The Norwegian Police Security Service (, ) is the police
security agency
A security agency is a governmental organization that conducts intelligence activities for the internal security of a nation. They are the domestic cousins of foreign intelligence agencies, and typically conduct counterintelligence to thwart other ...
of
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
. The agency was previously known as ''POT'' (' or Police Surveillance Agency), the name change was decided by the
Parliament of Norway
The Storting ( no, Stortinget ) (lit. the Great Thing) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years bas ...
on 2 June 2001.
History and organization
The service was established in 1937 by direction of the
Ministry of Justice A Ministry of Justice is a common type of government department that serves as a justice ministry.
Lists of current ministries of justice
Named "Ministry"
* Ministry of Justice (Abkhazia)
* Ministry of Justice (Afghanistan)
* Ministry of Just ...
led by
Trygve Lie
Trygve Halvdan Lie ( , ; 16 July 1896 – 30 December 1968) was a Norwegian politician, labour leader, government official and author. He served as Norwegian foreign minister during the critical years of the Norwegian government in exile in Lo ...
. It is responsible for monitoring and maintaining interior security in Norway. Known operational departments include ''counterintelligence unit'', ''counterterrorism unit'', ''counterproliferation and organized crime unit'', ''counterextremism unit'', ''investigation unit'', ''surveillance unit'', ''technology unit'', ''security analysis unit'' and ''foreign citizens unit''. In addition, PST is in charge of all VIP protection domestically and abroad except for the royal family, which has its own
independent escort service.
PST is, unlike all ordinary police services, not a part of the