The Special Mobile Force () is a

paramilitary A paramilitary is a military that is not a part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934. Overview Though a paramilitary is, by definiti ...

unit of

Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...

that ensures the country's internal and external security. As Mauritius has no dedicated

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

, the SMF forms part of the Mauritius Police Force, with its personnel on long-term rotation from the police force.

History

The SMF was formed following the withdrawal of the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

garrison on Mauritius, mainly detachments of the

King's African Rifles The King's African Rifles (KAR) was a British Colonial Auxiliary Forces regiment raised from Britain's East African colonies in 1902. It primarily carried out internal security duties within these colonies along with military service elsewher ...

, in 1960. The primary task of the SMF when it was formed was to ensure the internal and external security of the country. As formed, the SMF's initial makeup was made up of members of the local police force and Mauritian veterans of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. British military officers led the unit, but it was not until 1978 when Colonel D. Bhima BEM MPM was appointed as the first SMF commanding officer of Mauritian origin. In 2013, it was reported to have a manpower of 1,400 officers.

Organisation

The SMF is formed as a battlegroup consisting of approximately 1,500 men led by a Commanding Officer. The majority of these men form six

motorised infantry Motorized infantry is infantry that is transported by trucks or other motor vehicles. It is distinguished from mechanized infantry, which is carried in armoured personnel carriers or infantry fighting vehicles, and from light infantry, which c ...

companies. In addition, there are two squadrons equipped with armoured vehicles and an engineering squadron. Although the SMF is not a military unit, it is organised along military lines, with training based on basic military doctrine. The SMF commands the Groupe Intervention de la Police Mauricien (GIPM) (), the SMF's special forces unit. Although the primary role of the SMF is the internal and external security of Mauritius, it is also used in several other roles such as ceremonial guards of honour, search and rescue operations, bomb disposal, debris clearance and opening of roads after cyclones and other emergencies.

Badge and motto

The badge of the SMF is made up of a wreath of oak leaves surmounted by the national

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

. Within the wreath are the letters S and F, with a

lightning flash ''Lightning Flash'' is the 12th album by British pop group Brotherhood of Man. Released on EMI Records in 1983, it remains their final commercially released studio album. Background The album was released on EMI Records in July 1983 and was ...

between them, to symbolise the letters "SMF". Beneath the wreath is a scroll with the name "Special Mobile Force Mauritius". The first motto of the SMF was ''The Difficult We Do Immediately. The Impossible Takes A Little Longer''. This was then changed to the current motto ''We'll Do It. What Is It''.

Alliances

* –

The Rifles The Rifles is an infantry regiment of the British Army. Formed in 2007, it consists of four Regular battalions and three Reserve battalions. Each Regular battalion was formerly an individual battalion of one of the two large regiments of the ...

References

External links

* {{cite web , url=http://www.gov.mu:80/portal/site/police/menuitem.ac7e3bdeacaa5104d0db7010e2b521ca , title=Special Mobile Force , work=Republic of Mauritius , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100325230129/http://www.gov.mu/portal/site/police/menuitem.ac7e3bdeacaa5104d0db7010e2b521ca , archivedate=25 March 2010 , url-status=dead Law enforcement in Mauritius 1960 establishments in Mauritius