Mauritius Police Force

The National Coast Guard (NCG) is a branch of the MPF that was established in 1988 and consists of No. 1 Patrol Vessel Squadron and the Maritime Air Squadron.[4]

The NCG has been modernising its fleet introducing a Kora-class Offshore Patrol Vessel CGS Barracuda in 2015, two Sarojini Naidu-class patrol vessels CGS Victory in 2016 and CGS Valiant in 2017 and ten 14.5m GSL Fast Interceptor Boats in 2016.[5][6][7]

MCGS Valiant arriving in Port Louis

The Maritime Air Squadron (MAS) was established in 1990 and operates a fixed wing fleet of three HAL Dornier 228 and one Britten-Norman Defender BN-2T for search-and-rescue missions and surveillance of territorial waters.[8] The Defender entered service in 1992, the first Dornier 228 entered service in 1990, the second in 2004 and third in 2016.[8] The Do 288 can be fitted with 7.62mm gun pods.[9]

The NCG has a maritime tactical unit established in 2010 the Commando Unit or Commandos Special Force.[10][11] The Commando Unit trains with the Indian Navy special forces unit Marine Commando Force (MARCOS) and with the French Army 2nd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment (2^e RPIMa) based in Réunion part of FAZSOI.[12][13]

In March 1990 one radar equipped HAL Dornier 228 was ordered from India to form a maritime surveillance element by July 1991. This aircraft was reinforced in 1992 by a single twin turbo prop BN-2T Maritime Defender for coastal patrol work. A second HAL Dornier 228 was added to the fleet in 2004 and a third in 2016.[17][18][19]

A HAL Chetak landing aboard USS Arleigh Burke

The Police Helicopter Squadron (PHS) is a branch of the MPF that was established in 1974 and its main roles are search and rescue and casualty evacuation both inland and at sea; combatting gandia cultivation; traffic patrol and escort of convoys; and VIP transport.[22][23]

The helicopter fleet consists of four HAL Chetak, one Eurocopter Fennec AS555 and one HAL Dhruv.[22][24] The Dhruv helicopter entered service in 2009.[25] Two refurbished Chetak helicopters were gifted by India in 2016.[6][26]

Mauritius does not have a standing army, the Special Mobile Force (SMF) a branch of the MPF, is a paramilitary force established in 1960 following the withdrawal of two companies of the British East African land forces.[28][29] The SMF recruited World War II veterans and select police officers and was commanded by British Commanders until 1978.[28]

The 1,500-member Special Mobile Force (SMF) and the 500-member National Coast Guard are the only two paramilitary units in Mauritius. Both units are composed of police officers on lengthy rotations to those services.[17][18][19]

The SMF is a motorized infantry battalion with five companies, an engineering squadron, and a mobile wing comprising two squadrons equipped with armored vehicles.[28] The SMF training is based on conventional military tactics focused on internal security.[28] It engages extensively in civic works projects.

The SMF has a police tactical unit established in 1979 the Groupement d’Intervention de la Police Mauricienne (GIPM).[30] The GIPM trains with the French National Gendarmerie police tactical unit Groupe d'intervention de la Gendarmerie nationale (GIGN) and the French Army 2^e RPIMa.[31][13]

The Special Support Unit (SSU), a branch of the MPF, is a police riot unit that was established in 1986.[32] The SSU consists of five operational units and a training wing.[32]

The police band of the MPF is the official music unit of the service. It can operate as a military band, a marching band, a string orchestra as well as contemporary pop group.[33] One of its alumni was Joseph Philippe Gentil, a composer best known for composing The Motherland, the National Anthem.[34] On Independence Day (12 March) in 1968, a national newspaper mistakenly published the name and photograph of Philippe Oh San (the Police Band's maestro t the time) as the anthem's composer, with the remaining newspapers being reprinted with the correction.[35]