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Swedish Security Service

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See also:Swedish Military Intelligence and Security Service

Swedish Security Service
Säkerhetspolisen (SÄPO)
Coat of arms of Säkerhetspolisen
Agency overview
Formed1 October 1989(1989-10-01)
Preceding agency
  • National Police Board's Department of Security
HeadquartersBolstomtavägen 2,Solna,Sweden
59°21′09.5″N18°00′38.3″E/ 59.352639°N 18.010639°E/59.352639; 18.010639
EmployeesApproximately 1,400 (2020)[1]
Annual budgetSEK1.56 billion (2019)[2]
Minister responsible
Agency executive
Parent agencyMinistry of Justice
Websitewww.sakerhetspolisen.se

TheSwedish Security Service(Swedish:Säkerhetspolisen[ˈsɛ̂ːkɛrheːtspʊˌliːsɛn],[Nb 1]abbreviatedSÄPO[ˈsɛ̌ːpʊ]ⓘ;until 1989Rikspolisstyrelsens säkerhetsavdelning,abbreviatedRPS/Säk[3]) is aSwedishgovernment agencyorganized under theMinistry of Justice.It operates as asecurity agencyresponsible forcounter-espionage,counter-terrorism,as well as the protection ofdignitariesand theconstitution.The Swedish Security Service is also tasked with investigating crimes againstnational securityand terrorist crimes.[4][5][6]Its main mission, however, is to prevent crimes, not to investigate them. Crime prevention is to a large extent based on information acquired via contacts with theregular police force,other authorities and organisations, foreign intelligence and security services, and with the use of variousintelligence gatheringactivities, includinginterrogations,telephone tapping,covert listening devices,and hidden surveillance cameras.[7][8]

The Service was, in its present form, founded in 1989, as part of theNational Police Boardand became an autonomous police agency on 1 January 2015.[9][10]National headquarters are located at Bolstomtavägen[11]in south-eastSolnasince 2014, drawing together personnel from five different locations into a single 30,000 m2(320,000 sq ft) HQ facility.[12][13]

History[edit]

Lt ColAdlercreutz,credited with the formation of the General Security Service in 1938

The origins of the Swedish Security Service is often linked to the establishment of a special police bureau (Polisbyrån) during theFirst World Warin 1914, which reported directly to theGeneral Staff,predecessor of the Office for theSupreme Commander of the Armed Forces.[14][15]The bureau's main mission was protecting national security (e.g. counter-espionage), and its first chief was CaptainErik af Edholm.[15]Operations shut down after the end of the war in 1918, although some intelligence activities carried on at the Stockholm police, managed by a small group of approximately ten police officers led by Chief SuperintendentEric Hallgren,who later was to become the first chief of the General Security Service (Allmänna säkerhetstjänsten).[14][16]Operations were mainly focused on monitoringcommunistsfrom the start of the war until the early 1930s when the service also began to focus onNazis.[17]

In 1932, operations were transferred to the newly formed State Police (statspolisen).[14]The group of officers working at the State Police did not have the means to monitor phone calls or to intercept and open mail. This, and the general lack of staff and financial resources worried the chief of Sweden's military intelligence, Lieutenant-ColonelCarlos Adlercreutz,who felt the country needed a more powerful security agency if Europe once again ended up in war. Thus, in 1938 the General Security Service was formed, following an initiative by Adlercreutz andErnst Lecheat theMinistry of Justice,among others.[18]The entire organisation and its activities were top-secret. During theSecond World Warthe agency monitored about 25,000 phone calls and intercepted over 200,000 letters every week.[19]In 1946, following apost-warparliamentary evaluation, operations were significantly reduced and once again organized under the State Police, mainly tasked with counter-espionage.[14][20]In 1965, the Swedish police was nationalized, and all work was organized under theNational Police Boardin the Department of Security (Rikspolisstyrelsens säkerhetsavdelning,abbreviatedRPS/SÄK).[21][22]

Stig Wennerström, convicted Soviet spy,c. 1960

The period between 1939 and 1945 was marked by extensive foreign intelligence activity in Sweden, resulting in the arrest of numerous spies and enemy agents. Some of the most notorious post-war spies areFritiof Enbom,Hilding Andersson,Stig WennerströmandStig Bergling.In all of these cases the spying was done on behalf of theSoviet Unionand the spies were convicted tolife in prison.[14]

In the early 1970s, Sweden was rocked by a number of terrorist acts perpetrated byCroatian separatists.Some of the most significant cases were the1971 Yugoslavian embassy attack in Stockholmand the hijacking ofScandinavian Airlines System Flight 130a year later.[23]The inception of the first Terrorist Act in 1973 was an immediate policy upshot of this, which among other things gave the police the right to deport people affiliated with terrorist organizations without delay. These incidents also led to internal changes within the Department of Security, which received more resources.[24][25]On 28 February 1986,Prime MinisterOlof Palme was assassinatedby an unknown gunman. The Department was not widely criticized, partly because Palme himself had declined protection on the night of the murder.[26]It nevertheless sparked the resignation of theNational Police CommissionerNils Erik Åhmanssonand the head of the Department,Sune Sandström,following the revelation of theEbbe Carlsson affairin 1988.[27]

The Swedish Security Service was established on 1 October 1989, on the recommendations put forward by a Government committee tasked with evaluating the Department of Security following the assassination of Palme.[28]The new agency was—although still formally a part of the National Police Board—more independent, with its own Director-General and political oversight also increased.[29][30][31]Furthermore, the Service took over the formal responsibility for all close protection tasks, which was previously shared with the National Police Board and the Stockholm County Police.[30][32]On 10 September 2003,Minister for Foreign AffairsAnna Lindhwas assassinated byMijailo Mijailović,who was arrested two weeks later. The Government reviewed its procedures in the wake of the Lindh killing,[33]which led to the doubling of the number of close-protection officers.[34]On 1 January 2015, the police reorganized again into a unified agency, with the Swedish Security Service becoming a fully independent agency.[35]

Areas of responsibility[edit]

Spending 2014[36]

Dignitary protection (44%)
Counter-terrorism (30%)
Counter-espionage (12%)
Counter-subversion (10%)
Protective security (4%)

The Swedish Security Service's main tasks and responsibilities are:[6][14]

  • Counter-espionage – preventing and detectingespionageand other unlawful intelligence activities; targeting Sweden, itsnational interestsabroad, and also foreign interests and refugees within the borders of Sweden.[5]
  • Counter-subversion – to counter illegalsubversiveactivities (e.g. violence, threats and harassment targeting elected representatives, public officials and journalists) intended to affect policy-making and implementation, or prevent citizens from exercising their constitutional rights and freedoms.[5]
  • Counter-terrorism – preventing and detectingterrorism;this includes acts of terrorism directed against Sweden or foreign interests within the borders of Sweden, as well as terrorism in other countries and the financing and support of terrorist organizations in Sweden.[5]
  • Dignitary protection – providing security andclose protection officersat state visits, to senior public officials (e.g. theSpeaker of the Riksdag,Prime Minister,members of theRiksdagand the Government, includingState Secretariesand theCabinet Secretary), theRoyal Family,foreign diplomatic representatives, etc. As of 2014, the Service had 130 close protection officers.[5][37]
  • Protective security – providing advice, analysis and oversight to companies and government agencies of importance to national security, in addition tobackground checks.[5]

Organisation[edit]

The Swedish Security Service became a separate agency 1 January 2015, and is directly organized under the Ministry of Justice. Similar to other government agencies in Sweden, it is essentially autonomous. Under the1974 Instrument of Government,neither the Government nor individual ministers have the right to influence how an agency decide in a particular case or on the application of legislation. This also applies to the Security Service, which instead is governed by general policy instruments.[38][a]What sets the Security Service apart from other agencies is that most directives guiding the Service are classified on the grounds of national security, along with the bulk of the reports it produces.[29]The Service is led by a Director-General, who is titledHead of the Swedish Security Service.Operations are led by a Chief Operating Officer, reporting directly the Head of the Security Service. He is in turn assisted by a Deputy Chief Operating Officer and an Office for Operations. The Service is organized into four departments and a secretariat, each led by a Head of Department.[39]

Swedish Security Service organisational chart[b]
Director-General & Deputy Director
Financial Management
Human Resources
Internal Security & Risk Management
Secretariat for Management SupportStrategic Management Support
Public Affairs & Communications
Legal Affairs
Operational Control
Chief Operating Officer & Deputy Chief Operating OfficerDepartment of Intelligence CollectionDepartment of Security IntelligenceDepartment of Security MeasuresDepartment for Central Support Functions
Office for OperationsCoordinationDeskInformation SecurityProcurement
Counter-espionageHUMINT*ProcessingRisk ReductionFacilities & Services
Counter-terrorismSurveillanceAnalysisInvestigationTechnical Support
Counter-subversionTechnical IntelligenceClose Protection
SecurityProject Teams

*Includes regional units

Säpo close protection officers surrounding theMinister for FinanceMagdalena Anderssonin 2014.
Department for Central Support Functions
Provides all support processes needed for day-to-day operations.[39]
Department of Intelligence Collection
In charge of intelligence gathering through the use of secret surveillance, informants or other interpersonal contacts, and by use ofinformation technology(e.g.signals intelligence). Included in the department are the regional units, which primarily conduct human intelligence (HUMINT) operations and offer local knowledge and support to HQ.[39]
Department of Security Intelligence
Responsible for security intelligence work, primarily aimed at providing the Service with data for decisions regarding security measures.[39]
Department of Security Measures
Deals with threat mitigation and risk reduction measures. Areas of responsibility includeclose protection,investigations,information security,physical securityand background checks.[39]
Secretariat for Management Support
Tasked with providing support to management.[39]

Offices[edit]

The Service has a regional presence and operates from several locations; from its headquarters inSolnaand from six regional units with offices inUmeå,Uppsala,Örebro,Norrköping,GothenburgandMalmö.The Service has approximately 1,100 employees, of which about 10 percent are stationed at the regional offices. The regional units are based on the geographic boundaries of severalcounties:[40][41]

North –Västernorrland,Jämtland,VästerbottenandNorrbotten
Central –Uppsala,VästmanlandandGävleborg
Bergslagen –Värmland,ÖrebroandDalarna
East –Södermanland,ÖstergötlandandJönköping
West –HallandandVästra Götaland
South –Kronoberg,Kalmar,BlekingeandSkåne
Stockholm –StockholmandGotland

Head of the Swedish Security Service[edit]

List of current and past executive officers:[42]

In popular culture[edit]

The Security Service's role inCold Warcounterintelligence is referred to in the second and third novels of the best-sellingMillenniumseriesby Swedish writerStieg Larsson.[citation needed]

"Swedish intelligence" was frequently referenced on the American Cold War spy drama television showThe Americans.The male lead character on the show,Philip Jennings,had an alias who worked for Swedish intelligence.[43]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^See also the article onMinisterstyreand the official translation of the constitution at theRiksdagwebsite:1974 Instrument of Government,Chapter 12, Art. 2
  2. ^Based on anorganisational chartandtranslationpublished by SÄPO in 2015

References[edit]

  1. ^The name translates literally toThe security-police

Citations[edit]

  1. ^Swedish Security Service 2020,p. 68.
  2. ^"Regleringsbrev för budgetåret 2019 avseende Säkerhetspolisen"[Regulation letter for fiscal year 2019 regarding the Swedish Security Service].Swedish Financial Management Authority.20 December 2018.
  3. ^Rikets säkerhet och den personliga integriteten. De svenska säkerhetstjänsternas författningsskyddade verksamhet sedan år 1945. (SOU 2002:87), p. 15.
  4. ^Swedish Security Service 2013,p. 8.
  5. ^abcdefSwedish Security Service 2015, 'Yearbook',p. 9.
  6. ^abSFS 1984:387,§ 3.
  7. ^SOU 2012:44,pp. 114, 118–123.
  8. ^2014/15:JuU2.
  9. ^Swedish Security Service 2015, 'History'.
  10. ^2013/14:JuU1.
  11. ^"Kontakta oss - Säkerhetspolisen".Sakerhetspolisen.se.Retrieved15 October2018.
  12. ^Törnmalm 2010.
  13. ^Skanska 2015.
  14. ^abcdefNationalencyklopedin 1989.
  15. ^abSwedish Security Service 2014,pp. 7, 9.
  16. ^Swedish Security Service 2014,pp. 7, 10, 15.
  17. ^Swedish Security Service 2014,pp. 9–12.
  18. ^Swedish Security Service 2014,pp. 15–16.
  19. ^Swedish Security Service 2014,pp. 16–18.
  20. ^Swedish Security Service 2014,pp. 7, 19.
  21. ^Swedish Security Service 2014,p. 5.
  22. ^Grahn 2013.
  23. ^Forsberg 2003,Bilaga 1.
  24. ^Swedish Security Service 2014,pp. 5, 35, 40.
  25. ^Hansén 2007,pp. 47–48, 175, 178.
  26. ^Hansén 2007,p. 163.
  27. ^Isaksson 2007.
  28. ^Forsberg 2003,p. 18.
  29. ^abSwedish Security Service 2013,p. 12.
  30. ^abSwedish Security Service 2014,p. 47.
  31. ^Hansén 2007,pp. 89–90, 178.
  32. ^Hansén 2007,p. 87.
  33. ^SOU 2004:108.
  34. ^Swedish Security Service 2015, 'Livvakter'.
  35. ^Swedish Ministry of Justice 2015.
  36. ^Swedish Security Service 2015, 'Yearbook',p. 10.
  37. ^SFS 2014:1103,§ 4.
  38. ^Beckman, Olsson & Wockelberg 2003,pp. 19–20.
  39. ^abcdefSwedish Security Service 2015, 'Organisation'.
  40. ^Swedish Security Service 2015, 'Yearbook'.
  41. ^Swedish Security Service 2015, 'Regional Units'.
  42. ^Swedish Security Service 2014.
  43. ^Zuckerman, Esther (1 May 2014)."'The Americans' Wig of the Week: Elizabeth's Blonde Tresses ".The Atlantic.Retrieved9 February2022.

Bibliography[edit]

External links[edit]

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