What are the missions of the anti-crime brigade?
In Toulouse, for the right bank, we have five main ones. Flagrante delicto, maintenance of order, intelligence in the field, assistance to other services to challenge or deal with obscure groups and intervention in the event of a terrorist attack. Every month, we apprehend between 100 and 140 people.

Why do the police choose to join the ranks of the Bac?
The most attractive thing is the multitude of missions available to us. Between arrests in flagrante delicto, relations with our sources in the field, anti-terrorism, etc. all police officers can find their way there. It’s a high demand squad.

And to integrate it, how does it go?
You have to pass tests, prove your motivation, be physically fit. We need complete and emotionally stable police officers to accomplish our missions. Accreditation is reassessed every three years.

Do you think your brigade has a good reputation with the general public?
On the ground, we do not feel hostility from the population. Since we don’t wear police uniforms, people don’t even notice us. And when they realize that we are civil servants, they come to us to talk. It is important for us to maintain the link with the inhabitants. This allows us to collect valuable information, to be able to act safely.

Is this also the case in working-class neighborhoods?
Honestly, yes. In the field, we know everyone. It will make our work easier. For example, when we intervene for an arrest, the suspect knows that running is useless. We know him, so we will find him easily. The time of the riots in these sensitive neighborhoods no longer seems relevant. But what I say only concerns the sectors located on the right bank of the Garonne