at the heart of BRI recruitment, an elite unit

At 210 meters high, the operation begins in the heart of Paris, at the top of the Montparnasse tower. Hooded men, dressed in black, rappel down the wall. They must reach a floor about twenty meters below. This is an exercise of the BRI (research and intervention brigade), in the process of selecting its new members. The 15 candidates, all from the police, must that day apprehend the void.

A prestigious team

For a week, the exercises multiply day and night. The instructors evaluate each gesture. Only the best will join the prestigious brigade. “The BRI is two professions, different and complementary, a profession in the fight against organized crime (…) and the better known profession of ‘black’ intervention, specialized: hostage-taking, madmen, mass killings “, says Simon Riondet, head of the BRI. Investigation and intelligence are at the heart of the brigade’s missions.