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Special Branch
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Special Branch is an investigative unit of the British and other Commonwealth police services, as well as Ireland's Garda Síochána. The unit deals with national security matters. It acquires and develops 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.
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Special Branch is an investigative unit of the British and other Commonwealth police services, as well as Ireland's Garda Síochána. The unit deals with national security matters. It acquires and develops 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.
Bangladesh
Canada
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 RHKP SB had been involved in the Hong Kong 1967 Leftist Riots in investigating leftist figures in Hong Kong territory.
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.
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 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 or Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) (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.
Ireland
Ireland is not part of the Commonwealth or the United Kingdom. The Special Branch of the Garda Síochána is now 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.
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 modeled 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 well known for its quality intelligence and have been deployed since 1948 to handle Communist threats (1948-1960 & 1969-1989) and other internal security issues.
In addition, Malaysian SB had been long praised for its success that led to the surrender of the Malaya Communist Party in 1989. Malaysia is the only country in the world that had been successful in defeating a communist insurgency.
Southern Rhodesia
The BSAP developed its Special Branch in the early 1950s amid growing unrest within African communities protesting slow progress towards racial equality. During the period of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, also known as the Central African Federation (CAF) 1953-63 that brought the self-governing and virtually independent British colony of Southern Rhodesia into a federation with the British protectorates of Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) and Nyasaland, (Malawi) the political nature of Special Branch became a source of tension between the BSAP and different police forces in the northern territories. Following the dissolution of the CAF and the refusal of the British government to grant independence to Southern Rhodesia without more progress towards multiracial democracy, the predominantly white electorate of Southern Rhodesia backed a Unilateral Declaration of Independence in 1965. London instructed all Southern Rhodesian civil servants, including the police, to stay at their posts while the white settler rebellion was resolved diplomatically. Under Emergency Powers, Special Branch became the principal internal security agency in the 'phoney war' with Zimbabwean guerrillas 1966-72, serving as a model for and establishing strong links with South Africa's Special Branch. As the Chimurenga or Bush War gathered force after 1972, Special Branch developed the Selous Scouts, an undercover tracker battalion of 1,500 troops, 80 percent black, many having been recruited from captured guerrillas facing trial and possible execution, and also 'pseudo guerrillas' such as the Mozambican National Resistance (RENAMO) to disrupt Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) camps across the border in Mozambique. However, as the war turned against the white settler regime, the lead role of Special Branch was taken over by the Central Intelligence Organisation and Rhodesian Army intelligence. Following the transition to independent Zimbabwe in 1980, some Special Branch members were incorporated within the South African security services, while others found ready employment in the Arabian Gulf states.
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.
Sri Lanka
The Special Branch of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) was created in late 1960s tasked with national security as an intelligence agency attached Ceylon Police Force. This was closed down in 1970.
United Kingdom
Each British police force has formed its own Special Branch, the largest being that of the Metropolitan Police's until it was merged with another unit, forming Counter Terrorism Command or SO15. Special Branch maintain contact with the Security Service. 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 with the new department coming into being on 2 October 2006 thus completing a process begun when the investigative wing of the Special Branch, became The Anti-Terrorist Branch in 1972.
See also
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