Special Violent Crime Squad (Greece)
Counter-terrorist law enforcement agency / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Special Violent Crime Squad, (or Special Violent Crime Division, SVCD)[1] also officially known as Directorate for Combating Special Violent Crimes, is a special service of the Hellenic Police,[6] working in conjunction with regional and other police sectors where necessary.[not verified in body] It reports directly to the Chief of Hellenic police and has territorial juristriction nationwide.[7][8][9]
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Directorate for Combating Special Violent Crimes Διεύθυνση Αντιμετόπισης Ειδικών Εγκλημάτων Βίας Diévthinsi Antimetópisis Eidikón Egklimáton Vías | |
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Common name | Antiterrorist Unit (gr. Αντιτρομοκρατική) |
Abbreviation | (gr. ΔΑΕΕΒ - en. SCVD)[1] |
Agency overview | |
Formed | 1987; 37 years ago (1987)[2] |
Employees | approx. 250 (2002)[3] |
Annual budget | N/A |
Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
Jurisdictional structure | |
National agency (Operations jurisdiction) | Greece |
Operations jurisdiction | Greece |
Legal jurisdiction | As per operations jurisdiction |
Governing body | Hellenic Police |
General nature | |
Operational structure | |
Overseen by Overseen by | Chief of Hellenic Police |
Headquarters | Alexandras Ave., Athens, Attica, Greece |
Parent agency | Hellenic Police |
Child agency | |
Facilities | |
Offices |
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Special operations vehicles | approx. 400 (2017)[5] |
Motorcycles | approx. 200 (2017)[5] |
Website | |
Website |
Its mission is combating "special violent crimes", which includes "terrorist and extremist criminal acts, which are directed against the security of the state and democratic rule". It collects and analyses terrorist-related intelligence and is believed to cooperate with the National Intelligence Service (EYP) and the State Security, although due to the secretive nature of these services, this is unknown for certain.[10][11] The unit was created in 1987[2] during the government of Andreas Papandreou, when the Chief of Police was Nikon Arkoudeas.[12]
It is the only police unit in Greece, which, after obtaining a prosecutor's authorisation, has access to citizens' confidential data.[13][14] In that regard, it cooperates with fixed and mobile telephone companies, to conduct phone tapping.[3] Although there are time limits for the issuing judicial order, specifically, the Public Prosecutor can submit the application to lift confidentiality to the Council of Appeals which has to decide on the waiving of confidentiality within 48 hours.[15] In exceptional cases in the course of preliminary examinations, or interviews by the Special Violent Crime Squad, the warrant for lifting an individual's confidentiality of communications (and therefore being allowed to conduct wiretapping operations etc.) can be decided by the Public Prosecutor himself.[16]
The SVCD, as is the case for all directorates of the Hellenic Police, is obliged to send all information it collects, to the Intelligence Management and Analysis Division, for the purpose of collecting and analysing information to combat criminal action, especially terrorism, and to update its databases with this newly stored information, collected from the police directories. IMAD is supervised by a public prosecutor.[17]