Formed 1930 | ||
Motto Special Security Forces, Always Forward! Agency executive Brigadier General Abdullah Al-Zayed, Commander of Special Security Forces | ||
The Special Security Force Command (Arabic: قيادة قوة الأمن الخاصة) is a paramilitary law enforcement body in Bahrain under the command of the Ministry of the Interior. The SSFC is more commonly referred to as the "Special Security Forces", the "Special Forces", "Bahrain Special Security Forces (BSSF) or as the "riot police" (Arabic: الشغب).
A majority of the personnel of the SSFC are recruited from outside of Bahrain, from Arab countries like Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Syria and Pakistan.
Accusations
The Special Security Forces have been accused of human rights abuses, in trying to suppress pro-democratic activity in Bahrain. The SSFC has been at the front line of the Bahrain government's crackdown on pro-democracy protesters during the Bahraini uprising in the Arab Spring.
In November 2007, Bahrain signed a cooperation agreement with France under which French police officers working in the Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité have provided training to Bahrain's SSFC. A company of the SSFC were deployed to Afghanistan to provide base security at the United States's Camp Leatherneck.