Danish Security and Intelligence Service

Politiets Efterretningstjeneste (PET ) is the Danish domestic intelligence and security service, whose task it is to identify threats against Denmark and Danish society and prevent them. It was established in 1939 under the name Sikkerhedspolitie (SIPO ) ( German for Security Police ), and has its headquarters in Søborg. The head of the PET since 2007 Jacob Scharf. The PET is nominally under the Ministry of Justice. Its budget in 2010 was about 800 million Danish crowns, the equivalent of 107 million euros; He has about 800 employees.

Tasks

Task of PET is first and foremost to prevent crimes against the state and its independence or security and to prevent, as described in section 12 of the Danish Criminal Code ( Straffeloven ) described. Chapter 13 describes further crimes against the Danish Constitution (Basic Loven ), which also fall under the remit of PET. Counterintelligence, counter-terrorism and combating right-wing and left-wing extremism belong, but also security coordination, personal security and privacy.