Special Branch
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Special Branch is an investigative unit of the British, Irish and many Commonwealth police services. The unit deals with national security matters. They acquire and develop intelligence to help protect the public (and the state) from national security threats, including terrorism, separatism, subversion and other extremist activity.
The original unit was named the Special Irish Branch, part of London's Metropolitan Police Service, and was formed in March 1883 to counter the Irish Republican Brotherhood. The "Irish" soubriquet was later dropped as the department remit was extended to cover other threats.
Contents |
[edit] United Kingdom
Each British police force has its own Special Branch (not to be confused with its Special Constabulary), the largest by far being that of the Specialist Operations department of the Metropolitan Police (SO12). These departments work closely with one another and with MI5, the Security Service. The officers work in plain clothes and are occasionally armed. Although they are not part of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), they are entitled to use the prefix 'Detective' in front of their ranks.
Special Branch has responsibility for, amongst other things, personal protection of (non-royal) VIPs and performing the role of examining officer at designated ports and airports, as prescribed by the Terrorism Act 2000.
The intelligence work of Special Branch is overlooked in some circles. This is because its role sits somewhere between that of the Security Service and that of the Metropolitan Police Anti-Terrorist Branch (SO13). Special Branch officers are usually the ones to perform arrests of suspected spies, since MI5 officers are not authorized to take such actions; an example being the Portland Spy Ring.
It was announced, in September 2005, that the Metropolitan Police Special Branch would be merging with the Anti-Terrorism Branch of the Metropolitan Police to form a new department called Counter Terrorism Command [1] with the new department coming into being on 2 October 2006 [2] thus completing a process begun when the investigative wing of the Special Branch, X Squad, became The Anti-Terrorist Branch in 1972.
[edit] Republic of Ireland
The Special Branch of the Garda Síochána is called the Special Detective Unit (SDU), or in Irish, Aonad Speisialta Bleachtaireachta. The unit is responsible for:
- State protection.
- Monitoring the activities of subversive and extremist groups.
- Investigation of subversion and terrorism.
- Protection of VIPs.
- Protection of cash in transit.
- Provision of armed response.
- Operation of the Witness Security Programme.
The Emergency Response Unit, the Garda's equivalent of United States SWAT units, is also part of the SDU.
[edit] Hong Kong
The Special Branch of the Royal Hong Kong Police Force (now Hong Kong Police Force) was disbanded in 1995, prior to the transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China in 1997.
[edit] India
 |
This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (October 2006) |
The Special Branch is a separate wing in the state police forces in India. Like their counterparts in the United Kingdom, they deal with matters of state security. However more serious espionage detection etc, are done by the Intelligence Bureau (IB), India's internal security agency.
There have been many allegations that the Special Branch is used by the ruling government (and the political party) for setting up surveillance on their political opponents. The special branch wing is exactly in the hierarchy as that of the law and order police. The special branch has its own Detective Constables, Head Constables, Inspector rankings and superior police officer rankings. Every police station is to have a special branch head constable (working plain clothes or Mufti), he would be observing the society in general, and also taking reports from the uniformed police constables on general patrol.
[edit] South Africa
During Apartheid, the South African Police Services Special Branch was a much feared police unit often used to attack movements resisting apartheid. It is now the Crime Intelligence Unit which investigates crime but which continues to investigate groups perceived to be enemies of the state such as social movements.
[edit] Malaysia
The Malaysian Special Branch (Malay: Cawangan Khas) is an intelligence agency attached to the Royal Malaysian Police (RMP). The SB is empowered to acquire and develop intelligence on internal and external threats to the nation, subversive activities, extremist activities and activities of sabotage and spying. It is also empowered to analyse and advise on the necessary course of action to the various departments and agencies both within the Police Department and other related agencies.
Developed and modelled after the Special Branch of the United Kingdom, this unit has been divided to eight departments, each of which is lead by an Assistance Commissioner. Special Branch in Malaysia is very good in intelligence and have deployed their operatives inside many organizations in Malaysia, either political or non-government.
[edit] See also
- Espionage
- Forward Intelligence Team
- List of intelligence agencies
- Special Investigation Branch (military police, though they are equivalent of the CID)
- Office of Special Investigations
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- Allason, Rupert.The Branch: History of the Metropolotan Police Special Branch. London: Secker & Warburg, 1983. ISBN 0436011654.
