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RAID (French police unit)

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The Recherche Assistance Intervention Dissuasion ("Research, Assistance, Intervention, Deterrence") unit is a French National Police SWAT unit. It the roughly the Home Ministry equivalent of the GIGN (which is a military unit).

The RAID was founded in 1985, in response to a bombing and murder campaign.

Organisation

The RAID is divided into three main sections :

First Section

The first section deals with the usual tasks of special forces: intervention, monitoring, protection.

Second Section

The second section is the Research and Development part of the RAID. It studies techniques and collects information. This section is divided into three groups :

  • Intelligence Group
  • Technical Group
  • Weaponry Group

Third section

The Third section deals with the psychological aspects of the interventions. It is in charge of negotiations and crisis management.

It also provides psychological support for the policemen in the unit and in the whole National Police. It is composed by Forensic experts, a psychologist and physicians.

The Negotiation group is on permanent alert. It deals with suicides, violent crises, mental disorders, hostage crises and other major troubles, independently from the rest of the RAID. It assesses the dangers of the situation, suggests possible solutions, and helps with the negotiations and the resolution of the crises. If the whole RAID has to intervene, the Negotiations section is used as a reconnaissance unit, and prepares the intervention of the other sections.

History

The RAID has special competences : "Plan Piratair" (for plane hijackings), nuclear sites, the Eurotunnel, the trains, and other strategic sites.

The first intervention of the RAID was wideley publicised. A madman, calling himself "HB" (for "Human Bomb", in English), and carrying large quantities of explosives, took 21 children hostages in a school in Neuilly. The negotiator managed to obtain the liberation of several children. After 46 hours, the madman fell asleep; men of the RAID creeped into the school to evacuate the children, and the madman was killed as he suddenly woke up and tried to reach the explosives. All the children were safe, as well as their teacher and a nurse.

The RAID also arrested members of Action Directe in a more anti-terrorist action.

The RAID is in charge of the protection of foreign dignitaries traveling in France. It had three members dead in service.

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