1. Operations

2. Organization
    The Security Department 

3. Supervision and oversight

4. Criticism and public relations

5. People with PET bodyguards

6. See also

7. References

8. External links

Politiets Efterretningstjeneste (PET) (literally: Police Intelligence Service, official name in English: Danish Security and Intelligence Service, or DSIS) is the national security and intelligence agency of Denmark. The agency focuses solely on national security, and foreign intelligence operations are handled by Forsvarets Efterretningstjeneste, the foreign intelligence service administered 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]

Counterterrorism encompass stopping terrorist attacks on Denmark and Danish interests but preventing Denmark from being used as a base of operations for carrying out terrorist attacks in and against other countries.^[4] Furthermore, it attempts 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 directly involved in countering industrial espionage only 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

External links

• {{Official website|http://www.pet.dk/English.aspx}} {{en icon}}

• Heads Up (Death from Above 1979 EP)
• Heads Up (Death from Above album)
• Heads-up displays
• Heads Up! (game show)
• Heads Up Georgia 250
• Heads Up (The Walking Dead)
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• Heads We Go
• Heads We're Dancing
• Heads Will Roll
• Heads Will Roll (disambiguation)
• Heads You Die
• Heads You Win-Tails I Lose
• Head tax (Canada)
• Head (The Monkees album)
• Head Tide Historic District
• Head to the Ground
• Headtrip
• Head Under Water
• Head unit
• Head-up display (gaming)
• Head Up (Don Diablo song)
• Head Up - Electoral Bloc
• Head up guidance system