Federal Police Special Units
Encyclopedia
The Directorate of Special Units (DSU) is the Belgian Federal Police's
Counter-Terrorism
unit. The DSU is deployed in cases of terrorism
, kidnapping
s, hostage taking and other forms of serious crime. In major terrorist operations outside the country, the DSU would be replaced by the Belgian Army Special Forces Group. The Federal Police's website says the DSU has a total of 430 personnel.
As the unit's commander, Eric Liévin, said, "a criminal dealing with the DSU, has a better chance of surviving than another; they try to use a minimal level of violence/force, and yet try to attain a maximum level of efficiency."http://www.specialoperations.com/Foreign/Belgium/SIE/.
The DSU consists of an intervention unit, observation unit and a technical unit all stationed in the Police caserne in Etterbeek
, also the home of the Police Cavalry units and part of the general reserve. The unit believed to employ about 50 officers, all of which have a background as a sharpshooter. Overall control of the DSU lies with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but depending on circumstances the unit can be deployed under operational control of the Ministry of Justice. Prior to 1994 the unit was commanded by the Ministry of Defense.
Weapons in use include, among others:
Two more specialised units also exist, one team has six trained police dog
s for detecting the presence of explosive materials or ammunition, the other one is the Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team, which was created in 1978 after the Los Alfaques Disaster
.
Four decentralized DSU teams exist in Antwerp, Ghent
, Charleroi
and Liege; the so-called POSA (Protection, Observation, Support, Apprehension) units.
and was called Diane
, and the DSU is still commonly referred as groep Diane. In 1974 the name was changed from Diane to SIE (also outside of Belgium) or ESI . In 2001, the DSU was created.
Federal Police (Belgium)
The Federal Police carry out specialized police and investigation missions that cover more than one region in Belgium. The federal police have approximately 12,500 personnel that provide support units for the local police and the federal police itself....
Counter-Terrorism
Counter-terrorism
Counter-terrorism is the practices, tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, militaries, police departments and corporations adopt to prevent or in response to terrorist threats and/or acts, both real and imputed.The tactic of terrorism is available to insurgents and governments...
unit. The DSU is deployed in cases of terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
, kidnapping
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
s, hostage taking and other forms of serious crime. In major terrorist operations outside the country, the DSU would be replaced by the Belgian Army Special Forces Group. The Federal Police's website says the DSU has a total of 430 personnel.
As the unit's commander, Eric Liévin, said, "a criminal dealing with the DSU, has a better chance of surviving than another; they try to use a minimal level of violence/force, and yet try to attain a maximum level of efficiency."http://www.specialoperations.com/Foreign/Belgium/SIE/.
The DSU consists of an intervention unit, observation unit and a technical unit all stationed in the Police caserne in Etterbeek
Etterbeek
Etterbeek is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. It neighbours the municipalities of the City of Brussels, Ixelles, Auderghem, Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, Woluwe-Saint-Lambert and Schaerbeek....
, also the home of the Police Cavalry units and part of the general reserve. The unit believed to employ about 50 officers, all of which have a background as a sharpshooter. Overall control of the DSU lies with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but depending on circumstances the unit can be deployed under operational control of the Ministry of Justice. Prior to 1994 the unit was commanded by the Ministry of Defense.
Weapons in use include, among others:
- Glock 17 9mm pistols
- Heckler & Koch MP5Heckler & Koch MP5The Heckler & Koch MP5 is a 9mm submachine gun of German design, developed in the 1960s by a team of engineers from the German small arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch GmbH of Oberndorf am Neckar....
9mm submachineguns - FN P90FN P90The FN P90 is a selective fire personal defense weapon designed and manufactured by FN Herstal in Belgium. The P90's name is taken from 1990, the year it was introduced...
5.7mm submachineguns - Remington 870Remington 870The Remington Model 870 is a U.S.-made pump-action shotgun manufactured by Remington Arms Company, Inc. It is widely used by the public for sport shooting, hunting, and self-defense. It is also commonly used by law enforcement and military organizations worldwide.-Development:The Remington 870 was...
12 gauge shotguns - Accuracy International Arctic WarfareAccuracy International Arctic WarfareThe Accuracy International Arctic Warfare rifle is a family of bolt-action sniper rifles designed and manufactured by the British company Accuracy International...
- SakoSAKOSAKO, Limited is a Finnish firearm manufacturer located in Riihimäki....
TRG-21 7.62mm sniper rifles - Heckler & Koch HK69 40mm grenade launcher
- FN 303FN 303The FN 303 is a semi-automatic non-lethal riot gun designed and manufactured by Fabrique Nationale de Herstal. The FN 303's projectiles have been specifically designed to break up on impact, reducing risks of penetrating injuries...
less lethal launcher.
Two more specialised units also exist, one team has six trained police dog
Police dog
A police dog, often referred to as a "K-9 dog" in some areas , is a dog that is trained specifically to assist police and other law-enforcement personnel in their work...
s for detecting the presence of explosive materials or ammunition, the other one is the Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team, which was created in 1978 after the Los Alfaques Disaster
Los Alfaques Disaster
The Los Alfaques Disaster was a road accident and tanker explosion which occurred on 11 July 1978 in Alcanar, near Tarragona, in Spain. A tanker truck loaded with 23 tons of highly flammable liquified propylene experienced a fire and subsequent BLEVE while on the N-340 highway directly in front of...
.
Four decentralized DSU teams exist in Antwerp, Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
, Charleroi
Charleroi
Charleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. , the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as...
and Liege; the so-called POSA (Protection, Observation, Support, Apprehension) units.
History
The original DSU was created in the aftermath of the Munich massacreMunich massacre
The Munich massacre is an informal name for events that occurred during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Bavaria in southern West Germany, when members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage and eventually killed by the Palestinian group Black September. Members of Black September...
and was called Diane
Group Diane
Group Diane was a former special forces unit of the Belgian Gendarmerie , later known as SIE/ESI. SIE/ESI was later renamed to DSU and is now known as CGSU...
, and the DSU is still commonly referred as groep Diane. In 1974 the name was changed from Diane to SIE (also outside of Belgium) or ESI . In 2001, the DSU was created.