The Special Intervention Unit (established by General Order No 6, of 3rd February 1982) was conceived as an independent and specialized central Unit, designed to carry out specific missions both in the national territory and abroad. Its tasks include: handling of situations involving hostage-taking or kidnappings, and neutralizing the danger once the victims have been located; arresting exceptionally dangerous criminals (such as members of terrorist organizations or of drug trafficking networks) or insane individuals especially aggressive, as well as people under particularly dangerous circumstances (only in exceptional cases); in extraordinary cases, providing close protection to dignitaries and VIPs in imminent danger of becoming targets of a terrorist attack; and in general, conducting operations which require an early and highly specialised response or their specific intervention, due to the type of danger or threat such a situation poses.
