Riot police
Riot police are police who are organised, deployed, trained or equipped to confront crowds, protests or riots.
Riot police may be regular police who act in the role of riot police in particular situations or they may be separate units organised within or in parallel to regular police forces. Riot police are used in a variety of different situations and for a variety of different purposes. They may be employed to control riots as their name suggests, to disperse or control crowds, to maintain public order or discourage criminality, to protect people or property, to function as a tool of political repression by breaking up protests and suppressing dissent or civil disobedience.
Riot gear
Riot police often use special equipment termed riot gear to help protect themselves and attack others. Riot gear typically includes personal armor, batons, riot shields and riot helmets. Many riot police teams also deploy specialized less-than-lethal weapons, such as pepper spray, tear gas, rifles that fire rubber bullets, stun grenades, and Long Range Acoustic Devices.
List of riot police organizations
- Australia - Public Order and Riot Squad (New South Wales); Public Order Response Team (Victoria)
- Bulgaria - National Gendarmerie Service
- France - Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité Escadrons de Gendarmerie Mobile
- Germany - Bereitschaftspolizei
- Greece - Units for the Reinstatement of Order
- India - Rapid Action Force
- Ireland - Garda Public Order Unit
- Israel - Yasam
- Malaysia - Federal Reserve Unit
- Romania - Romanian Gendarmerie
- Russia - OMON
- Spain - Unidad de Intervención Policial
- Singapore - Police Tactical Unit (Singapore)
- Turkey - Çevik Kuvvet
- Ukraine - Berkut (Ukraine)
- Poland - Oddziały Prewencji Policji
See also
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