In addition, police activities, both civil and secret, remained under the Ministry of the Interior, as did the Border Police. The Ministry of the Interior established its own Volkspolizei-Bereitschaften (VPB) (Alert Units) for the specific function of internal security. The Alert Units were militarily structured, fully motorized units with modern weapons and equipment. Garrisoned and trained in battalion-size units, they were capable of carrying out police tasks and other security functions. They were used in major disturbances or in civil disasters affecting public order and safety. German reunification In preparation for German reunification of the German Democratic Republic, five federal states were refounded in East Germany in 1990: Saxony, Thuringia, Saxony-Anhalt, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-West Pomerania. Every state created its own police forces, the Landespolizei, which are the state police of the Federal Republic of Germany. Every former Volkspolizei officer could apply for a job with the new police if he had not worked as an agent for the Stasi. Just before and after the reunification every Volkspolizei officer had to undergo a new training based on West German law. Even in the 21st century, there is much social stigma connected with being a former "VoPo", and the blame of having been on the "wrong side" during the Cold War is often leveled against many ex-Volkspolizei officers to this day. References External links Official Site of the German Police EAST GERMANY – A Country Study (based on information from the Library of Congress) The Democratisation of the Police (With Reference to the Brandenburg Police) by John Chivers IG Deutsche Volkspolizei in German. Volkspolizei page at polizeiautos.de Law enforcement in East Germany East German law