Protection and Guard Service ( ro, Serviciul de Protecţie şi Pază, abbreviated SPP) is the
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
n institution designated to protect and defend dignitaries, as well as their family or close relatives. The institution operates independently, although it collaborates closely with the Romanian
Ministry of National Defense
{{unsourced, date=February 2021
A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...
and other secret services. Its motto is ''
Semper Fidelis
''Semper fidelis'' () is a Latin phrase that means "always faithful" or "always loyal" (Fidelis or Fidelity). It is the motto of the United States Marine Corps, usually shortened to Semper Fi. It is also in use as a motto for towns, families, ...
''.
Activity
SPP is a vital institution for the national security. It operates under Law 191/1998. The institution and its employees are mainly required to:
* Defend dignitaries and their families, within legal limitations
* Defend diplomats and heads of state during their stay in Romania (including airspace, water and the additional islands)
* Defend the residences of the above-mentioned category
* Defend any premises in which the above-stated category is visiting
The institution must respect all laws, as well as the
Constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When ...
. The institution takes orders and fulfills requests given by the
Supreme Council of National Defense.
History
The institution has been officially operating since May 7, 1990. The concept of such a service came up right after
the fall of the communist regime.
Along the years, the institution has been keeping a low-profile, with little information available about it.
See also
* ''
Secţia Intervenţii Anti-Teroriste'', the special unit of the Protection and Guard Service
*
5th Directorate of the Securitate, the department of the Securitate charged with the same tasks during the
communist regime
A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state that is administered and governed by a communist party guided by Marxism–Leninism. Marxism–Leninism was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, the Cominte ...
References
External links
*
Official site
Protective security units
Romanian intelligence agencies
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