Nucleo Operativo Centrale di Sicurezza

Nucleo Operativo Centrale di Sicurezza
Nucleo Operativo Centrale di Sicurezza Official Insignia
Active	1974–present
Country	Italy
Branch	Polizia di Stato
Type	SWAT team
Nickname(s)	NOCS, Central Security Operations Service
Motto(s)	Sicut Nox Silentes
Engagements	Anti-crime operations against terrorist groups, including Red Brigades
Commanders
Current commander	Andrea Mainardi
Notable commanders	Andrea Scandurra, Maurizio Genolini, Edoardo Perna, Paolo Gropuzzo

The Nucleo Operativo Centrale di Sicurezza (Central Security Operations Service, NOCS) is a SWAT team of the Polizia di Stato, Italy's national police force.

In 1974 the Chief of the Polizia di Stato Anti-Terrorism Bureau, Emilio Santillo, announced the necessity to establish a tactical unit with the capability to arrest known terrorists and to support the local counter-terrorism field office. Personnel were selected from Police Sports Group "Fiamme Oro ("Gold Flames"), particularly trained in martial arts. The 35-man team was denominated "counter-commando unit" and commanded by Maj. Andrea Sgandurra, an officer with counter-insurgency experiences, and a skilled proponent of hand-to-hand combat skills. After one year of training (offensive driving, sniping, various shooting skills, and a tactical assault course) in 1975 the unit became operational and immediately started mission against the left wing terrorist organization NAP ("Nuclei Armati Proletari", Proletarian Armed Service). Later they operated against the right wing group "New Order", which resulted in the arrests of well-known terrorists Gentile Schiavone and Pierluigi Concutelli. In 1978, the Italian government decided to modify the structure of the Anti-Terrorist Bureau to improve its capabilities. This change resulted in the formation of SISMI (military intelligence), SISDE (civilian intelligence), and a police counter-terrorism agency (UCIGOS, General Investigations and Special Operations Central Office). This office was the only responsible for Italian counter-terrorism. The UCIGOS's tactical unit became the NOCS (Nucleo Operativo Centrale di Sicurezza, Central Security Operations Service), the old counter-commando unit with far more operatives, training, and responsibilities. During its 22 years of existence, NOCS has performed more than 4,500 missions and 205 arrests. The 25–42 operatives studied terrorist methodology and created innovative tactics procedures. Their motto is Sicut Nox Silentes (As Silent as Night).