View source for Search and Intervention Brigade

{{Short description|French National Police unit}}
{{more footnotes|date=January 2013}}
{{Expand French|Brigade de recherche et d'intervention|date=January 2015}}
{{Infobox law enforcement unit
| unit_name              = Search and Intervention Brigade
| native_name            = {{native name|fr|Brigade de recherche et d'intervention}}
| native_namea           = <!-- Use {{native name|language code|name}} -->
| native_namer           = <!-- Use {{native name|language code|name}} -->
| image                  = Brigade_de_Recherche_et_d%27Intervention_(PP).svg
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| alt                    =
| caption                = Logo featuring a [[gargoyle]]
| dates                  = 1964 – present
| country                = {{flag|France}}
| agency                 = [[National Police (France)|National Police]]
| type                   = [[Police tactical unit]]
| role                   = {{Plainlist}}
* [[Counter-terrorism]]
* [[Law enforcement]]
{{Endplainlist}}
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| common_name            = Anti-Gang Brigades
| abbreviation           = BRI 
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<!-- Commanders -->
| current_commander      =
| notable_commanders     = Robert Broussard (Paris BRI)
<!-- Notables --> 
| programs               = <!-- or | programmes = -->
| significant_operations = {{Plainlist}}
*[[Charlie Hebdo shooting|2015 Charlie Hebdo shooting]]
*[[November 2015 Paris attacks]]
{{Endplainlist}}
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A '''Search and Intervention Brigade''' ({{langx|fr|'''Brigade de recherche et d'intervention'''}} ('''BRI''') ({{Audio|BRI_1.ogg|pronunciation}}), '''Investigation and Intervention Brigade''' or '''Anti-Gang Brigade''') is a unit of the [[France|French]] [[National Police (France)|National Police]].<ref>The National Police is one of the two national police forces of France, together with the National Gendarmerie. They both come under the jurisdiction of the [[Minister of the Interior (France)|Ministry of the Interior]] (''Ministère de l'Intérieur'')</ref> The first units were formed in 1964 and carried out their tasks under the command of the Paris prefecture.<ref>Aleksander Olech, French and Polish fight against terrorism, Poznan 2022, p. 99; https://www.researchgate.net/publication/359135918_French_and_Polish_fight_against_terrorism</ref>

BRIs are specialized in serious criminal cases such as [[Robbery|armed robbery]] and [[kidnapping]]s. They typically attempt to catch offenders in the act after monitoring their activities, a technique that was first experimented with in the 1960s by the then-new Paris BRI. They use a mix of traditional techniques and modern technology to collect and archive data about banditry. Although most of the pictures illustrating this article show uniformed officers (of the Paris BRI-PP) during a hostage-rescue public demonstration, most BRI missions are undertaken by plain clothed officers. There are now more than 15 BRI units, located in France's major cities. The first of them, the Paris BRI (or BRI-PP for ''Préfecture de Police''), was created in 1964.

In 1972, in the wake of the [[Munich massacre]], it was decided that BRI-PP would, as an additional task, form the nucleus of a [[Police tactical unit|police tactical task force]] known as ''Brigade Anticommando'' (Counter-commando Brigade) or BRI-BAC.<ref>The officiel spelling in French is "''Brigade anticommando''" although "''Brigade anti-commando''" is also used. But in practice, neither of the terms is frenquently used, the press usually referring to "the BRI", which can be confusing since there are several units sharing this name all around France.</ref> BRI-BAC, when activated, is reinforced by other specialised units of the [[Préfecture de police]]. It has been involved in the resolution of hostage crises from its beginnings in the early 1970s to the [[Porte de Vincennes siege]] in January 2015 and the "Bataclan" assault during the [[November 2015 Paris attacks]]. In the ''Porte de Vincennes'' case, BRI-BAC and the National Police's [[Recherche Assistance Intervention Dissuasion|RAID]] operated together as part of the [[National Police Intervention Force]] ({{langx|fr|Force d'Intervention de la Police nationale or FIPN}}).<ref>RAID also took part in the Bataclan assault but in a subordinate role as FIPN was not formally activated.</ref>

==History==
[[File:BRI-PP3 Domenjod 130618.jpg|thumb|Hostage rescue demonstration - Paris BRI-PP - June 2018]]
The first BRI, BRI-PP was created in Paris in 1964. François le Mouël, a police [[Commissaire de police|commissary]] with the [[Paris Police Prefecture]] (PP), suggested that there were situations when, instead of waiting until a crime had been committed to start an inquiry, the police could achieve better results by keeping a close watch on known or suspected criminals and/or some of their potential targets. The criminals would then be arrested - either just before the crime took place or soon after but never during the action itself - so that there would be enough evidence for prosecution while avoiding the risks of shoot-outs and innocent victims. Initially set up as a new section in one of the PP's [[Direction Régionale de Police Judiciaire de Paris|Directorate of Judiciary Police]] brigades, BRI became a separate brigade in 1967, still under le Mouël's leadership.

The Paris BRI method was innovative enough so that it was widely copied all around France and in other European countries. One of the better-known BRI successes was achieved in 1977 when the captors of banker Gérard Mallet, who had been under surveillance for more than four months,<ref>''Mémoires du commissaire Broussard'' (Commissary Broussard remembers). Robert Broussard. Nouveau Monde Editions, Paris - 2012</ref> were arrested less than four hours after they had committed their crime.

==Missions==
[[File:BRI-PP6 Domenjod 130618.jpg|thumb|Hostage rescue demonstration - Paris BRI-PP - June 2018]]
[[File:BRI-PP10 Domenjod 130618.jpg|thumb|BRI-PP armored truck and hostage rescue team during a demonstration - June 2018]]
* All BRI units - including Paris BRI-PP : Judiciary police work with an emphasis on [[in flagrante delicto|flagrante delicto cases]]. All BRIs can set up special response teams in case  of a terrorist attack.
* Paris BRI (BRI-PP) when activated as BRI-BAC ({{langx|fr|brigade anticommando}}): crisis response in hostage and terrorism cases. When activated, "brigade anticommando", becomes one of three French national response teams, together with the Police nationale's [[RAID (French police unit)|RAID]], and the Gendarmerie nationale's [[GIGN]]

==Organization ==
[[Image:FRMinistèredel'IntérieurBRI1.jpg|thumb|right|Logo of the BRI of Bayonne]]
[[File:Positionnement des unités d'intervention.svg|thumb|BRI-BAC, [[GIGN]] and [[RAID (French police unit)|RAID]] (2019).]]
The BRIs are regular law enforcement units of the French [[National Police (France)|National Police]], which has jurisdiction over the whole French territory. The only exceptions are the [[Paris Police Prefecture|Paris]] and [[Bouches-du-Rhône Police Prefecture|Bouches-du-Rhône]] [[Prefecture of Police|Prefectures of Police]], which, because they are major cities and - in the case of Paris - the nation's capital, have autonomous police authority governing bodies directly subordinated to the French Minister of the Interior.

Unlike [[RAID (French Police unit)|RAID]] which is a special response team directly subordinated to the Director general of the National police, BRIs are parts of the French criminal police. Their main mission is the arrest of violent criminals. As members of the judiciary police, BRI officers normally operate in [[Undercover agent|plain clothes]] for most missions. Hoods are used to ensure anonymity during some of these missions.

Command and coordination between the Paris BRI-PP and RAID in response to acts of terror, is entrusted to a task force called [[National Police Intervention Force]], headed by the RAID commander, and which is only activated if a major crisis occurs.<ref>As mentioned above,  FIPN was formally activated during the "''Porte de Vincennes''" crisis but not during the Bataclan one. RAID participated on both actions but in a "leader" role for the first one and in a "follower" role in the second.</ref>

As of 2018 there are the Paris BRI, two national and several regional BRI units, independent from one another:
* [[Paris Police Prefecture]]
** [[Direction Régionale de Police Judiciaire de Paris]]
*** ''Brigade de recherche et d'intervention - Préfecture de police'' ('''BRI-PP''') - the Paris unit. It is the first BRI unit and as such the precursor of the other units. It becomes  ''Brigade Anticommando'' ('''BRI-BAC''') in case of a security crisis. 
* [[Central Directorate of the Judicial Police]]
** National BRIs
*** ''Brigade de recherche et d'intervention'' - ''Nationale'' ('''''BRI-NAT''''') - based in Nanterre (near Paris) in support of inquiries conducted at the national level.
*** ''Brigade de recherche et d'investigation - Financières nationales'' ('''''BRI-FN''''') - attached to the financial crime directorate of the National Police
** Interregional Directorate of the Judicial Police [[Lyon]] (''DIPJ Lyon'') - '''BRI Lyon'''
** Interregional Directorate of the Judicial Police [[Marseille]] (''DIPJ Marseille'') - '''BRI Marseille'''
*** [[Nice]] Branch of the Interregional Directorate of the Judicial Police [[Marseille]] (''DIPJ Marseille – antenne PJ Nice'') - '''BRI Nice'''
*** Regional Service of the Judicial Police [[Montpellier]] (SRPJ Montpellier) - '''BRI Montpellier'''
** Interregional Directorate of the Judicial Police [[Rennes]] (''DIPJ Rennes'')
*** [[Nantes]] Branch of the Interregional Directorate of the Judicial Police [[Rennes]] (''DIPJ Rennes – antenne PJ Nantes'') - '''BRI Nantes'''
*** Regional Service of the Judicial Police [[Rouen]] (''DIPJ Rennes – SRPJ Rouen'') - '''BRI Rouen'''
** Interregional Directorate of the Judicial Police [[Lille]] (''DIPJ Lille'') - '''BRI Lille'''
** Regional Service of the Judicial Police [[Versailles, Yvelines|Versailles]] (''DRPJ Versailles'') - '''BRI Versailles'''
** Interregional Directorate of the Judicial Police [[Strasbourg]] (''DIPJ Strasbourg'') - '''BRI Strasbourg'''
** Interregional Directorate of the Judicial Police [[Bordeaux]] (''DIPJ Bordeaux'') - '''BRI Bordeaux''' (with a branch team in Bayonne)
*** Regional Service of the Judicial Police [[Toulouse]] (''DIPJ Bordeaux – SRPJ Toulouse'') - '''BRI Toulouse'''
** Regional Service of the Judicial Police [[Ajaccio]] (''DRPJ Ajaccio'') - '''BRI Ajaccio''' (with a branch team in Bastia)
** Interregional Directorate of the Judicial Police [[Orléans]] (''DIPJ Orléans'') - '''BRI Orléans'''

==BRI-PP commanders==
[[File:BRI-PP1 Domenjod 130618.jpg|thumb|Paris BRI-PP logo on an armored truck]]
* François Le Mouël  (1964 - 1971) [''Section de recherche et d'intervention'' until 1967, then BRI.]
* Jean Sautereau (1971-1974)
* Marcel Leclerc (1974-1978)
* Robert Broussard (1978-1982)
* René-Georges Querry (1982-1983)
* Claude Cancès (1983-1987)
* Pierre Cavin (1987-1989)
* Jean-Marc Bloch (1989-1996)
* Yves Jobic (1996-2001)
* Jean-Jacques Herlem (2001-2003)
* Christian Flaesch (2003-2004)
* Pascal Carreau (2004-2008)
* Michel Faury (2008-2013)
* Christophe Molmy (2013-2021)
* Simon Riondet (Current)

== In popular culture ==
*The 1979 film ''[[The Police War]]'' depicts the rivalry between the Territorial Brigade and the Anti-Gang Brigade.
*The Paris BRI-PP is featured in the 2004 film ''[[36 Quai des Orfèvres (film)|36 Quai des Orfèvres]]'' and in the famous TV series [[Spiral (TV series)|Spiral (''Engrenages'')]].
* The 2020 Netflix production [[Rogue City]] aka Bronx

== See also ==
* [[List of police tactical units]]
* [[Brigade de répression du banditisme]]
* [[Unité de coordination de la lutte anti-terroriste]]
* [[Service de Protection des Hautes Personnalités]]

==References==
===Footnotes===
{{reflist}}

===Bibliography===
* {{Cite book | language=fr | title=BRI : La brigade anti-gang du 36 Quai des Orfèvres| last=Philippe Poulet and Jean-François Guiot| year=2006|publisher=Mission Spéciale Productions|isbn=291635705X}}
* {{Cite book | language=fr | title=BRI Histoire d'une unité d'élite| last=Danielle Thiéry and Michel Faury| year=2011|publisher=Duvernet, Paris |isbn=978-2847243482}}
* {{Cite book | language=fr | title=Mémoires du commissaire Broussard (Commissary Broussard remembers)| last=Robert Broussard| year=2012|publisher=Nouveau Monde Editions, Paris |isbn=978-2-84736-669-3}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Brigade de Recherche et d'Intervention}}
* [http://www.prefecturedepolice.interieur.gouv.fr/layout/set/print/Nous-connaitre/Services-et-missions/Missions-de-police/La-direction-regionale-de-la-police-judiciaire/La-brigade-de-recherche-et-d-intervention La brigade de recherche et d'intervention BRI presentation on the Paris Préfecture de Police site]
{{Law enforcement agencies of France}}

[[Category:National Police (France)]]
[[Category:Non-military counterterrorist organizations]]
[[Category:Police tactical units]]
[[Category:1964 establishments in France]]