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Special Branch is the arm of the British, Irish and many Commonwealth police forces that 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, and subversive and other extremist activity. The Commonwealth of Nations, usually known as the Commonwealth, is an association of 53 independent sovereign states, almost all of which are former territories of the British Empire. ...
Security measures taken to protect the Houses of Parliament in London, England. ...
Terrorism refers to a strategy of using violence, or threat of violence to generate fear, cause disruption, and ultimately, to bring about compliance with specific political, religious, ideological, and personal demands. ...
Separatism involves setting oneself or others apart. ...
Subversion is an overturning or uprooting. ...
The original was called the Special Irish Branch, part of London's Metropolitan Police, 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. Metropolitan Police redirects here. ...
1883 (MDCCCLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...
The Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) played an important role in the history of Ireland. ...
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. The Special Constabulary is a part-time volunteer section of the British police. ...
Specialist Operations was a group of twenty specialist Metropolitan Police units which were set up in 1986 as part of Sir Kenneth Newmans restructuring of the Metropolitan Police Service. ...
Current MI5 headquarters in Thames House, London The Security Service, usually called MI5, is the British counter-intelligence and security agency. ...
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is the branch of all British Police forces to which plain clothes detectives belong. ...
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. A Very Important Person, or VIP (pronouced vee-eye-pee) is a person who is accorded special privileges due to his or her status or importance. ...
Seaport, a painting by Claude Lorrain, 1638 The Port of Wellington at night. ...
The Terrorism Act 2000 is a current United Kingdom Act of Parliament - An Act to make provision about terrorism; and to make temporary provision for Northern Ireland about the prosecution and punishment of certain offences, the preservation of peace and the maintenance of order. ...
The intelligence work of Special Branch is overlooked in some circles. This is because its role sits somewhere between that of the more enigmatic Security Service and that of the Metropolitan Police Anti-Terrorist Branch (SO13). Current MI5 headquarters in Thames House, London The Security Service, usually called MI5, is the British counter-intelligence and security agency. ...
SO13 or Specialist Operations - Anti-Terrorist Branch is a branch of Scotland Yard. ...
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] 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
SO13 or Specialist Operations - Anti-Terrorist Branch is a branch of Scotland Yard. ...
Ireland The Special Branch of the Garda Síochána is now called the Special Detective Unit (SDU). The unit is responsible for: Emblem of the Garda SÃochána. ...
- 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. Special response teams are heavily armed and armored. ...
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. The Hong Kong Police Force (from 1969 to 1997, Royal Hong Kong Police Force) is the police force of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China. ...
Crest of the Hong Kong Police Force The Hong Kong Police Force (Chinese: 香港è¦å¯Ÿ; Pinyin: XiÄng GÇŽng jÇngchá since 1997) is the police force of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the Peoples Republic of China. ...
1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
In 1982, the governments of the United Kingdom and the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) initiated talks regarding the sovereignty of Hong Kong, which led to the transfer of the sovereignty of Hong Kong. ...
1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
India 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. The two organizations how ever work hand-in-hand and share various information. // United States See also: List of U.S. state law enforcement agencies In the United States, state police are a police body unique to each U.S. state, having statewide authority to conduct law enforcement activities and criminal investigations. ...
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 walking the beat.
See also Espionage is the practice of obtaining information about an organization or a society that is considered secret or confidential (spying) without the permission of the holder of the information. ...
Forward Intelligence is the secret surveillance department of the Special Branch of Scotland Yard, used to spy on citizens and residents of the United Kingdom who are suspected by the police of seditious or revolutionary activity. ...
The following is a partial list of current intelligence agencies. ...
The Malaysian Special Branch is the Malaysian government intelligence agency. ...
External links - Metropolitan Police - Special Branch
- Essex Police - Special Branch
- Scottish Executive - Guidelines on Special Branch Work in the United Kingdom
- Garda Special Detective Unit
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