Volkspolizei-Bereitschaft
| Volkspolizei-Bereitschaft | |
|---|---|
Insignia of the Volkspolizei-Bereitschaft | |
| Active | April 1955 – October 1990 |
| Country | German Democratic Republic |
| Allegiance | SED |
| Branch | Volkspolizei |
| Type | Internal troops and Gendarmerie |
| Role | Riot police |
| Size | 12,000–15,000 |
| Part of | GDR armed forces |
| Garrison/HQ | East Berlin |
The Volkspolizei-Bereitschaften (VPB, German for "People's Police Alert Units", sometimes known as "Barracked People’s Police" or "Alert Police") was the paramilitary police force of the Volkspolizei of the German Democratic Republic. Like in many Warsaw Pact countries, The VPB were organized as Internal Troops and served as a riot police and gendarmerie-like force. The VPB functioned as the de facto armed branch of the Ministry for State Security (Stasi).
Though considered part of the armed forces, the VPB was never part of the National People's Army or the Ministry of National Defence, instead under the Ministry of the Interior.