ATLAS Network

ATLAS
Formation	2001
Legal status	International Organization
Purpose	Police tactical unit co-operation
Headquarters	Brussels, Belgium
Region served	Europe
Main organ	Various Committees
Parent organization	European Union

Last updated February 26, 2024

The ATLAS network is an association of the police tactical units of the 27 Member States of the European Union established following the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 upon the initiative of the Police Chiefs Task Force.^[1]^[2]

History

ATLAS was initially informally established for information exchange and training activities co-operation between units and was later formalised by a Council decision in 2008 that also expanded ATLAS functions to include provision of assistance upon request to another Member State.^[1]^[2]^[3]

In 2018, an ATLAS Support Office was established in EUROPOL's European Counter Terrorism Centre (ECTC), therefore strengthening the role of the ATLAS Network within the European police organisations.^[4]

Terms

ATLAS uses the terms special intervention unit and crisis situation defined as:-

'Special intervention unit' is any law enforcement unit of a Member State which is specialised in the control of a crisis situation;^[1]
'Crisis situation' is any situation in which the competent authorities of a Member State have reasonable grounds to believe that there is a criminal offence presenting a serious direct physical threat to persons, property, infrastructure or institutions in that Member State in particular situations combating terrorism.^[1]

Organization

ATLAS recognises that a Member State may not have the means, resources or expertise to deal effectively with all crisis situations, in particular large crisis situations, and provides a framework for a Member State to request assistance from another member State.^[1]

Members

ATLAS consists of 38 special intervention units including units from non-EU Member States Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and the United Kingdom.^[5]^[6] The non-EU Member States can participate, including the use of all facilities, but have no voting rights.^[7]

Country	Unit	Part of	Notes
Austria	EKO Cobra ^[5]^[6] Einsatzkommando Cobra Task Force Cobra	Federal Ministry of the Interior
Belgium	DSU ^[5]^[6] Direction des unités spéciales Directorate of Special Units	Federal Police
Bulgaria	SOBT ^[5]^[6] Специализиран отряд за борба с тероризма Special Counter Terrorism Unit	Ministry of Interior
Croatia	ATJ Lučko ^[5]^[6] Antiteroristička jedinica Lučko Lučko Anti-Terrorist Unit	Croatian Police
Cyprus	EAO ^[5]^[6] Mechanokiniti Monada Amesis Drasis Emergency Response Unit	Cyprus Police
Czech Republic	URNA ^[5]^[6] Útvar rychlého nasazení Rapid Response Unit	Police of the Czech Republic
Denmark	AKS ^[5]^[6] Politiets Aktionsstyrke Special Intervention Unit	Danish National Police
Estonia	K-Komando ^[5]^[6] Counter Terrorism Unit	Police and Border Guard Board
Finland	Karhu ^[5]^[6] Helsingin poliisilaitos Valmiusyksikkö Police Special Intervention Unit	Helsinki Police Department
France	GIGN ^[5]^[6] Groupe d'intervention de la Gendarmerie nationale National Gendarmerie Intervention Group	National Gendarmerie
France	RAID ^[5]^[6] Recherche, Assistance, Intervention, Dissuasion Research, Assistance, Intervention, Deterrence	National Police
Germany	GSG 9 ^[5]^[6] Grenzschutzgruppe 9 der Bundespolizei Border Protection Group 9 of the Federal Police	Federal Police
Germany	SEK ^[5]^[6] Spezialeinsatzkommando Special Task Force	State Police	SEK Baden-Württemberg representing the SEKs of the various State Police forces
Greece	EKAM ^[5]^[6] Eidiki Katastaltiki Antitromokratiki Monada Special Suppressive Antiterrorist Unit	Hellenic Police
Hungary	TEK ^[5]^[6] Terrorelhárítási Központ Counter Terrorism Centre	Ministry of Interior
Iceland	Viking ^[5]^[6] Sérsveit ríkislögreglustjóra Special Unit of the National Police Commissioner	Icelandic Police	Non-EU participant
Ireland	ERU ^[5]^[6] Aonad Práinnfhreagartha Emergency Response Unit	Garda Síochána
Italy	GIS ^[5]^[6] Gruppo di Intervento Speciale Special Intervention Group	Carabinieri
Italy	NOCS ^[5]^[6] Nucleo Operativo Centrale di Sicurezza Central Security Task Group	National Police
Latvia	OMEGA ^[5]^[6] Pretterorisma vienība Omega Counterterrorism Unit OMEGA	State Police
Lithuania	ARAS ^[5]^[6] Antiteroristinių Operacijų Rinktinė ARAS Anti-terrorist Operations Unit ARAS	Lithuanian Police Force
Luxembourg	USP ^[5]^[6] Unité Spéciale de la Police Police Special Unit	Grand Ducal Police
Malta	SIU ^[5]^[6] Special Intervention Unit	Malta Police Force
Netherlands	DSI ^[6] Dienst Speciale Interventies Special Intervention Service	National Police Corps
Norway	Delta ^[5]^[6] Politiet Beredskapstroppen Emergency Unit DELTA	Norwegian Police Service	Non-EU participant
Poland	BOA ^[5]^[6] Centralny Pododdział Kontrterrorystyczny Policji Central Counter-terrorism Police Subunit	Polish Police
Portugal	GIOE ^[5]^[6] Grupo de Intervenção de Operações Especiais Special Operations Intervention Group	National Republican Guard
Portugal	GOE ^[5]^[6] Grupo de Operações Especiais Special Operations Group	Public Security Police
Romania	BSIJ ^[5]^[6] Brigada Specială de Intervenție a Jandarmeriei Gendarmerie Special Intervention Brigade	Romanian Gendarmerie
Romania	SIAS ^[5]^[6] Serviciul de Intervenții și Acțiuni Speciale Special Actions and Intervention Service	Romanian Police
Slovakia	Lynx Commando ^[5]^[6] Útvar osobitného určenia Special Operations Unit - Lynx Commando	Ministry of the Interior
Slovenia	Red Panther ^[5]^[6] Specialna Enota Policije Special Police Unit	Slovenian National Police Force
Spain	UEI ^[5]^[6] Unidad Especial de Intervención Special Intervention Unit	Civil Guard
Spain	GEO ^[5]^[6] Grupo Especial de Operaciones Special Operations Group	National Police Corps
Sweden	NI ^[5]^[6] Nationella insatsstyrkan National Task Force	Swedish Police Authority
Switzerland	SWISS SIU^[5]^[6] Swiss Special Intervention Units	Cantonal police	Non-EU participant
United Kingdom	SCO19 ^[5]^[6] Specialist Firearms Command 19	Metropolitan Police	Non-EU participant
United Kingdom	HMSU ^[5]^[6]^[8] Headquarters Mobile Support Unit	Police Service of Northern Ireland	Non-EU participant

Related Research Articles

GSG 9 der Bundespolizei, formerly Grenzschutzgruppe 9, is an elite special forces unit of the German Federal Police (Bundespolizei) to combat terrorism and violent and organized crime. In addition to its headquarters location in Sankt Augustin-Hangelar near Bonn, it has a second location in Berlin. Since 1 August 2017, it has been subordinate to the Federal Police Directorate 11. The state police (Landespolizei) maintain their own regional tactical units known as the Spezialeinsatzkommando (SEK). The GSG 9 unit is made up of approximately 400 highly trained police officers and the identities of GSG 9 members are classified. The specialised unit operates not only within Germany on a federal level, but also safeguards German interests located worldwide, such as embassy property and personnel. Alongside the KSK military special forces of the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr), the GSG 9 can also be authorized to rescue citizens abroad in hostage situations.

Europol, officially the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation, is the law enforcement agency of the European Union (EU). Established in 1998, it is based in The Hague, Netherlands, and serves as the central hub for coordinating criminal intelligence and supporting the EU's member states in their efforts to combat various forms of serious and organized crime, as well as terrorism.

The GIGN is the elite police tactical unit of the National Gendarmerie of France. Among its missions are counterterrorism, hostage rescue, surveillance of national threats, protection of government officials, critical site protection, and targeting organized crime.

The European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust) is an agency of the European Union (EU) dealing with judicial co-operation in criminal matters among agencies of the member states. It is seated in The Hague, Netherlands. Established in 2002, it was created to improve handling of serious cross-border and organised crime by stimulating investigative and prosecutorial co-ordination.

Recherche, Assistance, Intervention, Dissuasion, commonly abbreviated RAID, is an elite tactical unit of the French National Police. Founded in 1985, it is headquartered in Bièvres, Essonne, approximately 20 kilometres southwest of Paris. RAID is the National Police counterpart of the National Gendarmerie's GIGN. Both units share responsibility for the French territory.

A police tactical unit (PTU) is a specialized police unit trained and equipped to handle situations that are beyond the capabilities of ordinary law enforcement units because of the level of violence involved. A police tactical unit's tasks may include: executing dangerous search warrants and arrest warrants for dangerous persons; arresting or neutralizing dangerous or mentally ill armed persons; and intervening in high risk situations such as shootouts, standoffs, hostage-takings, and terrorist incidents.

The National Task Force, formerly known as the National Task Force of the Swedish Civilian Police, is a police tactical unit within the National Operations Department of the Swedish Police Authority.

The Special Task Force (STF) is the elite police tactical unit of the South African Police Service (SAPS). The Special Task Force handles high risk operations that fall beyond the scope of classic policing which require specialised skills.

The European Border and Coast Guard Agency, commonly known as Frontex, is an agency of the European Union headquartered in Warsaw, Poland, exercising in coordination with the border and coast guards of member states the border control of the European Schengen Area, a task within the area of freedom, security and justice domain.

CEPOL, or the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training, is an agency of the European Union dedicated to training law enforcement officials. The institution was founded in 2000 and adopted its current legal mandate on 1 July 2016. It is based in Budapest, Hungary.

The State Protection Group (SPG) is part of the Counter Terrorism & Special Tactics Command of the New South Wales Police Force and was established in 1991 to deal with extraordinary policing responses. The SPG directly supports police in high-risk incidents such as sieges with specialised tactical, negotiation, intelligence and command-support services. The unit also provides rescue and bomb disposal support, canine policing, and armoury services.

The Special Operations Group is the police tactical unit of the Public Security Police (PSP), the national police force of Portugal. GOE was created in 1982 and has around 200 operatives. Although a police unit, the GOE is employed worldwide, similar to the French GIGN or to the German GSG 9.

Grupul Special de Protecţie şi Intervenţie (GSPI, English: is the police tactical unit of the Romanian General Directorate for Internal Security part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The designated nickname of the unit is Acvila, which is Romanian for "Eagle".

The European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo, known as EULEX Kosovo or simply as EULEX, is the largest civilian mission ever launched under the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) of the European Union. EULEX supports selected Kosovo rule of law institutions on their path towards increased effectiveness, sustainability, multi-ethnicity and accountability, free from political interference and in full compliance with international human rights standards and best European practices.

The EU Intelligence and Situation Centre is a "civilian intelligence function" of the European Union (EU). Structurally, it is a directorate of the External Action Service (EEAS) and reports directly to the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. Article 4 of the Treaty on European Union, among other things, expressly states that "national security remains the sole responsibility of each Member State". EU INTCEN's analytical products are based on intelligence from the EU Member States' intelligence and security services.

The area of freedom, security and justice (AFSJ) of the European Union (EU) is a policy domain concerning home affairs and migration, justice as well as fundamental rights, developed to address the challenges posed to internal security by collateral effects of the free movement of people and goods in the absence of border controls or customs inspection throughout the Schengen Area, as well as to safeguard adherence to the common European values through ensuring that the fundamental rights of people are respected across the EU.

The Crime and Security Branch (CSB) – previously known as C3 – is responsible for the administration of national security, counter terrorism and serious crime investigations within the Garda Síochána, the national police force of Ireland. The section oversees intelligence relating to subversive, paramilitary and terrorism matters, conducts counter-intelligence, liaises with foreign law enforcement agencies, handles confidential informants, administers VIP and witness protection, monitors potential corrupt Garda officers and provides information on threats to the state to the Garda Commissioner and Government of Ireland.

Islamic terrorism in Europe has been carried out by the Islamic State (ISIL) or Al-Qaeda as well as Islamist lone wolves since the late 20th century. Europol, which releases the annual EU Terrorism Situation and Trend report (TE-SAT), used the term "Islamist terrorism" in the years 2006–2010, "religiously inspired terrorism" 2011–2014, and has used "jihadist terrorism" since 2015. Europol defines jihadism as "a violent ideology exploiting traditional Islamic concepts".

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 "On the improvement of cooperation between the special intervention units of the Member States of the European Union in crisis situations". Council Decision No. 2008/617/JHA of 23 June 2008 . Retrieved 26 May 2017.
1 2 "Seminar of the ATLAS network of European special intervention units". Presidency of the Council of the European Union. October 2008. Archived from the original on 8 October 2011.
↑ Block, Ludo (15 March 2007). "Europe's Emerging Counter-Terrorism Elite: The ATLAS Network". Terrorism Monitor. The Jamestown Foundation. 5 (5). Retrieved 7 October 2017.
↑ "Closer international cooperation to fight hostage-taking, kidnapping and terrorism". Europol.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 "ATLAS Network". Europol. 13 April 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 "Closer international cooperation to fight hostage-taking, kidnapping and terrorism". Europol (Press release). 10 October 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
↑ "Strengthening the ATLAS Network". Council of the European Union. 1 September 2017. 11828/17. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
↑ "ATLAS Network". www.europol.europa.eu. 12 April 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.

External links

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[EU2008-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 "On the improvement of cooperation between the special intervention units of the Member States of the European Union in crisis situations". Council Decision No. 2008/617/JHA of 23 June 2008 . Retrieved 26 May 2017.

[Seminar2008-2] 1 2 "Seminar of the ATLAS network of European special intervention units". Presidency of the Council of the European Union. October 2008. Archived from the original on 8 October 2011.

[3] Block, Ludo (15 March 2007). "Europe's Emerging Counter-Terrorism Elite: The ATLAS Network". Terrorism Monitor. The Jamestown Foundation. 5 (5). Retrieved 7 October 2017.

[4] "Closer international cooperation to fight hostage-taking, kidnapping and terrorism". Europol.

[Europol2023-5] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 "ATLAS Network". Europol. 13 April 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2023.

[Europol2018-6] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 "Closer international cooperation to fight hostage-taking, kidnapping and terrorism". Europol (Press release). 10 October 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2020.

[7] "Strengthening the ATLAS Network". Council of the European Union. 1 September 2017. 11828/17. Retrieved 21 August 2020.

[8] "ATLAS Network". www.europol.europa.eu. 12 April 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]