Police Lugers without sear safeties

[Don M]

Many collectors are under the impression that all Lugers that were in police service have or had sear (Schiwy) safeties installed. When they run across an example with a police property marking on the front grip strap but no evidence that the gun ever had a sear safety, they are perplexed and some suspect that the property marking has been faked. I have explained this apparent anomaly in HWIS but, since it is somewhat spread out through the book, I thought I would summarize the information here.

During the Weimar era, the Schutzpolizei (Schupo) consisted of two distinct branches – the Revierpolizei (precinct police) and the Bereitschaftspolizei (reserve police). The Revierpolizisten were the “beat cops” who patrolled the cities to maintain order. They operated out of precinct stations, generally had at least about eight years of experience, were qualified for Einzeldienst (independent service), lived at home and were permitted to marry and have a family. These were the legacy of the Imperial-era Schutzmänner. During the first few years of the Weimar era, these were known in Prussia as the Revierhauptmannschaft.

The Bereitschaftspolizei was organized more along military lines and primarily served as riot police, somewhat similar to Special Weapons and Tactics (S.W.A.T.) teams in the U.S. They were the legacy of the short-lived Sicherheitspolizei, a military-style police organized in 1919 and officially disbanded in 1920 at the insistence of the Allies. The Bereitschaftspolizei was used to quell riots, control strikes and to generally reinforce the precinct police. These were younger men, organized into companies (Hundertschaften), who lived in barracks and were not allowed to marry during their seven to twelve-year period of initial service. Graduates of the police schools (Polizeischulen) were initially assigned to these units. Following service in this branch, policemen were eligible for transfer to the precinct police, rural police or civil service.

Shortly after the Nazis came to power, the Reich and Prussian Interior Ministries issued an order on 30 August 1933 that Schiwy and Walther (magazine) safeties be added to all Lugers belonging to the Revierpolizei, including the Wasserschutzpolizei (Waterways Police), and the Landjägerei, including the Rheinpolizei (Rhine River Police). This order did not include the Lugers issued to the Bereitschaftspolizei.

In 1933 and 1934, the Bereitschaftspolizei were separated from the Revierpolizei, designated as Landespolizei (State Police), and received additional military training. In 1935 and 1936, they were either transferred to the military or organized as Police Battalions. These Police Battalions were subsequently used in occupied countries after the start of WWII and some were guilty of horrendous atrocities.

From the above, it is evident that Lugers with Weimar police markings on the front grip strap but no Schiwy or Walther safeties once belonged to Bereitschaftspolizei units. They were exempted from the 1933 order because it was known that they would end up in the military which did not use these devices.