Air Transport Gendarmerie
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| Air Transport Gendarmerie | |
|---|---|
| Gendarmerie des Transports Aériens (French) | |
 Arm patch of the Air Transport Gendarmerie | |
| Active | 1953–present |
| Country | France |
| Agency | National Gendarmerie |
| Role | Airport security |
| Part of | Directorate General for Civil Aviation |
| Structure | |
| Officers | 1,100 |
 |
| Components |
|---|
|
The Air Transport Gendarmerie (French: Gendarmerie des Transports Aériens) (GTA) is a branch of the French Gendarmerie. It is placed under the dual supervision of the Gendarmerie and the Directorate General for Civil Aviation of the Transportation Ministry,[1] and has a strength of about 1,100, commanded by a senior officer or by a general officer.[2]
Its missions are centered on airport security, and it also carries out judicial inquiries pertaining to civilian aviation accidents.[3]
The GTA was created in 1953 out of existing airport gendarmerie specialist units created from 1946.[3]
The Air Transport Gendarmerie should not be confused with the smaller Air Gendarmerie, which provides policing for the French Air Force.
Missions
[edit]The GTA's diverse missions include:[3]
- police and security in civilian airfields and airports
- counter-terrorism
- counter-narcotic activities
- freight surveillance
- surveillance of technical installations of the airports (control towers etc.)
- traffic control on the roads within the airports
- protection of important visitors stopping for a layover
- judicial inquiries pertaining to accidents of civilian aircraft
Personnel of the GTA cover a wide range of specialities, including security patrols, freight inspectors, counter-snipers, aviators, dog handlers, auditors, and health inspectors. All personnel follow an initial aviation-related course called Formation Aéronautique de Base. Most personnel receive more specialised training at the École nationale de l'aviation civile.[4]
Units
[edit]The GTA headquarters are in Paris. The GTA is divided into two metropolitan groupings and the overseas units. The metropolitan groupings are divided into companies, and both also maintain a Brigade de recherche.[3]
The different companies cover more airports than just the airport in their name. For example the Paris-Orly Company also covers Issy-les-Moulineaux, Beauvais-Tillé, Lille-Lesquin, Toussus-le-Noble & CRNA Nord Athis-Mons, the Strasbourg Company also covers Bâle-Mulhouse, Metz-Nancy-Lorraine et CRNA Est Reims, and the Bordeaux Company also covers Biarritz-Anglet-Bayonne and Pau.
Northern Grouping
[edit]The Northern Grouping (Groupement Nord) is headquartered at Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle airport. It contains the Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle company, the Paris-Orly Company, the Brest Company, and the Strasbourg Company.
Southern Grouping
[edit]The Southern Grouping (Groupement Sud) is headquartered in Aix-en-Provence. It contains the Lyons Company, the Bordeaux Company, the Marseilles Company, the Nice Company, and the Toulouse Company.
Overseas Air Transport Gendarmerie
[edit]Seven small brigades (typically of ten to twelve gendarmes each) cover overseas installations. Together these are known as the "Overseas Air Transport Gendarmerie" ("GTA outre-mer"):[3]
- Brigade de Cayenne-Félix Éboué (Guyane)
- Brigade de Nouméa-La Tontouta (Nouvelle-Calédonie)
- Brigade du Lamentin (Martinique)
- Brigade de Guadeloupe
- Brigade de Saint-Denis (La Réunion)
- Brigade de Tahiti-Faaa (Polynésie française)
- Brigade de Aéroport de Dzaoudzi-Pamandzi (Mayotte)
References
[edit]- ^ "Booklet of the Directorate General for Civil Aviation" (PDF). 2019.
- ^ Arrêté du 28 avril 2006 relatif à l'organisation, à l'emploi et au soutien de la gendarmerie des transports aériens (Order) (in French). 2006.
- ^ a b c d e "La gendarmerie des transports aériens" (in French). Ministry of the Interior. Retrieved 2021-12-21.
- ^ "La gendarmerie des transports aériens : ange gardien des aéroports civils". www.gendinfo.fr (in French). June 15, 2017. Retrieved October 22, 2024.