interior and is responsible for the law and enforcement and homeland 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 within the territories of the republic of Estonia, to monitore and identify the citizenship along with the handling of the documentation, to preserve law and civil order within the borders of the Republic of Estonia and to detect and prevent crime.
Andrus Ansip's Government Cabinetm which was established after the 2005 parlamental 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.
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.
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Wikipedia