Benin-gb

Beninese National Gendarmerie

Year of creation:

1960

Ministry of attachment:

Ministère de la Défense nationale

Workforce:

3 910

General manager:

Lieutenant-colonel Marcel ADJAHO

Address:

Camp N° 1 BP 61 - Porto-Novo

Tél.: 00.229.20 21 32 21

Fax: 00.229.20 21 26 64

Email: spdggn@yahoo.fr

History

The Beninese National Gendarmerie is the heiress of the French National Gendarmerie implanted in Dahomey, the name given to this French colony between 1894 and 1958. This last one is organized in section by the decree N° 49-1365 of August 23rd, 1949, then in a Group of Gendarmerie with the interministerial decision of November 27th, 1957.

One month after the declaration of independence of the Republic of Dahomey in August 1960, the National Gendarmerie of Dahomey is created by the order N° 492/DFSA of September 11th, 1961. October 5th, 1961, the Gendarmerie lieutenant-colonel Teulière is delegated in the functions of first General Director of the National Gendarmerie, assisted by the captain Adandedjan. The latter, promoted major, is appointed as General director in 1963.

After a period of chronic political instability in the 1960s, the Dahomey becomes the People’s Republic of Benin on November 30th, 1975 following Mathieu Kérékou’s coup d’état. The country new political orientation, from Marxist-Leninist inspiration leads to an upheaval of institutions. The creation in 1977 of the People’s armed forces brings out the reform of the Gendarmerie, which becomes the Command of the Public Security Forces Companies. In February 1990, the National Gendarmerie finds its name and its traditional missions. The decree N° 90-329 of November 8th, 1990 dedicates this revival. The decree N° 95-383 of November 22nd, 1995 gives the Gendarmerie an administrative and structural frame. It is repealed by a series of decrees taken on February 20th, 2001, which fix the attributions, the organization and the functioning of this institution.

Organization

Under the supervision of the Ministry of Defence and for employment with the Ministry of Interior, Public Security and Religion.

Central Organization

The Directorate General of the Beninese National Gendarmerie, implanted in Porto-Novo, around thirty kilometres from the capital Cotonou, is under the command of a senior officer with the rank of colonel. He is assisted by a Deputy director and by a cabinet in charge of the exploitation of the mail, the organization of audiences and the public relations. The Directorate General of the Beninese National Gendarmerie includes three technical directions:

• The Staff Division/Personnel directorate, which plans needs in staff and manages the human resources;

• The "Organization and employment" directorate, which conceives and follows the execution of the doctrine of the Gendarmerie use;

• The logistics directorate, which defines the logistic concept, oversees the support of the trainings and manages the materials, the equipment and the infrastructures.

• Besides, the technical inspection is a project leader of study, information and control within the National Gendarmerie.

Territorial organization

• 3 regional groups (RG North in Parakou, RG Centre in Abomey and RG South in Porto-Novo).

• 12 companies.

• 89 territorial brigades.

• 12 criminal investigations brigades.

• 10 traffic brigades.

• 2 nautical brigades.

• 1 air transportation gendarmerie brigade.

• 1 harbour brigade.

• 3 palm groves surveillance special brigades.

• 1 gold-bearing special brigade.

• 21 advanced posts.

We also find a group with 9 prison brigades: surveillance of prisons.

The organization of the Beninese anti-riot police is the following one:

• 1 group of 4 squadrons: 2 squadrons in Porto-Novo, 1 in Abomey, 1 in Parakou.

• The guard of honour.

• The music squadron.

Specialized Training

Created in 2001, the Gendarmerie National Intervention Group is a quick response team in charge of fighting serious crime and the organized crime. It is deployed against Terrorist actions, attacks on and/or grave events against security and public order, in particular terrorist attacks, hostage taking, attempt of attacks, airplane hijacking, threats of building destructions, holdup and armed attacks, financial institution burglaries. It is also used to fight against the revolts or the rebellions in prison requiring the use of special techniques and special means.

Missions

Competent on 90% of the territory and 81% of the population, the Beninese Gendarmerie is performing three traditional missions of the Gendarmerie:

• Administrative police (70% of the activity);

• Criminal Investigation (25% of the activity);

• Military police and defence of the country (5% of the activity).

Staff

In 2013, the Beninese National Gendarmerie consists of 3 910 staffs dividing up as follows:

• 150 senior officers;

• 1 683 officers;

• 2 077 gendarmes of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd classes.

Among this whole staff, 380 personnel’s are appointed in anti-riot units. Furthermore, approximately 3% of the staff is feminine.

Training institutions

Regarding the education, the Beninese National Gendarmerie School, created in September 1961, has for vocation the Beninese gendarmes training. Implanted since 1999 within the school, the Criminal Investigation improvement Centre became a reference regarding Criminal investigations. Every year, Training sessions are organized for the benefit of 23 west Africa countries and for 4 east Africa countries.

Main equipment

• Armament: PA Mac 50 - Kalashnikov AK-47 - Machine gun AA-52.

• Vehicles: Toyota 4x4 Pick-up (12) and Nissan (16); 28 Troop transportation (Unimog and Mann types); 22 - typical Motorcycles BMW 1100 and 1150: 22.

• Nautical means: motorized Boats: 3.

Cooperation

The Beninese National Gendarmerie supplies, within the framework of the peacekeeping missions, a contingent of about 250 personals (MONUC-MINUCI).

It maintains narrow links with the French National Gendarmerie through some trainings for the benefit of their officers in the "Ecole des Officiers de la Gendarmerie National" (E.O.G.N.) of Melun. Besides, a French National Gendarmerie senior officer (lieutenant-colonel) is assigned to the National Gendarmerie National Directorate in Porto-Novo.

He is performing Adviser functions to the National Gendarmerie General Director, being also the chief of the project "Support for the Internal security - Gendarmerie" and leading the gendarmerie cooperation detachment.