The intelligence services of democratic nations serve a key function in identifying many types of transnational threats. Domestic, foreign, and counter-intelligence services should be managed and resourced separately to prevent their instrumentalisation by narrow, vested political interests. Whilst information-sharing can be regulated, the political management of each agency should have the objective of ensuring the maintenance of public and human security within any given jurisdiction. A collection of international and regional best practices reflects the consensus on ensuring the accountability of intelligence agencies and their non-interference in domestic and international politics.

Foreign

Foreign intelligence services should be separate from domestic services and perform a monitoring role to identify security threats to the general population emanating from beyond a country’s borders. Foreign services also have an information-sharing role to perform with a variety of international partners. International sources of insecurity monitored by foreign intelligence services include organised crime and terrorist networks.

Domestic

Domestic intelligence services have a monitoring and analytical role to perform against a variety of threats that may often have international links, including organised crime and terrorist networks. Whilst not serving a law enforcement function, the information generated by the work of domestic intelligence services should positively inform political decision-making. Military intelligence should also by analytical and a separate component of the defence ministry with no link to other intelligence services.

Resources

Hans Born and Aidan Wills (eds.), Overseeing Intelligence Services: A Toolkit, (Geneva: DCAF, 2012).

Hans Born and Ian Leigh, Making Intelligence Accountable, (DCAF-University of Durham, Parliament of Norway, 2005).

Also see: ‘Report of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, Martin Scheinin: Compilation of good practices on legal and institutional frameworks and measures that ensure respect for human rights by intelligence agencies while countering terrorism, including on their oversight’, 17 May 2010, A/HRC/14/46. For comparative data at the European level see Parliamentary Oversight of Security and Intelligence Agencies in the European Union, (European Parliament: 2011).