Formed 30 July 1994 | Headquarters Prague, Czech Republic | |
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Preceding agencies Security Information Service of the Czech Republic (1992)
(Czechoslovak) Federal Security Information Service Jurisdiction Government of the Czech Republic Motto Audi, Vide, Tace
(Hear, See, Be silent) Annual budget $65 million (as of 2017) | ||
The Security Information Service (BIS) (Czech: Bezpečnostní informační služba), is the primary domestic national intelligence agency of the Czech Republic. It is responsible for collecting, analyzing, reporting and disseminating intelligence on threats to Czech Republic's national security, and conducting operations, covert and overt, both domestically and abroad. It also reports to and advises the Government of the Czech Republic on national security issues and situations that threaten the security of the nation.
Contents
The BIS headquarters is located in Stodůlky, Prague 5. The Security Information Service reports directly to the Government, Prime Minister and President of the Czech Republic and is overseen by the Permanent Commission of the Chamber of Deputies.
Command, control and organization
The BIS is a statutory body under the Act No. 154/1994 Coll., on the Security Information Service and it is strictly apolitical and has no police powers - BIS cannot detain, arrest or interrogate suspects. The service reports to the Government, Prime Minister and President of the Czech Republic and its activities are regulated and controlled by the Government, Permanent Commission of the Chamber of Deputies and its own internal audit. The service is headed by the Director who is appointed by the Prime Minister with consent of the Committee on Security of the Chamber of Deputies.
The current Director is Michal Koudelka, serving since 15 August 2016, after being sworn in by the Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka.
Duties
The Security Information Service performs duties associated with the analysis, democracy and constitutionality, terrorism, counter-intelligence, cybersecurity, organized crime, proliferation and use of strategically important intelligence regarding the fields of politics, economics and intelligence within the territory of the Czech Republic.