Competition dawn raid response pack

United Kingdom

What you need to know about dawn raids

Dawn raids – unannounced visits from competition authorities – get their name from the inspectors’ habit of turning up at the beginning of the business day, when companies are likely to be least prepared for the unexpected.



The European Commission has for many years had the power to carry out such raids as part of its investigations into alleged breaches of EU competition law. EU inspectors may be accompanied by inspectors from the UK Office of Fair Trading (OFT).