Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité

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CRS police officers at a demonstration

The Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité ( CRS ; German Republican Security Companies ) are a barracked association of the Police National of France , whose operational areas are comparable to those of the riot police in Germany. They represent a general reserve of the Police nationale and are mainly used to secure demonstrations and major events . Traffic monitoring, water rescue and mountain rescue are also part of their tasks. Company 1 (CRS n ° 1) is assigned to accompany endangered persons at home and abroad and works together with the Service de protection des hautes personnalités . The CRS also takes on the transport of prisoners.

CRS badge

The Gendarmerie nationale is a comparable unit with the Gendarmerie Mobile . The CRS wears blue uniforms with the CRS badge and the Gendarmerie mobile black with a stylized grenade as badge. This symbol is also found on CRS vehicles.

Bus of the CRS

history

The CRS was founded on December 8, 1944 and the first units were organized on January 31, 1945 at a meeting of officers from various security units in Marseille. The list was confirmed in an ordinance on March 7, 1945. A reorganization took place in 1952. The predecessor organization was the paramilitary Groupes mobiles de réserve of the Vichy regime .

In contrast to the units of the gendarmerie , it is a purely civil organization. In the early days, many members of the Communist Party (PCF) were represented in the CRS. This circumstance ultimately led to the reorganization after a demonstration organized by the CGT trade union and the Communist Party in Marseille on November 12, 1947, was not broken up despite an order from the CRS.

assignment

Mission of the CRS:

  • Maintaining or restoring public safety and order at major events, major sporting events, other mass events of all kinds (e.g. cultural events, festivals) and events that may cause conflict (e.g. demonstrations and industrial disputes )
  • Rescue service on beaches during the summer as lifeguards ( maîtres nageurs sauveteur , MNS )
  • Mountain rescue service (together with the national gendarmerie)
  • Combating violence in urban areas ( lutte contre les violences urbaines )
  • Traffic monitoring on bypass roads
  • Preventive measures for children and adolescents (e.g. traffic education, behavior in the mountains)
  • Measures against juvenile delinquency, e.g. B. with leisure activities during the holidays
  • Museum of the CRS
  • Police music

organization

There are a total of 61 operational companies, with four platoons in each company and six platoons in some . The structure is as follows:

  • General Directorate (reports to the Director General of the Police Nationale)
    • Coordination Office (staff)
    • Technical inspection
    • Sub-Directorate for Use
    • Sub-Directorate for Personnel and Training
    • Sub-Directorate for Logistics
  • 7 area directorates each in a defense district
  • Territorial relay
    • 60 General Companies
    • 1 accompanying company with music corps (CRS n ° 1)
    • 9 motorway companies
    • 6 regional motorcycle companies
    • 1 mountain group (Pyrenees)

There is also a national center for mountain and ski training in Chamonix and four training centers in Dijon , Rennes , Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon and Toulouse .

A company with four platoons consists of the following officers:

  • 1 Commandant de Police as Commandant de la CRS
  • 1 Capitaine de Police,
  • 2 Lieutenants de Police,
  • 1 to 4 majors de police,
  • 10 to 20 Brigadiers Chief de Police
  • 5 to 10 Brigadiers de Police
  • 100 to 120 Gardiens de la Paix

Members of the CRS live in residential facilities ( cantonnement )

Assignments by the Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité

The primary task of the CRS is to defend against the dangers of mass events such as demonstrations. In the past, the large and disproportionate use of force was repeatedly criticized here. The catchphrase “CRS = SS ” was used in particular during the May demonstrations in 1968 . In addition, the abbreviation CRS has been reinterpreted as "Compagnie de Répression Syndicale" (Company for Trade Union Suppression) and "Compagnie Républicaine du Sourire" (Republican Company of Smiles).

During large-scale demonstrations of 60,000 people against the Creys-Malville nuclear power plant in July 1977, the CRS fired stun grenades in crowds, killing the protester Vital Michalon and injuring hundreds of people, some seriously.

Trivia

In April 2011, the French Ministry of the Interior prohibited the consumption of alcoholic beverages with meals during working hours. Members of the CRS complained and threatened to strike. In October 2010, members of the CRS drank alcohol publicly during a demonstration, causing displeasure.

Web links

Commons : Compagnie républicaine de sécurité  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Atomic energy in France. - Section The Fast Breeder of Malville This quotes from Jutta Ditfurth's book 'That were the Greens'. Ditfurth was an eyewitness to the CRS brutalities.
  2. ↑ www.bbc.co.uk : France riot police face beer and wine meal ban : "According to French law alcohol is banned while employees are at work - with the exception of" wine, beer, apple cider and pear cider "." (April 22, 2011)