History Main / SecretPolice

* The hideously inappropriately named "State Research Bureau" of Idi Amin's Uganda
* The Kempeitai and Tokko of Imperial Japan

* The Organizzazione per la Vigilanza e la Repressione dell'Antifascismo (O.V.R.A.) of Fascist Italy, who are the subject of TheConformist and who harass the title character in PorcoRosso

* In David Weber's Honorverse, the People's Republic of Haven had a number of secret agencies, such as the Mental Hygiene Police and Internal Security. Gets even worse when the Committee of Public Safety comes to power, centralizes the secret police, and creates StateSec, whose initials ''SS'' is no coincidence.

* The ''Fingermen'' in ''ComicBook/VForVendetta'' - with they actual surveillance done by agents of the ''Eye'' and ''Ear'', the agents of the ''Finger'' are the ones who do the black-bagging of political targets.

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': The Dai Li of Ba Sing Se have an official charge: to preserve the city's cultural heritage. They have an unofficial charge: to keep order within the city walls. Their three modes of operation are through establishing a Panopticon effect where you are always being watched and know it, deploying terrifyingly consistent brainwashed PR operatives, and physically assaulting any remaining problems with intensely trained earthbenders, who apparently also to be the main intelligence officers, since they're only supposed to fight when the system has sprung a leak.

[[NineteenEightyFour When Officer O'Brien come for you?]].]]-]

* In ''MobileSuitGundam'', we have the Principality of Zeon's Secret Service[[note]][[ANaziByAnyOtherName Does the acronym sound familiar?]][[/note]], though they only exist in backstory. Their activities throughout Zeon's existence include killing off the Daikun family and their supporters to ensure the Zabis' rule, and disappearing One Year War protesters and suspected traitors (which is pretty much anyone they or the Zabis didn't like) in typical secret police fashion. Two of the side manga even describe how Side 3 suffered from rolling "blackouts", which in reality were entire neighborhoods being cleared out and left unpopulated; in other words, [[NightmareFuel there was nobody left to turn houselights on over entire city blocks]].

* In ''MobileSuitGundam'', we have the Principality of Zeon's Secret Service[[note]][[ANaziByAnyOtherName Does the acronym sound familiar?]][[/note]], though they only exist in backstory. Their activities throughout Zeon's existence include killing off the Daikun family and their supporters to ensure the Zabis' rule, and disappearing One Year War protesters and suspected traitors (which is pretty much anyone they or the Zabis didn't like) in typical secret police fashion. Two of the side manga even describe how Side 3 suffered from rolling "blackouts", which in reality were entire neighborhoods being cleared out and left unpopulated; in other words, [[NightmareFuel there was nobody left to turn on houselights over entire colony blocks]].

* In ''MobileSuitGundam'', we have the Principality of Zeon's Secret Service[[note]][[ANaziByAnyOtherName Does the acronym sound familiar?]][[/note]], though they only exist in backstory. Their activities throughout Zeon's existence include killing off the Daikun family and their supporters to ensure the Zabis' rule, and disappearing One Year War protesters and suspected traitors (which is pretty much anyone they or the Zabis didn't like) in typical secret police fashion. Two of the side manga even describe how Side 3 suffered from rolling "blackouts", which in reality were entire neighborhoods being cleared out and left unpopulated; in other words, [[NightmareFuel there was nobody left to turn on houselights over entire colony blocks]]. In the novels, [[OfficerAndAGentleman Ramba Ral]] (of all people) was a member of the Secret Service instead of being the {{Badass}} Gouf pilot we all know him for; he notably regretted the role his father played in saving Zeon Zum Daikun's children from extermination.

* In ''MobileSuitGundam'', we have the Principality of Zeon's Secret Service[[note]][[ANaziByAnyOtherName does the acronym sound familiar?]][[/note]], though they only exist in backstory. Their activities throughout Zeon's existence include killing off the Daikun family and their supporters to ensure the Zabis' rule, and disappearing One Year War protesters and suspected traitors (which is pretty much anyone they or the Zabis didn't like) in typical secret police fashion. Two of the side manga even describe how Side 3 suffered from rolling "blackouts", which in reality were entire neighborhoods being cleared out and left unpopulated; in other words, [[NightmareFuel there was nobody left to turn on houselights over entire colony blocks]]. In the novels, [[OfficerAndAGentleman Ramba Ral]] (of all people) was a member of the Secret Service instead of being the {{Badass}} Gouf pilot we all know him for; he notably regretted the role his father played in saving Zeon Zum Daikun's children from extermination.

[-[[caption-width-right:250:[[Series/{{Cops}} Bad Proles, whatcha want\\
Whatcha want, whatcha gonna do?]]\\

* The "Cipher Pol No. 9" ([=CP9=]) of the universe of ''OnePiece': they're the World Government's secret assassins, trained in infiltration and in the Rokushiki (six techniques) in order to complete their missions. They have the authority to kill ''any'' citizen that is presented as a threat to the World Government, including nobility.

* Cecil mentions The Sherriff's Secret Police in every broadcast of ''WelcomeToNightVale'' and they, for their part, seem to be completely unconcerned about their public visibility, even going so far as to host an exhibition baseball game against the Night Vale Fire Department (during which the fire department relief pitchers were found mysteriously dead by blow dart).

* Cecil mentions The Sherriff's Secret Police in every broadcast of ''welcome to Night Vale'' and they, for their part, seem to be completely unconcerned about their public visibility, even going so far as to host an exhibition baseball game against the Night Vale Fire Department (during which the fire department relief pitchers were found mysteriously dead by blow dart).

* Mexico is a fan of these. We currently have the Judicial Police, but back in the day we had:

[[SelfDemonstratingArticle If our heroes are]] visiting CommieLand or a BananaRepublic, they will never run into the SecretPolice.

Why would they? You only need a police force if there is crime, and the country the heroes are in [[BlatantLies either has the lowest crime rate in the world or absolutely no crime at all]]. Any troublemaker just tends to "[[{{Unperson}} disappear]]" overnight; people who see their neighbors being taken away know it's best to look away and not guess why. And as there are no criminals, there's no need for any kind of [[JudgeJuryAndExecutioner law court, judicial system, anti-torture laws or state prison either.]]

* Section 9 in ''Franchise/GhostInTheShell''. A rare case of members of such an organisation being the ''protagonists'' rather than antagonists, focusing on fighting dangerous criminals and terrorists, and are actually supposed to be secret (as in the public not knowing they officially exist). Being [[GoodIsNotNice the nominal good guys]] doesn't mean they don't play this trope straight in all other respects, however.

* In ''Anime/SamuraiChamploo'', there are couple of characters working for the shogunate's secret police, but they are all good guys. There is hardboiled detective parody Manzou the Saw as well as an ActionGirl and her partner who work to bring down a prostitution/crime ring.
* The "Cipher Pol No. 9" ([=CP9=]) of the universe of ''OnePiece'' works as well: they're the World Government's secret assassins, trained in infiltration and in the Rokushiki (six techniques) in order to complete their missions. They have the authority to kill ''any'' citizen that is presented as a threat to the World Government, including nobility.

* In ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' we had the ROOT organization which was a branch of [[EliteMook ANBU]] that answered directly to [[WellIntentionedExtremist Danzo Shimura]] instead of [[LawfulGood the Hokages]].

* In ''{{Traveller}}'' the Zholdani Consulate enforced behaviour with their Guardians of Morality. Given that the Zholdani embraced telepathy and psionics in their society they were real Thought Police.

* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', Brynden "Bloodraven" Rivers used his position as [[TheSpymaster Master of Whisperers]] to establish the paramilitary Raven's Teeth, which he led in the suppression of Daemon Blackfyre's rebellion. As Hand of the King, Bloodraven was accused of running the kingdom with spies and spells.

* The ''Fingermen'' in ''VForVendetta'' - with they actual surveillance done by agents of the ''Eye'' and ''Ear'', the agents of the ''Finger'' are the ones who do the black-bagging of political targets.

* Very practical to have one in ''{{Tropico}} 3''. Stupid rebel bombings.