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G.I.G.N
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The National Gendarmerie Intervention Group has been created in 1974 to give the gendarmerie ways to overcome crisis situations..
In November the 3rd of 1973, the
national gendarmerie head departement creates an intervention
group under the initials ECRI (Regional Intervention Commando
Team).
The GIGN was born, with a number of 15 policemen.
Year 1974, baptism of fire, is full of interventions. It is the
time of prison riots. Loos-les-lille,Eysses,Caen,Mulhouse,Colmar,Dijon
are flaring up.
On Febreary the 3
of 1976, during the Djibouti affair, the world has its eyes on
the GIGN. A school bus is being stormed by FLCS (Somaland coasts
liberation front) armed commando.
The GIGN men attack at 15:47H, under an overwhelming heat. After
a very hard confrontation, 9 gendarmes from the GIGN can pride
themselves on rescueing the kids. All but one, the little Nadine.
From experimental, the group has
become a seal institution.
THE EVOLUTION OF THE GROUP. Its numbers have been boosted from 30
to 80, and the GIGN now stands with the EPIGN
(National gendarmerie paratroop squadron) and the GSPR
(security group of the republic presidency) in a structure called
GISGN.
Leaders have
succeded one another at the head of GIGN.
After Christian Prouteau's creative and versatile intelligence,
Paul Barril's imagination and efficiency, and Philippe Legorjus'
technical nuture's turn to stand out in Ouvea, in the Victor
operation.
The GIGN does everything possible
to stand in the forefront of progress and technique. One of the
great principles is the regularity of training.
The seal efficiency of a gendarme is, above all things, the
perfect control of himself and his weapon.
There is no miracle recipe to get this absolute instinct.
The more one practises, fixes, the more one controls himself.
Training: Daily 10 km
cross, Krav-Maga and muscle development. All the groups men
undergo improvement training periods: Altitude, very fast cars
driving, Krav-Maga. It is violent but efficient. Their sureness
of touch combined with a uncommon calm, give the goup's men the
ability to overcome an operation in the most unusual conditions.
They can surprise their enemies in the most impreguable retreats.
The GIGN missions serain, above all interventions in penitentiary
environment, during hostage taking, hijacking, and in any other
means of transport.