Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité
Encyclopedia
Riot control
Riot control refers to the measures used by police, military, or other security forces to control, disperse, and arrest civilians who are involved in a riot, demonstration, or protest. Law enforcement officers or soldiers have long used non-lethal weapons such as batons and whips to disperse crowds...
and general reserve of the French National Police. The CRS were created on 8 December 1944 and the first units were organised by 31 January 1945. The CRS were reorganized in 1948. The task for which they are best known is crowd and riot
Riot
A riot is a form of civil disorder characterized often by what is thought of as disorganized groups lashing out in a sudden and intense rash of violence against authority, property or people. While individuals may attempt to lead or control a riot, riots are thought to be typically chaotic and...
control and re-establishment of order.
The expression les CRS refers the whole force. It would be understood in the feminine plural insofar as the noun compagnie is feminine, but is typically used in the masculine to refer to the troops, most of whom are male (thus, masc.pl.). In French slang un CRS (masc.sg.) may mean "a CRS man".
History
The CRS, created 8 December 1944 and reorganised in 1952, are a civilian corps (unlike the gendarmes, who are military) trained in anti-insurrection techniques following the dissolution of the Groupes mobiles de réserve (GMR) created by the Vichy régime. While Communist sympathisers were highly present among their ranks (which explains their history of engagement in the Résistance, and according to some due to a desire to practice entryism), a purge limited their number after the French Communist Party (PCF) took on the role of opposition to postwar governments – following a demonstration in Marseille (12 November 1947) called by the CGT union and the PCF that the CRS, a majority of whom were Communists, refused to repress, several companies were dissolved and the CRS were reorganised so as to remove Communist influence among their ranks.Role
CRS missions include:- Motorway policeHighway patrolA highway patrol is either a police unit created primarily for the purpose of overseeing and enforcing traffic safety compliance on roads and highways, or a detail within an existing local or regional police agency that is primarily concerned with such duties.Duties of highway patrols or traffic...
in urban areas - Rescue operations on France's beaches (some CRS officers are trained in beach safety)
- Security of public buildings
- Mountain RescueMountain rescueMountain rescue refers to search and rescue activities that occur in a mountainous environment, although the term is sometimes also used to apply to search and rescue in other wilderness environments. The difficult and remote nature of the terrain in which mountain rescue often occurs has resulted...
The CRS are grouped in units living in barracks
Barracks
Barracks are specialised buildings for permanent military accommodation; the word may apply to separate housing blocks or to complete complexes. Their main object is to separate soldiers from the civilian population and reinforce discipline, training and esprit de corps. They were sometimes called...
. They generally operate away from their base town.
French mobile police forces
The two French anti-riot forces, the CRS and the Gendarmerie MobileMobile Gendarmerie
The Mobile Gendarmerie is a subdivision of the French Gendarmerie. The Mobile Gendarmerie is the inheritor of the traditions of the gendarmerie's historic infantry component. Specific anti-riot units of the Gendarmerie date back to the beginning of the 19th century...
are often mistaken with each other, as their missions are similar, but they can be distinguished by uniform. The uniform of the CRS is blue (usually dark blue); the uniform of the gendarmes mobiles is black. The CRS wear a big red CRS patch; the gendarmes have stylized grenade
Grenade (insignia)
Grenade insignia are symbols featured on the uniforms of numerous military units. The emblem represents a stylized old style of hand grenade, with a rising flame...
s.
In January 2009, the French state implemented a rapprochement ("bringing together") of the police and the gendarmerie. While this policy falls short of a complete fusion or merger, at least for now, this is likely to lead to more sharing of missions and less distinction between CRS and Gendarmes Mobiles in future.
Company composition
There are currently 61 companies; most of these companies have four platoons each, and others have six platoons. The 4-platoon companies contain:- 1 Commander
- 1 Captain
- 2 Lieutenants
- 1~4 Brigadier-Majors
- 12~25 Brigadier-Chiefs
- 100~120 Guards
Organization
- 1 Central Directorate under a Director-generalDirector-generalThe term director-general is a title given the highest executive officer within a governmental, statutory, NGO, third sector or not-for-profit institution.-European Union:...
of the National Police in Paris; - 7 Zonal Directorates in each of the military's defence zones;
- 60 General Service Companies (for the maintenance of public order);
- 1 VIP Escort compagny (CRS n° 1);
- 9 AutorouteAutoroutes of FranceThe Autoroute system in France consists largely of toll roads, except around large cities and in parts of the north. It is a network of worth of motorways. Autoroute destinations are shown in blue, while destinations reached through a combination of autoroutes are shown with an added autoroute logo...
Companies (Highway PatrolHighway patrolA highway patrol is either a police unit created primarily for the purpose of overseeing and enforcing traffic safety compliance on roads and highways, or a detail within an existing local or regional police agency that is primarily concerned with such duties.Duties of highway patrols or traffic...
); - 6 Zonal Motorcycle Units;
- 1 Mountain Group (Pyrenees);
- CRS Band (attached to CRS n° 1).