The Special Violent Crime Squad, (or Special Violent Crime Division, )"ΕΦΗΜΕΡΙΣ ΤΗΣ ΚΥΒΕΡΝΗΣΕΩΣ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗΣ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑΣ ΤΕΥΧΟΣ ΠΡΩΤΟ Αρ. Φύλλου 162 ΝΟΜΟΣ ΥΠ' ΑΡΙΘ. 3800": Κύρωση του Διακανονισμού μεταξύ της Διεύθυνσης Αντιμετώπισης Ειδικών Εγκλημάτων Βίας της Ελληνικής Αστυνομίας [...] και του Κέντρου Ελέγχου Τρομοκρατών των Ηνωμένων Πολιτειών της Αμερικής [...] ανταλλαγή πληροφοριών σχετικά με τρομοκρατικές πράξεις [...] την ενίσχυση της συνεργασίας για την πρόληψη και καταπολέμηση του σοβαρού εγκλήματος. ( & ). p. 6242

["Official Gazette of the Government of the Hellenic Republic, Volume I, No. Sheet 162, Law No. 3800": Ratification of the Arrangement between the Special Violent Crime Prevention Division of the Hellenic Police [...] and the Terrorist Screening Center of the United States of America [...] exchange of information on terrorist acts [...] strengthening cooperation in preventing and combating serious crime.] also officially known as Directorate for Combating Special Violent Crimes, is a special service of the Hellenic Police,Greece, Law 4249/2014 "Αναδιοργάνωση της Ελληνικής Αστυνομίας, του Πυροσβεστικού Σώματος και της Γενικής Γραμματείας Πολιτικής Προστασίας, αναβάθμιση Υπηρεσιών του Υπουργείου Δημόσιας Τάξης και Προστασίας του Πολίτη και ρύθμιση λοιπών θεμάτων αρμοδιότητας Υπουργείου Δημόσιας Τάξης και Προστασίας του Πολίτη και άλλες διατάξεις".[Reorganising Hellenic Police, Fire Department, General Secretary for Civil Protection, upgrade of services at the Minister for Public Order and Citizen's protection and regulation of issues for competence for Minister of Public Order and Citizen's protection and other provisions.] working in conjunction with regional and other police sectors where necessary. It reports directly to the Chief of Hellenic Police and has territorial juristriction nationwide.ΕΦΗΜΕΡΙΣ ΤΗΣ ΚΥΒΕΡΝΗΣΕΩΣ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗΣ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑΣ, ΤΕΥΧΟΣ ΠΡΩΤΟ, Αρ. Φύλλου 12, 2001-01-31. [Gazette of Government of Hellenic Republic, vol. 1, no. 12]. Section A, Article 1, no.2, p. 167. Access through kodiko.gr. ArchivedΕΦΗΜΕΡΙΣ ΤΗΣ ΚΥΒΕΡΝΗΣΕΩΣ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗΣ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑΣ, ΤΕΥΧΟΣ ΠΡΩΤΟ, Αρ. Φύλλου 41, 2000-02-29. [Gazette of Government of Hellenic Republic, vol. 1, no. 41]. Section B, Chapter 1, Article 10, p. 551. Access through kodiko.gr. Archived. «Άρθρο 10: 1. Η Ελληνική Αστυνομία συγκροτείται από Κεντρικές και Περιφερειακές Υπηρεσίες. 2. Κεντρικές Υπηρεσίες είναι αυτές των οποίων η τοπική αρμοδιότητα εκτείνεται σε ολόκληρη την επικράτεια. Κεντρικές Υπηρεσίες είναι οι εξής: [...] δ. και οι Διευθύνσεις Αντιμετώπισης Ειδικών Εγκλημάτων Βίας,[...]»

[«Article 10: 1. The Hellenic Police is composed of Central and Regional Services. 2. Central Services are those whose local jurisdiction extends throughout the whole territory. Central Services are those which are located throughout the whole territory. Central Services are the following: [...] δ. [...], and the Directorates of Combating Special Crimes of Violence, [...]»]

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.ΕΦΗΜΕΡΙΣ ΤΗΣ ΚΥΒΕΡΝΗΣΕΩΣ ΤΗΣ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗΣ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑΣ, ΤΕΥΧΟΣ ΠΡΩΤΟ, Αρ. Φύλλου 12, 2001-01-31. [Gazette of Government of Hellenic Republic, vol. 1, no. 12]. Section E, Chapter C (gr. Γ), Article 50, no. 5, p. 194. Access through kodiko.gr.Archived. «5. Η Διεύθυνση Αντιμετώπισης Ειδικών Εγκλημάτων Βίας (Δ.Α.Ε.Ε.Β) εξυπηρετείται, διαχειριστικά, από τη Διεύθυνση Ασφάλειας Αττικής.» [5. The Directorate for the Prevention of Special Crimes of Violence (D.A.E.E.B.) is administratively served by the Attica Security Directorate.]INTELLIGENCE SERVICES IN THE NATIONAL SECURITY SYSTEM : THE CASE OF EYP, OP07.03. Apostolidis, Pavlos. Hellenic Foundation for European & Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP). p. 18, 2007, "[...] the Antiterrorist Branch of the Police collects terrorist-related intelligence [...]" The unit was created in 1987INTELLIGENCE SERVICES IN THE NATIONAL SECURITY SYSTEM : THE CASE OF EYP, OP07.03. Apostolidis, Pavlos. Hellenic Foundation for European & Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP). p.5, 2007, "Its primary role in antiterrorism will last until the creation by the Police of the Antiterrorist Unit in 1987." during the government of Andreas Papandreou, when the Chief of police was Nikon Arkoudeas.

It is the only police unit in Greece, which, after obtaining a prosecutor's authorisation, has access to citizens' confidential data. In that regard, it cooperates with fixed and mobile telephone companies, to conduct phone tapping. 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.Law 2225/1994 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.Art. 22, para. 6 of Law 4249/2014

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. is supervised by a public prosecutor.Art. 22 of Law 4249/2014

Structure

The SVCD is made up of a Directorate in Athens and a Subdirectorate in Thessaloniki, both of which have similar-functioning Departments. It includes the following:

▶Athens:

Directorate for Combating Special Violent Crimes (HQ in Alexandras Ave., Athens, Greece – housed in Hellenic Police's Attica Division Headquarters) Department for Combating Internal Terrorism Department for Combating International Terrorism Department for Combating Other Violent Crimes (responsible for dealing with extremist criminal activities) Operations and Controls Department Department of Administrative Support Department of Technical and Network Intelligence Management ▶Thessaloniki: Subdirectorate for Combating Special Violent Crimes B' (Offices in Monastiriou Str., Thessaloniki, Greece) Department for Combating Internal Terrorism Department for Combating International Terrorism Department for Combating Other Violent Crimes (responsible for dealing with extremist criminal activities) Operations and Controls Department Department of Administrative Support Department of Technical and Network Intelligence Management

Action The Antiterrorism Service was responsible for dismantling the guerilla and terrorist organizations of: 17 November and Revolutionary People's Struggle in 2002, Revolutionary Struggle in 2010, as well as arresting many members of the Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei.

Controversy The service has been heavily criticised for its methods of detainment of suspects during public demonstrations.

Additionally, on 21 December 2012, the security personnel of the Libyan embassy in Athens handed over all their weapons to the SVCD of the Greek police at the suggestion of the Libyan government, however there has been suggestions that this was made at the request of the Greek Foreign Ministry.

According to a report by the Hellenic Authority for Communication Security and Privacy (gr. - ADAE) for 2022, the Directorate for Combating Special Violent Crimes (SVCD) and the National Intelligence Service (NIS) concealed a total of 6,705 cases of removal of confidentiality protections (telephone surveillance). SVCD itself failed to send to ADAE a total of 5,988 prosecutorial orders relating to the year 2021, something it also did in 2022. In addition, in 2022, both services (SVCD and NIS) delivered a total of 194 court council decisions relating to previous years (2018 to 2021) late, a practice that continued in 2023. In 2,221 of the reports on the lifting of confidentiality sent to ADAE, the information is incomplete (only the number of the prosecutor's order or decision is given).

References