Units / France / BRI

The french BRI (Brigade de Recherche et d'Intervention) are elite units of the french Police Nationale that have a national authority of action. On the contrary the BREC (Brigade de Recherche d'Enquêtes et de Coordination) that have almost the same structure have a more regional action.

The missions of the BRI is the fight against highly organized criminality, armed robberies, hostage situations. They're also in charge of researches, monitoring and observation.

The polimen of the BRI wear hoods during their interventions to preserve their anonymity. They are authorized by law to wear hoods like the GIPN, GIGN and RAID groups.

The BRI Paris (also known as brigade Antigang), from the 36 Quai des Orfèvres street , is composed of around 50 agents. The BRI Paris is a particular unit that performs the same missions as the GIPN and the RAID for the Paris City. All the other BRI have almost the same structure and organization, approximately 20 agents.

The BREC (Brigades de Recherches d'Enquêtes et de Coordination) are progressively dissolved to become BRIs, with a national course of action instead of a regional one. The BRi are regionally affected to the Direction Régionale de la Police Judiciaire (DRPJ) of more locally to the Police Judiciaire offices.

There are 16 BRI units :

The priority missions of the BRI units is to intervene to fight against organized crime, interviene for serious criminal situations like the armed robberies, sequestrations, the taking of hostages. They have high tech equipment for observation and listening devices, they are also charged to seek and file all the information relating to the banditism. With this intention, they set up discrete monitorings of individuals which last sometimes several days, or even several weeks.

All the policemen and the senior police officers of the Police Nationale can apply to the selection as long as they have at least 5 years of service and if they are less than 35 years old.