The Brigade Anti-Criminalité, more commonly known as the BAC, is a special unit of the French police tasked with actively fighting crime in urban areas. Created in 1994, the BAC plays a crucial role in riot control and public safety in France. In this article, we take a detailed look at the role and missions of this specialized brigade.
The BAC: Guardian of Urban Security
The BAC's main mission is to ensure security in urban areas by preventing and combating street crime. Unlike other police units, the BAC operates mainly in plain clothes in order to carry out discreet surveillance and intervention operations. This approach allows its officers to infiltrate criminal circles more effectively and to prevent a wide variety of offenses, notably thefts, assaults, drug trafficking and urban violence.
The BAC's Key Missions
The BAC carries out a variety of missions to achieve its urban security objectives. Here are some of its key missions:
- Rapid interventions: The BAC is often called upon to intervene quickly during serious incidents, such as fights, armed robberies or acts of vandalism. Their deterrent presence and their responsiveness are essential to keeping the peace in urban areas.
- Fighting Drug Trafficking: The BAC is heavily involved in the fight against drug trafficking, conducting infiltration and surveillance operations and seizing illicit substances. These actions help reduce the presence of drugs in urban neighborhoods.
- Identity Checks: The BAC frequently carries out identity checks to verify the legal status of suspicious or wanted individuals. This helps identify and apprehend criminals on the run.
- Riot Control: In the event of urban unrest or demonstrations, the BAC may be deployed to maintain public order, disperse rioters and prevent violent excesses.
- Intelligence Work: The BAC gathers crucial information on ongoing criminal activity and passes this data on to other police services for more in-depth investigations.
- Assistance to Victims: Beyond its law enforcement mission, the BAC can also provide immediate assistance to crime victims by administering first aid and helping them initiate legal proceedings.
Testimonial from Thomas, a BAC officer in Paris
How did you end up in the BAC?
I joined the BAC after passing the selection tests last year: a shooting test with the Sig Sauer, then a physical test consisting of a timed motor-skills obstacle course, followed by a Luc Léger test, a written exam, psychometric tests and finally an oral interview before a panel. I passed these tests last year and joined a Paris BAC unit in February 2023.
What does a typical day look like?
A day at the BAC begins with a computerized roll call showing who is present and who is absent. Then each officer reviews the incidents that occurred over the previous days that might be of interest to us. After that we kit out our unmarked vehicle before heading out on patrol to catch offenders in the act.
During the day, if we don't come across any offenses, we allow ourselves 30 minutes to eat in the evening at the station, then we head back out on patrol until 10:30 p.m., the end of our shift. Afterwards we unload the unmarked vehicle and log the day's activity on the computer before going home.
What do you like best about your job?
What I like best about my job is tailing individuals for hours on end and ultimately making arrests. When we catch them in the act, that's the ultimate! What I also love is the teamwork, which I appreciate enormously; it gives us an approach to crime that is different from the one taken by our uniformed colleagues — it's the element of surprise that I really enjoy!
What is your everyday equipment?
Day to day, we work in plain clothes. We wear whatever we want: jeans, a fairly loose t-shirt, a cap, a beanie, a bucket hat, sneakers, joggers. Even denim shorts sometimes! Every officer does as they see fit. We wear a belt that can carry our handcuffs, our weapon and a radio concealed under our clothing. We each wear a GPB (ballistic vest), and we keep our heavy equipment in the trunk of our vehicle, namely the heavy vest, the heavy helmet with riot control visor and heavy visor. We also take our shoulder pads shaped for the G36 assault rifle, which we are certified to use, in case we have to face crisis situations such as a mass shooting, for example.
The Brigade Anti-Criminalité plays a vital role in the fight against crime in urban areas in France. Its varied missions, its responsiveness and its expertise make it an essential force for maintaining public safety and preventing offenses in urban zones. Through their commitment and dedication, BAC officers contribute significantly to making our cities safer for everyone.
In short, the BAC is a key riot control unit in France, whose day-to-day work is essential to guaranteeing the peace and safety of citizens in the country's urban areas.