- For other uses of the initials CRS, see CRS.
The Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité (Republican Security Companies, CRS) are the riot control forces and general reserve of the French National Police. The CRS were created in 1944 and reorganized in 1948. The task for which they are best known in popular culture is crowd and riot control and re-establishment of order. Their repressive role and occasional abuse of force has led to criticisms among certain demonstrators. In French, the whole force is correctly called les CRS (masc.pl.). In French slang, un CRS (masc.sg.) may mean "a CRS man"; trois CRS for "3 CRS men".
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Role
CRS missions include:
- Motorway police in urban areas
- Rescue operations on France's beaches (some CRS officers are trained in beach security)
- Security of public buildings
- Mountain Rescue
The CRS are grouped in units living in barracks. They generally operate away from their base town.
French mobile police forces
The two French anti-riot forces, the CRS and the Gendarmes Mobiles are often mistaken with each other as their missions are similar. Ways to distinguish them are:
- 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 grenades.
CRS vehicles and uniforms are recognizable by CRS logos.
Company composition
There are currently 61 companies; most of these companies have four platoons each, and others have six platoons. The composition for 4-platoon companies is thus:-
- 1 Commander
- 1 Captain
- 2 Lieutenants
- 1~4 Brigadier-Majors
- 12~25 Brigadier-Chiefs
- 100~120 Gardians
Abusive nicknames
- Famous abusive slogans from the leftist students' riot of May 1968 were "CRS = SS" and "CRS - Assassin".
- Car rempli de singes (= "Coach full of monkeys") is an offensive backronym for "CRS".
Cultural references
The CRS are mentioned in an enormous number of French songs, short stories, political tracts, comic books, etc.
External links
- History of the CRS (in French)
