1,800 police and gendarmes have been mobilized in Operation Wwampocho, which began Monday in Mayotte, with the aim of emptying illegal immigration areas and eliminating violence in the archipelago. Among the police personnel, one unit is particularly highlighted: CRS 8.
Déployée ces deux dernières années dans les quartiers nord de Marseille, à Dijon, à Colmar ou encore in une manifestation à Rennes, cette jeune brigade presentée as une unité d’élite specialisée dans la lotte contre les violences urbanes is de plus en plus presente sur pitch. But how did it establish itself in the law enforcement scene?
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At first, the CRS 8 was an “experiment”
CRS 8 was created on July 1, 2021. It was then submitted as a Flexible and mobile tool from Allow to guarantee “Extremely fast intervention with improved means”And The day was summed up by Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin. CRS 8 is ” An experience destined to be generalized “, is specified.
Consisting of two hundred civil servants, CRS 8 can ” It is deployed in 15 minutes within a radius of 300 km The brigade trains during the day at Bièvres, in Essonne, and returns in the evening to Vélizy-Villacoublay, in the neighboring province of Yvelines. Very quickly, however, the unit stands out for its ability to be quickly dispatched to any point in France.
Deployed in Marseille in the aftermath of the February-April shootings, we also saw CRS 8 in Corsica after demonstrations against the attack in the Yvan Colonna prison in Colmar after the killing of a 17-year-old Afghan but also in Mantes-la-Jolie, Amiens and Limoges .
According to “Le Monde”, it was the Director General of the National Police, Frédéric Vaux, who imagined it as a way to respond to the increase in urban violence, especially in medium-sized cities where these phenomena are new. But less than two years after its creation, the controversies are piling up.
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Controversial videos revealing malfunctions
According to two annual activity reports revealed by Le Monde newspaper, CRS 8 has suffered frequent failures since its inception, particularly with regard to the recruitment of young auxiliary police officers who are unable to do so. “Maintaining Order or Urban Violence”, according to Division Commander Jean-Louis Sanchet.
According to information from Le Monde, the brigade was also the subject of a video montage that went viral within the police. Shot in training, we see dozens of CRS 8 operators stand on each other’s feet, scramble, turn around, and slam the door before it reopens, all with series credits. Benny Hill in the background.
“If a policeman was caught clubbing for no reason and they were punished immediately, that would be great for more than one person.”
In mid-April, the brigade was sent to Rennes during a demonstration against pension reform. There are several videos revealing violent behavior towards protesters, including one filmed by journalist Anna Margaritat, where we see a member of the brigade aiming his multi-shot grenade launcher at her three times and at a very short distance, a gesture nonetheless prohibited. through regulations.
Finally, the Annual Activity Reports also cite frequent complaints from brigade members, who feel they are not frequently deployed in tasks related to maintaining order and urban violence. According to the head of the unit, these movements “other than events” We are source “tired and frustrated” Within the brigade, it was recently deployed to Mayotte.
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More than 650 grenades have been launched in Mayotte
Members of the 8th CRS arrived from Paris to reinforce the operation personnel to secure Mayotte, and baptize “Wuambushu” (“repetition” in Mayotte), where clashes erupted quickly.
In Mayotte, many families have nothing left to eat.
According to Al-Alam, the 650th Brigade fired tear gas canisters on Sunday in an attempt to intimidate “One hundred attackers armed with machetes.” 85 Encirclement Clearance grenades and 60 Bullet Defense (LBD) rounds were carried out by CRS 8, which amounted to live ammunition being fired twelve times, “down to earth and scares away” According to the certificates.
Away from the field of urban intervention in France, CRS 8 police officers have left to stay for a while in Mayotte, as the government has not officially set a launch date or end date for this operation.
