Politiets Sikkerhetstjeneste
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Politiets Sikkerhetstjeneste (PST), or Police Security Agency, is a Norwegian security agency, somewhat comparable to the British MI5. It was previously known as POT.
It is funded by the Ministry of Justice and the Police, and is unlike all other police services not a part of the National Police Directorate, but the agency is under the direct scrutiny of the parliamentary Standing Committee on Scrutiny and Constitutional Affairs' Special Unit For Oversight of Intelligence, Surveillance and Security Agencies, after it conducted unlawful political surveillance on national citizens during the cold war.
The agency is responsible for the domestic security intelligence in Norway. Known operational departments include counterintelligence unit, counterterror unit, counterproliferation and organized crime unit, counterextremism unit, investigation unit, surveillance unit, technology unit, security analysis unit and foreign citizens unit.
The organization consists of Den Sentrale Enhet (The central unit) that occupies the top floors in the Oslo central police station, as well as individual police officers in all the police regions.
Norwegian security and intelligence agencies
- Police Security Agency (PST) is to identify threats, analyse their presumed intentions and capabilities, and actively hinder its work.
- National Security Authority (NSM) is to identify national objects of special interest, and reduce their vulnerability.
- National Intelligence Service (NIS) is to collect, analyse and present information from their agents and foreign sources that can assist NSM and PST in achieving their objectives.
External links
- http://www.pst.politiet.no
- Law on oversight of Intelligence, Surveillance and Security Agencies (Norwegian) (http://www.lovdata.no/all/nl-19950203-007.html)