| MIA Border Police of Georgia შსს-ის საქართველოს სასაზღვრო პოლიცია | |
|---|---|
 Emblem of the Georgian Border Police | |
 Flag of the Georgian Border Police | |
| Abbreviation | BPG |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 1992 |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| National agency | Georgia (country) |
| Operations jurisdiction | Georgia (country) |
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| Map of MIA Border Police of Georgia's jurisdiction | |
| Governing body | Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia |
| General nature | |
| Specialist jurisdictions |
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| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Tbilisi, Georgia |
| Agency executive |
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| Website | |
| bpg.gov.ge | |
TheBorder Police of Georgia (Georgian:შსს-ის საქართველოს სასაზღვრო პოლიცია) is the primary border guard force and coast guard in the country ofGeorgia, and is under command of theMinistry 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 andterritorial waters in theBlack Sea.[1] However, border control at checkpoints is instead performed by the Patrol Police department.[2] The current chief is Nikoloz Sharadze.
Formation of the Border Police began shortly after Georgia regained itsindependence from theSoviet Union in 1991, and was officially formed in 1992 as a paramilitary police unit within theMinistry of Defense. Its first personnel were veterans of the Border Troops of the KGB of the Georgian SSR. 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 became a reporting agency Ministry of Internal Affairs, and was reclassified as alaw-enforcement agency in 2006.[3]
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.[4]
The Border Police played a role in theRusso-Georgian War,[5] which resulted in the loss of multiple Coast Guard ships and their crews atPoti and along the Abkhaz shore.[6][7] Since the end of the war, the Coast Guard has continued to enforce theGeorgian sea blockade of Abkhazia, arresting several commercial vessels traveling to and fromAbkhazia on the Black Sea.[8]
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| № | Name | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Badri Bitsadze[9] | July, 2006 | October 29, 2008 |
| 2 | Zaza Gogava[10] | November 4, 2008 | July 8, 2012 |
| 3 | Nika Dzimtseishvili[11] | July 8, 2012 | ???? |
| 4 | Zurab Gamezardashvili[12] | November 2013[13] | November 22, 2016 |
| 5 | Dato Nikoleishvili[14] | December 5, 2016 | ???? |
| 6 | Temur Kekelidze | February 8, 2018 | August 1, 2020 |
| 7 | Nikoloz Sharadze | December 29, 2020 | Present |
The Border Police is composed of three internal departments: the Land Border Defence Department, the Special Aviation Main Office, and theCoast Guard.
The Land Border Defence Department is responsible for securing Georgia's land borders withArmenia,Azerbaijan,Russia, andTurkey, a total distance of approximately 1839 km.[15]
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.[16]
