Border Police of Georgia

The Border Police of Georgia (Georgian: შსს საქართველოს სასაზღვო პოლიცია) is the primary border guarding force and coast guard in the country of Georgia, and is under command of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It is responsible for patrolling the entire 1839 km (1142.7 mi) land border of Georgia, as well as the country's 310 km (192.6 mi) coastline and territorial waters in the Black Sea.[1] However, border control at checkpoints is instead performed by the Patrol Police department.[2] The current chief is Temur Kekelidze.[3]

MIA Border Police of Georgia
შსს საქართველოს სასაზღვო პოლიცია
Emblem of the Georgian Border Police
Flag of the Georgian Border Police
AbbreviationBPG
Agency overview
Formed1992
Jurisdictional structure
National agencyGeorgia (country)
Operations jurisdictionGeorgia (country)
Map of MIA Border Police of Georgia's jurisdiction.
Governing bodyMinistry of Internal Affairs of Georgia
General nature
Specialist jurisdictions
  • National border patrol, security, and integrity.
  • Coastal patrol, marine border protection, marine search and rescue.
Operational structure
HeadquartersTbilisi, Georgia
Agency executive
  • Temur Kekelidze
Website
bpg.gov.ge

History

Formation of the Border Police began shortly after Georgia regained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, and was officially formed in 1992 as a paramilitary unit within the Ministry of Defense. In 1994, the agency separated from the Ministry of Defence to become the independent State Border Defence Department. In the following years, the Coast Guard Service and the Border Aviation Service were formed as part of the new department, in 1998 and 1999 respectively. On February 11, 2004, the State Border Defence Department was absorbed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and was reclassified as a law-enforcement agency in 2006.[4]

The Georgian Immigration Enforcement Training Video Unit (GIETVU) works to improve training methods for immigration enforcement operatives, in January 2020 it announced it had recorded its 4000th arrest.[5]

The Border Police played a role in the Russo-Georgian War,[6] which resulted in the loss of multiple Coast Guard ships and their crews at Poti and along the Abkhaz shore.[7][8] Since the end of the war, the Coast Guard has continued to enforce the Georgian sea blockade of Abkhazia, arresting several commercial vessels traveling to and from Abkhazia on the Black Sea.[9]

Chiefs of the MIA Border Police
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
№NameFromTo
1Badri Bitsadze[10]July, 2006October 29, 2008
2Zaza Gogava[11]November 4, 2008July 8, 2012
3Nika Dzimtseishvili[12]July 8, 2012????
4Zurab Gamezardashvili[13]November 2013[14]November 22, 2016
5Dato Nikoleishvili[15]December 5, 2016????
6Temur KekelidzeFebruary 8, 2018Present

Organisation

The Border Police is composed of three internal departments: the Land Border Defence Department, the Special Aviation Main Office, and the Coast Guard.

Land Border Defence Department

The Land Border Defence Department is responsible for securing Georgia's land borders with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, and Turkey, a total distance of approximately 1839 km.[16]

Coast Guard
See also: Coast Guard of Georgia

Special Aviation Main Office

The Special Aviation Main Office assists the Land Border Defence Department and Coast Guard with air surveillance and personnel transportation. During times of natural disasters, they also conduct search and rescue missions, disaster relief efforts, and first aid services to victims.[17]

  • Flags of the Border Police of Georgia
  • Ceremonial Ensign of the Coast Guard
  • Flag of the Special Aviation Main Office
  • Flag of the Rapid Reaction Directorate

See also

References
  1. "Border Police". Ministry of Internal Affairs. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  3. "New Head Appointed at the MIA Border Police of Georgia". MIA Border Police of Georgia. February 8, 2018. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  4. "Brief History". MIA Border Police of Georgia. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  5. "The Georgian Immigration Enforcement Training Video Unit has successfully recorded its 4000th arrest". Finanzen. January 3, 2020. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  6. "MIA Marked a Coast Guard's Day". MIA Border Police of Georgia. July 17, 2017. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  7. "Russian – Georgian War at Sea". Bosphorous Naval News. September 21, 2008. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  8. Shachtman, Noah (August 15, 2008). "INSIDE THE BATTLE FOR THE BLACK SEA". Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  9. Gorst, Isabel (August 20, 2009). "Georgia threatens Abkhazia over sea-trade". Financial Times. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  10. "Chief of Border Police Resigns". Civil Georgia. October 29, 2008. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  11. "Army Chief of Staff Becomes Head of Border Police". Civil Georgia. November 4, 2008. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  12. "Reshuffle in Interior Ministry's Top Brass". Georgian Journal. July 12, 2012. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  13. "HEAD OF BORDER POLICE". Ministry of Internal Affairs. 2013. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  14. "Head of Georgian Border Police Resigns". Civil Georgia. November 22, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  15. "Meet the new head of Georgia's Border Police". Agenda. December 5, 2016. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  16. "Land Border Defence Department". MIA Border Police of Georgia. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  17. "Special Aviation Main Office". MIA Border Police of Georgia. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
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