Danish Security and Intelligence Service
Politiets Efterretningstjeneste | |
Logo of The Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET) | |
Agency overview | |
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Formed | 1939 |
Preceding agency |
|
Jurisdiction | Government of Denmark |
Headquarters | Søborg, Århus and Odense |
Employees | 780 (2010) [1] |
Annual budget | 800 mio. Kr. |
Minister responsible | |
Agency executive |
|
Parent agency | Ministry of Justice of Denmark |
Website | The Danish Security and Intelligence Service |
Politiets Efterretningstjeneste (PET) (official name in English: Danish Security and Intelligence Service, abbreviated DSIS) is the national security & intelligence agency of Denmark. The agency focuses solely upon national security while foreign intelligence operations is handled by Forsvarets Efterretningstjeneste – the foreign intelligence service administrsted by the Danish Royal Defense.
The stated overall purpose of PET is to "prevent, investigate and counter operations and activities that pose or may pose a threat to the preservation of Denmark as a free, democratic and safe country."[2]
Operations
The primary duties of the PET are counter terrorism, counter extremism, counter espionage and security.[3]
Counter terrorism does not only encompass stopping terrorist attacks upon Denmark and Danish interests but also to ensure Denmark isn’t used as a base of operations for carrying out terrorist attacks in and against other countries.[4] Furthermore, PET attempt to gather evidence to ensure that terrorists are prosecuted. Denmark is obliged by UN and EU resolutions to support other states in prosecuting terrorists.[4]
Aside from the three main areas PET also provides counselling to Danish companies on how to avoid espionage (but is only directly involved in countering industrial espionage if an agency of a foreign government is involved).[5][6] It has a role as national security advisor to the Danish government, public authorities and other branches of the police along with a number of other activities common to domestic security organisations.[7]
PET also provides bodyguards for Danish royalty, politicians and other persons.[8]
Organization
PET is a part of the Danish police but reports directly to the Minister of Justice.[9]
The headquarters is in Copenhagen, and they have offices in Århus and Odense located in the local police stations. Because the service is integrated with the Danish police, they have representatives in all police precincts of Denmark. [9]
The Security Department
The Security Department provides operational support to the other units of PET and the police districts through: the Special Intervention Unit, the Personal Protection Unit and the Negotiation Group. The Security Department also comprises: the Security Co-ordination Centre, which ensures ongoing prioritisation of, among other tasks, personal protection and security coordination assignments in relation to major events, state visits and similar. [10]
Supervision and oversight
Several organs oversee PET in order to make sure the agency does not misuse its powers.
- Ministry of Justice.
- The parliamentary budget committee (Rigsrevisionen) has oversight and supervision with the budgets.
- The Wamberg committee has oversight and supervision with the registration of people.
- Parliamentary intelligence agencies control committee, that consist of five members, from each of the five biggest parties.
Besides those listed the agency is also under the control of the Courts of Denmark (which has to approve many special steps of investigation, e.g. wire-tapping.)
Criticism and public relations
PET was criticised in the late 1990s for being closed to the public and has tried to counter these claims by adopting a more open approach. Thus PET has taken to maintain a website explaining its overall aims and obligations and publishing an annual public report surveying extremist activities in Denmark and the threat level to national domestic security (albeit only in a very overall fashion).[11]
Following a report into the 2015 Copenhagen shootings, Jens Madsen resigned.[12]
People with PET bodyguards
PET does not comment on whom they offer specific bodyguard protection. However, it is publicly established[13] that the following people are under permanent protection:
- Margrethe II of Denmark
- Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark
- Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Prime minister of Denmark
These people have or have had at some times full-time protection:
- Pia Kjærsgaard, former leader of Dansk Folkeparti
- Helle Thorning-Schmidt, former Prime minister of Denmark and leader of the Social Democrats
- Naser Khader, member of the Danish parliament
- Kurt Westergaard, cartoonist
- Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark
- Crown Princess Mary of Denmark
- Prince Joachim of Denmark
- Lars Hedegaard, scholar on Islam
See also
- Danish Defense Intelligence Service, (Forsvarets Efterretningstjeneste, FE), its military counterpart
- Politiets Aktionsstyrke, (AKS) the special response unit of the Danish police.
- The PET Commission.
- Intelligence (information gathering)
- Politics of Denmark
References
- ↑ Politiets Efterretningstjeneste løfter flig af sløret for sin økonomi
- ↑ PET: Welcome to The Danish Security and Intelligence Service
- ↑ PET: Arbejdsområder
- 1 2 PET: Kontraterrorisme
- ↑ PET: Kontraspionage
- ↑ Pet: Faq
- ↑ PET: Sikkerhed
- ↑ PET: Personbeskyttelse
- 1 2 PET: Organisation
- ↑
- ↑ PET: Publikationer mv
- ↑ "Danish intelligence chief steps down after criticism". AFP/Yahoo. 6 May 2015.
- ↑
External links
- Official website (in English)