The
Swedish Security Service ( , abbreviated
Säpo, until 1989
Rikspolisstyrelsens säkerhetsavdelning abbreviated
RPS/Säk) is a
Swedish government agency organised under the
Ministry of Justice. It operates like a
security agency responsible for
counter-espionage,
counter-terrorism, the protection of
dignitaries and the
constitution. The Swedish Security Service is also tasked with investigating crimes against
national security and terrorist crimes. Its main mission, however, is to prevent crime, and not to investigate them. Crime prevention is to a large extent based on information acquired via contacts with the
regular police force, other authorities and organisations, foreign intelligence and security services, and with the use of various
intelligence gathering activities, including
interrogations,
telephone tapping,
covert listening devices and hidden surveillance cameras. The Service was, in its present form, founded in 1989, as part of the
National Police Board and became an autonomous police agency January 1, 2015. National headquarters are located at Bolstomtavägen in south-east
Solna since 2014, drawing together personnel from five different locations into a single HQ facility.