{{Infobox law enforcement unit , unit_name = Search, Assistance, Intervention, Deterrence , native_name = {{native name, fr, Recherche, Assistance, Intervention, Dissuasion , native_namea = , native_namer = , image = Logo Recherche, Assistance, Intervention, Dissuasion (RAID).svg , image_size = , alt = , caption = Logo of RAID , dates = 1985 – present , country = {{flag, France , agency = National Police , type =

Police tactical unit A police tactical unit (PTU) is a specialized police unit trained and equipped to handle situations that are beyond the capabilities of ordinary law enforcement units because of the level of violence (or risk of violence) involved. The tasks of a ...

, role =

Law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of the government or other social institutions who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by investigating, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms gove ...

Counter-terrorism Counterterrorism (alternatively spelled: counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, relates to the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, businesses, and intelligence agencies use to co ...

Hostage rescue
Close protection , ops_juris = , command_structure = , headquarters_label = , headquarters = Bièvres, Essonne , coordinates = , motto = "''Servir sans faillir''{{-" , motto_translated = "To serve without failing" , common_name = , abbreviation = RAID , sworn_type_label = Operators , sworn = Approx. 450 , unsworn_type_label = , unsworn = , subunit_type_label = , subunits = , station_type_label = , stations = , current_commander = Guillaume Cardy{{cite web , https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000048530745 , notable_commanders = {{Plainlist * Ange Mancini * Jean-Michel Fauvergue {{Endplainlist , programs = , significant_operations = {{Plainlist *

Neuilly-sur-Seine Neuilly-sur-Seine (; 'Neuilly-on-Seine'), also known simply as Neuilly, is an urban Communes of France, commune in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department just west of Paris in France. Immediately adjacent to the city, north of the ...

hostage crisis * Anti- Action Directe arrests * Anti- GIA operations * 2005 Paris Riots * 2012 Midi-Pyrénées shootings * 2015 Charlie Hebdo shooting * Hypercacher kosher supermarket siege * November 2015 Paris attacks * Nahel Merzouk protests {{Endplainlist , anniversaries = , awards = , vehicles = , boats = , aircraft = , animals = , website = {{lang, fr, Recherche, Assistance, Intervention, Dissuasion ("Search, Assistance, Intervention, Deterrence"), commonly abbreviated RAID ({{IPAc-en, r, eɪ, d; French: {{IPA, fr, ʁɛd, , RAID_1.ogg, pronunciation), is an elite tactical unit of the French National Police. Founded in 1985, it is headquartered in Bièvres, Essonne, approximately 20 kilometres (12 miles) southwest of Paris. RAID is the National Police counterpart of the National Gendarmerie's GIGN. Both units share responsibility for the French territory.Each of the two French national police forces, the National Police and the National Gendarmerie has primary responsibility for a part of the territory: large cities and urban areas for the National Police, smaller cities and rural areas for the National Gendarmerie. Since 2009, RAID and the Paris Search and Intervention Brigade (BRI), a separate National Police unit reporting directly into the Paris Police Prefecture ({{langx, fr, Préfecture de police de Paris),The Paris Préfecture de Police (commonly abbreviated PP) is an organization tailor-made to handle the specific requirements of Paris (a large city and the country's capital). It reports directly to the

Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the ...

and controls several non-police departments such as the Paris Fire brigade. have formed a task force called National Police Intervention Force ({{langx, fr, Force d'intervention de la Police nationale) or FIPN. When activated, the task force is headed by the RAID commander. Thirteen regional units of the National Police, previously known as National Police Intervention Groups (GIPNs), have been created or permanently integrated into RAID and re-designated as "RAID branches" ({{langx, fr, antennes RAID) between 2015 and 2019.{{Cite web , title=Arrêté du 16 avril 2018 portant diverses dispositions relatives au recrutement, à la formation, aux missions et à l'organisation des services composant la force d'intervention de la police nationale en outre-mer - Légifrance , url=https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/id/JORFTEXT000036819061 , access-date=2024-04-22 , website=www.legifrance.gouv.fr

Missions

Among the main missions of RAID are: * Counter-terrorism in coordination with UCLAT, the co-ordination unit for the fight against terrorism ({{langx, fr, Unité de coordination de la lutte anti-terroriste). * Hostage recovery situations * Close protection of VIPs * Protection of some of the French embassies in war-torn countries (a mission shared with the Gendarmerie's GIGN) * Site protection during special events * Resolution of prison riots * Assistance to other police departments fighting against organized crime * Surveillance and arrest of high-profile criminals * Arrest of dangerous deranged persons * Training and assistance to foreign police forces * Assessment of new equipment and techniques. RAID reports to the director general of the National Police (DGPN), himself a direct report of the minister of the interior. RAID2_Domenjod_120618.jpg, Firing back at the ambushers. RAID3 Domenjod_120618.jpg, Extracting the VIP from his vehicle. RAID4 Domenjod_120618.jpg, Escorting the VIP away to another vehicle.

History

Before the creation of RAID, the National Police did not have a national unit comparable to the Gendarmerie's GIGN and relied instead on regional units: BRI in Paris and the GIPNs in the provinces. Minister of the Interior Pierre Joxe was the key decision maker who authorized the creation of the unit.{{cite book , first=Robert , last=Broussard , date=2012 , title=Mémoires du commissaire Broussard , language=fr , location=Paris , publisher=Nouveau monde éditions , pages=763–766 , isbn=978-2847366693 See also: {{cite book , last=Courtois , first=Jean-Louis , date=1999 , title=Le RAID: L'unité d'élite de la Police Française , language=fr , location=Paris , publisher=Pygmalion , pages=21–27 , isbn=978-2-85704-576-2Later, as defence minister, he was instrumental in creating the French Special operations command ({{langx, fr, Commandement des opérations spéciales or COS) after the

Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

. RAID was founded by then- commissaires Robert Broussard and Ange Mancini in 1985. Broussard, one of the best known Police commissaires at the time, was one of the advisers who pushed the project. Mancini was chosen to be the unit's first commander. RAID's first mission - a hostage situation in a Nantes tribunal, took place soon afterwards in December 1985.{{cite book , last=Tanguy , first=Jean-Marc , date=2015 , title=Le RAID - Trente Ans d'Intervention , trans-title=RAID - 30 years of intervention , language=fr , location=Paris , publisher=Editions Pierre de Taillac , isbn=978-2-36445-064-6 In 1987 RAID arrested the leaders of the terrorist group Action Directe in their Vitry-aux-Loges hideout. In May 1993, RAID solved a delicate hostage situation when a man named Erick Schmitt, calling himself "HB" (for "Human Bomb", in English), and carrying large quantities of explosives, took 21 hostages in a

nursery school. The hostage taker was finally shot and the children were recovered safely, together with their teacher and a nurse. In 1996, in

Roubaix Roubaix ( , ; ; ; ) is a city in northern France, located in the Lille metropolitan area on the Belgian border. It is a historically mono-industrial Communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, depar ...

, the unit neutralized the Gang de Roubaix, a 14-member terrorist group tied to the Armed Islamic Group of Algeria (GIA), suspected of several bank robberies, murders, and a failed attack against the

Group of Seven The Group of Seven (G7) is an Intergovernmentalism, intergovernmental political and economic forum consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States; additionally, the European Union (EU) is a "non- ...

(G7) meeting in

Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...

. The assault was very violent and resulted in the death of four terrorists. Two RAID operatives were also injured, one by a grenade blast, the other hit by a bullet in a lung. Christophe Caze, the head of the group, escaped the burning building, but was killed at a Belgian checkpoint during a gunfight with Customs agents. Several days later, thanks to an electronic device found on Caze's body, Fateh Kamel, head of a terrorist cell in Montreal, was arrested in

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

and tried in France. RAID operators saw action during the 2005 and 2006 riots in France, as well as in a hostage situation in

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

, where an armed man was shot dead by RAID operators after coming under attack. On 21 and 22 March 2012, RAID was tasked to arrest Mohammed Merah, the main suspect for shooting sprees in Toulouse and Montauban. RAID surrounded the flat where Merah was entrenched. After 30 hours of siege, RAID stormed the flat to apprehend Merah who fought back. After a four-minute shoot out, Merah was shot by a RAID sniper while exiting the building. On 9 January 2015 RAID, together with BRI, a unit of the Paris Metropolitan Police, ended the hostage situation at the kosher supermarket ''Hypercacher'' on the third day of the January 2015 Paris terrorist attacks. On 14 November 2015 RAID, again with the Paris BRI, took part in operations at the Bataclan theatre, where 90 people were killed during a series of bombings, shootings and hostage taking in Paris on 13 – 14 November. On 18 November RAID undertook a follow-up operation in Saint-Denis seeking Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the 'mastermind' of the attacks, who was killed.{{cite news , url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/19/world/europe/paris-attacks.html , title=Chief Suspect in Paris Attacks Died in Raid, France Says , first1=Aurelien , last1=Breeden , first2=Kimiko , last2=de Freytas-Tamura , name-list-style=amp , newspaper=The New York Times , date=19 November 2015 , access-date=19 November 2015 RAID also provides close protection for foreign dignitaries traveling in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. During special events, RAID is also in charge of protecting French individuals abroad (For example, the French Delegation during the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...

is under RAID protection during the whole event). Three RAID officers have been killed in action: two in Ris-Orangis (near Paris) in 1989 and one in Corsica in 1996.

Organisation

{{more references needed section, date=February 2025 RAID has a total strength of around 450 men and women, approx. 180 of which are in Bièvres, the rest in the regional branches located in

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

Guadeloupe Guadeloupe is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre Island, Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galant ...

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

Montpellier Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...

, Nancy,

New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million Rennes Rennes (; ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in Northwestern France at the confluence of the rivers Ille and Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the Brittany (administrative region), Brittany Regions of F ...

Réunion Réunion (; ; ; known as before 1848) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France. Part of the Mascarene Islands, it is located approximately east of the isl ...

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

and

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

.{{cn, date=February 2025 The Bièvres (Paris) unit is divided into three main sections with about 60 members each:{{cn, date=February 2025 * First Section: The first section deals with the usual tasks of

special forces Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

: intervention, monitoring, protection.{{cn, date=February 2025 * Second Section: The second section is the Research and Development unit of the RAID. It studies techniques and collects information. This section is divided into three groups:{{cn, date=February 2025 :*Intelligence Group{{cn, date=February 2025 :*Technical Group{{cn, date=February 2025 :*Weaponry Group{{cn, date=February 2025 * 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 French Police. It is composed of forensic experts, a psychologist and physicians.{{cn, date=February 2025 The Negotiation group is on permanent alert.{{cn, date=February 2025 It deals with suicides, violent crises, mental disorders, hostage crises and other major troubles, independently from the rest of the RAID.{{cn, date=February 2025 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.{{cn, date=February 2025 To join the unit, an officer needs five years duty within the Police Nationale and after passing a thorough test he will serve in the RAID for five years{{cn, date=February 2025. With a commendation he can expand it further five years.{{cn, date=February 2025 All members must leave the tactical unit after ten years.{{cn, date=February 2025 Candidates must be under forty to apply.{{cn, date=February 2025 Female officers are admitted in almost all positions.{{cn, date=February 2025 Helicopter support is provided by Sécurité Civile and the National Gendarmerie.{{cn, date=February 2025 Tactical deployment of large groups is handled by GIH ({{langx, fr, Groupe interarmées d'hélicoptères) a joint army/air force

special operations Special operations or special ops are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment." Special operations ma ...

flight equipped with SA330 PUMA helicopters based in nearby Villacoublay air base.{{cn, date=February 2025 GIH was established in 2006, initially to support GIGN.{{cn, date=February 2025 Its role has been expanded to also support RAID in 2008.{{cn, date=February 2025 Coordination between GIGN and

RAID RAID (; redundant array of inexpensive disks or redundant array of independent disks) is a data storage virtualization technology that combines multiple physical Computer data storage, data storage components into one or more logical units for th ...

is handled by a joint organization called Ucofi ({{langx, fr, Unité de coordination des forces d’intervention). A "leader/follower" protocol has been established for use when both units need to be engaged jointly,As was the case following the January 2015 "Charlie Hebdo" assassinations. In fact both units were engaged separately but good coordination was necessary since both actions were almost simultaneaous leadership belonging to the unit operating in its primary area of responsibility.{{cite journal , title=Colonel Bonneau interview , date=February 2015 , journal=L'Essor de la Gendarmerie Nationale , language=fr , number=478 RAID is also a member of the European ATLAS Network, an informal association consisting of the special police units of the 28 states of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

.{{cn, date=February 2025

RAID Commanders

* Ange Mancini: 1985-1990 * Louis Bayon: 1990-1996 * Gérard Zerbi: 1996-1999 * Jean-Gustave Paulmier: 1999-2002 * Christian Lambert: 2002-2004 * Jean-Louis Fiamenghi: 2004-2007 * Amaury de Hauteclocque: 2007-2013 * Jean-Michel Fauvergue: 2013-2017 * Jean-Baptiste Dulion: 2017-2023{{cite web , url=http://www.europe1.fr/societe/le-nouveau-patron-du-raid-prend-ses-fonctions-3007907 , title=Le nouveau patron du Raid, Jean-Baptiste Dulion, prend ses fonctions , trans-title=The new boss of the Raid, Jean-Baptiste Dulion, takes office , date=20 March 2017 , website= Europe 1 , language=fr * Guillaume Cardy : since 2023

Notes

{{reflist, group=note

References

{{reflist

Bibliography

The following books and articles are in French.

Books

*{{cite book , title=Le RAID - 30 ans d'intervention , trans-title=RAID - 30 years of intervention , first=Jean-Marc , last=Tanguy , publisher=Editions Pierre de Taillac , location=Paris , date=2015 *{{cite book , title=Mémoires du commissaire Broussard , trans-title=Commissaire Broussard remembers , first=Robert , last=Broussard , publisher=Nouveau Monde Editions , location=Paris , date=2012 *{{cite book , title=Histoire(s) du Raid , trans-title=RAID stories , first=Amaury , last=de Hauteclocque , publisher=Jacob Duvernet Editions , date=2009 *{{cite book , title=Le RAID, l'ultime recours , trans-title=RAID, the last resort , first=Jean-Louis , last=Courtois , publisher=Crépin-Leblond , date=2000 *{{cite book , title=Le RAID, Unité d'élite de la Police Nationale , trans-title=The RAID, an elite unit of the National Police , publisher=Crépin-Leblond , date=2005 (DVD included) *{{cite book , title=Le RAID, l'unité d'élite de la Police Française , trans-title=RAID, an elite unit of the French police , first=Jean-Louis , last=Courtois , publisher=Pygmalion-Gérard Watelet , date=1999 *{{cite book , title=HB, 46 heures qui ont bouleversé la France , trans-title=HB, 46 hours that shook France , first=Jean-Pierre , last=About , publisher=Editions Tarcher , date=2005 *{{cite book , title=Le jour où j'ai tué HB , trans-title=The day I killed HB , first=Daniel , last=Boulanger , publisher=Hachette , date=2007

Magazines

*{{cite magazine , title=Le RAID en action , trans-title=The RAID in action , magazine=Special Edition RAIDS , number=19 , date=2005 *{{cite magazine , title=RAID, 20 ans d'action , trans-title=RAID, 20 years of action , magazine=Commando , number=20 , date=January–December 2005 *{{cite magazine , title=La sélection du RAID , trans-title=The selection process for RAID , magazine=Police Pro , number=8 , date=March–April 2008 *{{cite magazine , title=Le RAID, 20 ans d'opérations , trans-title=RAID, 20 years of operations , magazine=RAIDS , number=233 , date=October 2005 *{{cite magazine , title=RAID: refuser la fatalité , trans-title=RAID: reject the inevitability , magazine=Police Frequency , number=2 , date=October 1987 *{{cite magazine , title=La police face à l'exception: flics de choc , trans-title=The police deal with the exception of shock cops , magazine=Civic , number=53 , date=August–September 1995

External links

{{commons category, Recherche Assistance Intervention Dissuasion * {{cite web , url=http://www.police-nationale.interieur.gouv.fr/Organisation/Entites-rattachees-directement-au-DGPN/RAID , title=RAID , website=Ministry of the Interior , language=fr * {{cite web , url=http://le.raid.free.fr/accueil.htm , title=RAID (Unofficial Site) , language=fr , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160109212907/http://le.raid.free.fr/accueil.htm , archive-date=2016-01-09 * {{cite web , url=http://www.specwarnet.net/europe/raid.htm , title=French Police Nationale RAID , website=Specwarnet {{Law enforcement agencies of France {{Authority control ATLAS Network National Police (France) Police tactical units 1985 establishments in France