It was June 9, 2019 when an armored team police officers in black uniforms, holding shields, globes, and automatic weapons in her hands, made her maiden appearance in the corridors of Korydallos prison.
Literally catching the prisoners asleep, in one a large-scale coordinated operation in more than 70 cells of the second ward of the penitentiary, took out "sea bass", as he found and confiscated drugs, mobile phones and improvised knives that had been hidden while being held under the mattresses of their beds even in the sinks.
It was the Illegal Action Team (OAEE) the selected part of the External Guard of the Korydallos Detention Center that was formed with the sole purpose of restoring order in the penitentiary in case of riots, uprisings, catastrophes on the part of .
With special training similar to the men of the Special Suppression Counter-Terrorism Unit (E.K.A.M.In terms of self-defense, endangered controls, and carrying equipment that makes them look like armored lobsters, these men look impenetrable to anything, ready to deal successfully with any extreme incident, any unforeseen and dangerous situation created inside prisons.
"We are always on the alert. When we talk about prisons you never know what might happen at any time. Discipline and professionalism are the keys to successfully carry out any dangerous situation that will arise "confesses a man who makes up this group and has taken part in operations in Korydallos prison while describing a crucial moment where the immediate intervention of O. SA escaped the worst in Korydallos prison.
"Our readiness time from the moment we are called to attempt is less than 10 minutes. In prisons it is very easy for a situation that seems small to become uncontrollable in a short time. Time is of the essence and it must always be in our favor. Typically I will tell you about June 25 when clashes broke out between detainees in the fifth wing. "It was a difficult situation, especially when a group of detainees broke the lock of the wing and headed wildly towards the prison administration."
"However, the immediate intervention of the team and the blockade that we formed around the headquarters was crucial so that things would not escape. We come forward no matter what the danger is, whatever the conditions that are formed in such situations, this is our role ".
As for what kind of "ammunition" they find in the searches they carry out in the cells of the prisoners?
"Mostly in every big check we do we will usually find small quantities of drugs, improvised knives and mobile phones which we of course confiscate. Of course, from time to time we find even stranger objects such as skewers or laptops, as in the last big operation we carried out ".
The team, which was set up by the Ministry of Justice in 2019 and is based in Korydallos, intervenes immediately following the order of the director of prisons without the need for the mediation of the Prosecutor, as happens in police operations that sometimes take place in penitentiaries across the country.
As long as the management of the penitentiary considers a situation as dangerous and the team within a few minutes is "ready for war" to manage it.
The equipment of the prison commandos or the "Rambo with the blacks" as many prisoners characterize them, consists of shields and globes, chemical protection masks, military uniforms, bulletproof vests, while they also carry heavy weapons.