Encyklopedia Administracji Publicznej MW Pivot Skin

SPECIAL SERVICES – part of state institutions responsible for external and internal security of the state. In the traditional sense, sp.s. carried out intelligence and counterintelligence activities. Currently, the subject scope of sp.s. activities is very wide and specialised. Sp.s. may be described by the following properties: the object of their actions are matters of internal and external security of the state and protection of the current constitutional order; the basic form of action is information activity aimed at secret acquisition, collection, processing and verification of information essential for state security; their information activities consist of operational-intelligence and analytical activities; investigative activity is a complementary function, especially in the field of counterintelligence. Due to their organisational location and professional character, sp.s. are divided into civil and military. On the other hand, within this division one can distinguish counterintelligence and intelligence services. The latter are authorized to operate outside the country. In Poland, according to the applicable law, there are five sp.s.: three civilian – the Internal Security Agency (ISA), the Intelligence Agency (IA), the Central Anticorruption Bureau (CAB) – and two military services – the Military Counterintelligence Service and the Military Intelligence Service. ISA is responsible for protecting the internal security of the state and the constitutional order. In turn, the IA is responsible for the protection of external security of the country. The CAB is, however, a specialised civilian sp.s. dedicated to combat corruption in public and economic life, in particular in state and local government institutions, as well as to combat activities that undermine the economic interests of the state. The heads of the civilian sp.s. are central government administration bodies subordinate directly to the president of the Council of Ministers. Military sp.s. deal with matters of protection against external (military intelligence) and internal threats (military counterintelligence) to state defence, security and combat capability of the Polish Armed Forces. The heads of both military sp.s. are central government administration bodies in the legal and political system, however, they are subject to the minister competent for national defence matters. In Poland, there are also entities with powers within the scope of operational activities, which in accordance with the law are not classified as sp.s. These are the Customs and Tax Service and the Central Bureau of Investigation of the Police. In democratic countries, the activities of the sp.s. are under control of: the parliament (the Sejm’s Special Services Committee), state control and law protection bodies (Supreme Audit Office, Commissioner for Citizens’ Rights) and central executive bodies (the president of the Council of Ministers, the minister coordinator of special services and the Collegium for Secret Services). [A. Misiuk]

Literature: A. Misiuk, Administracja bezpieczeństwa i porządku publicznego. Zagadnienia prawno-organizacyjne [Administration of security and public order. Legal and organisational issues], Warszawa 2008.