Covert Human Intelligence Sources

Agents are one of the most important sources of secret intelligence. Agent operations are run by specially trained officers and can continue for long periods, sometimes for many years.

What is an agent?

An agent, or "covert human intelligence source", is any human source able to provide secret reporting on a target of investigation. Agents are not members of the Service - we call our staff "officers", not "agents".

The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (new window) (RIPA) provides a legal definition of an agent. It states that a person is a covert human intelligence source if:

(a) he establishes or maintains a personal or other relationship with a person for the covert purpose of facilitating the doing of anything falling within paragraph (b) or (c);

(b) he covertly uses such a relationship to obtain information or to provide access to any information to another person; or

(c) he covertly discloses information obtained by the use of such a relationship, or as a consequence of the existence of such a relationship.

Apart from the Security Service, several other public sector and Government organisations also make use of agents. They include the police (new window), HM Revenue & Customs (new window), the Armed Forces (new window) and the UK's other intelligence agencies.

Legal controls

Agent operations carried out by the Security Service and other bodies named in the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act are governed by Part II of the Act and the Code of Practice on the Use and Conduct of Covert Human Intelligence Sources.

Part II of the Act established a statutory basis for the use of agents and set out strict rules for their use. Under the terms of the Act, agents must only be used where it is necessary in the interests of national security, for the purpose of preventing or detecting crime, or in the interests of the economic well-being of the UK. The use of agents must be proportionate to what the authorising body seeks to achieve.

Management arrangements ensure that agent operations are kept under proper control, drawing on advice from our legal advisers as necessary.

For instance, a key objective is to avoid placing the agent in the role of an agent provocateur - in other words, inciting those on whom he or she is reporting to commit criminal acts which they would not otherwise have committed.

Our use of agents is subject to independent external scrutiny by the Intelligence Service Commissioner, who carries out checks to ensure that we are acting in accordance with the requirements of the law. He publishes regular reports on the three intelligence services' activities under the terms of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act.

Safeguarding agents

We see it as particularly important to ensure that our agents - many of whom are inevitably at risk through their work for us - are handled securely and that their identities remain protected. Were their names to be made public, it might place some of them and their families in personal danger.

We pay close attention to the personal welfare of our agents, both during their agent career and after their active work for us has ended.

Former agents

We are often asked to confirm whether someone (such as a relative or person of historical interest) worked for the Security Service as an officer or agent. We cannot confirm or deny this in any cases where the person is still alive, as this could endanger them or the people with whom they worked.

If you believe that a deceased member of your family worked for the Service, please see our "Contact Us" page for details of how to send us a letter or e-mail. You will need to provide details of your relative and the purpose of your enquiry. We shall then consider all the circumstances of the case and what information may be released.