Section 1 The Security Service.

United Kingdom

(1)

There shall continue to be a Security Service (in this Act referred to as “the Service”) under the authority of the Secretary of State.

(2)

The function of the Service shall be the protection of national security and, in particular, its protection against threats from espionage, terrorism and sabotage, from the activities of agents of foreign powers and from actions intended to overthrow or undermine parliamentary democracy by political, industrial or violent means.

(3)

It shall also be the function of the Service to safeguard the economic well-being of the United Kingdom against threats posed by the actions or intentions of persons outside the British Islands.

F1(4)

It shall also be the function of the Service to act in support of the activities of police forces F2, the F3National Crime Agency and other law enforcement agencies in the prevention and detection of serious crime.

F4(5)

Section 81(5) of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (meaning of “prevention” and “detection”), so far as it relates to serious crime, shall apply for the purposes of this Act as it applies for the purposes of F5that Act.

Annotations

Textual amendments

F1: S. 1(4) added (14.10.1996) by 1996 c. 35, s. 1(1); S.I. 1996/2454, art. 2
F2: Words in s. 1(4) substituted (1.4.2006) by Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 (c. 15), s. 178(8), Sch. 4 para. 56; S.I. 2006/378, art. 4(1), Sch. para. 10
F3: Words in s. 1(4) substituted (7.10.2013) by Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22), s. 61(2), Sch. 8 para. 34; S.I. 2013/1682, art. 3(v)
F4: S. 1(5) inserted (25.9.2000) by 2000 c. 23, s. 82(1), Sch. 4 para. 4(1) (with s.82(3)); S.I. 2000/2543, art. 2
F5: Words in s. 1(5) substituted (27.12.2018) by Investigatory Powers Act 2016 (c. 25), s. 272(1), Sch. 10 para. 36 (with Sch. 9 paras. 7, 8, 10); S.I. 2018/940, reg. 5(c)