| 1 | %% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1345969005091820100 |
| 2 | %% Please do not change or remove without starting a new thread. |
| 3 | %% Do not remove the permission notice. |
| 4 | %% |
| 5 | %% Examples have been arranged alphabetically. Please add new examples in alphabetical order. |
| 6 | %% |
| 7 | [[quoteright:300:[[Literature/NineteenEightyFour https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/thought_police_by_libertymaniacs.png]]]] |
| 8 | [-[[caption-width-right:300:[[{{Thoughtcrime}} Thought Police]] by [[http://www.redbubble.com/people/libertymaniacs/works/10231338-thought-police Libertymaniacs]]\ |
| 9 | Used with permission.]]-] |
| 10 | ->''In the far distance a helicopter skimmed down between the roofs, hovered for an instant like a bluebottle, and darted away again with a curving flight. It was the Police Patrol, snooping into people's windows. The patrols did not matter, however. Only the Thought Police mattered.'' |
| 11 | -->-- '''George Orwell''', ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour'' |
| 12 | |
| 13 | If our protagonists are visiting CommieLand or a BananaRepublic, they will [[SelfDemonstratingArticle never]] run into the Secret Police. |
| 14 | |
| 15 | Why would they? You only need a police force if there is crime, and the country the heroes are in either has [[MakeItLookLikeAnAccident the lowest crime rate in the world]] or [[BlatantLies 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 also no need for any [[JudgeJuryAndExecutioner court of law, jury by peers, or state prisons]]. |
| 16 | |
| 17 | Common in {{Dystopia}}n fiction. If the Secret Police existed and had their own military force, then it would be a StateSec. If they don't officially exist, they might be NoSuchAgency. |
| 18 | |
| 19 | If there's an identifiable leader, they'll almost always be TheSpymaster. |
| 20 | |
| 21 | If the culture isn't so bad, or the police--while secret, or at least very quiet--aren't altogether evil or brutal, they may just be TheMenInBlack. |
| 22 | |
| 23 | Compare PoliceState, where the police organization enforces a totalitarian regime openly. |
| 24 | ---- |
| 25 | !!Examples |
| 26 | [[index]] |
| 27 | * SecretPolice/RealLife |
| 28 | [[/index]] |
| 29 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 30 | |
| 31 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 32 | * The Central 1st Brigade of the Military Police in ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' has the mission of eliminating "undesirable elements" within the walls for the King. [[spoiler:They have eliminated not only political dissidents but also people who are too curious about the world outside the walls, question the official government's story and people who have discovered technological breakthroughs -- thus enforcing the setting's MedievalStasis (while hoarding for themselves, thus having anti-human 3DM gear). They are also sent in by the royal government to realise ThePurge of the Survey Corps.]] |
| 33 | * The Oprichnina are an example of this trope in ''Literature/{{Gate}}''. Formed by Zorzal after his father, Emperor Molto, is poisoned, he uses this force to arrest any nobles and senators who are attempting to seek a peaceful resolution with the Japanese government. Despite their horrendous behavior, what they're doing is technically considered the Empire's internal affairs, preventing the Japanese Prime Minister from being able to house any Imperials attempting to seek refuge in their embassy, lest Zorzal uses this as an excuse to restart the war. |
| 34 | * 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). However, being [[GoodIsNotNice the good guys]] doesn't mean they don't play this trope straight in all other respects. |
| 35 | * In ''Anime/LycorisRecoil'', the Direct Action assassinates criminals and terrorists to prevent crime and cover up the ones they failed to. |
| 36 | * In ''Anime/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 whole neighborhoods being cleared out and left unpopulated; in other words, [[NightmareFuel there was nobody left to turn houselights on over entire city blocks]]. |
| 37 | ** Notably in the novels, Ramba Ral (of all people) was a member of the Secret Service instead of being the badass Gouf pilot we all know him for. As opposed to the OfficerAndAGentleman he was in the TV/Movie series, he was more a Gihren loyalist here, such that he harbored shame over his father saving Zeon Zum Daikun's children from extermination. |
| 38 | * Implied in ''Anime/TheMysticalLaws''. Five months after the Godom Empire successfully took over Japan and renamed it the "Far-East Autonomous Territory," with Tokyo as the "First Controlled Special Economic Zone," two salarymen lament the fact they can no longer call themselves Japanese. Suddenly, two other men in civilian attire stop to handcuff the former two and take them away. |
| 39 | * In ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' we had the ROOT organization which was a branch of [[EliteMook ANBU]] that answered directly to [[WellIntentionedExtremist Danzo Shimura]] instead of [[BigGood the Hokages]]. |
| 40 | * The "Cipher Pol No. 9" ([=CP9=]) of the universe of ''Manga/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. A second, even more elite secret police unit was later revealed, Cipher Pol Aegis Zero, which recruited the members of [=CP9=] some time after the latter was dissolved. |
| 41 | * ''Manga/{{Ratman}}'' has "S Security", the Hero Association's top enforcers who are dispatched to covertly eliminate threats to the Association like the eponymous AntiVillain [[VillainProtagonist Protagonist]]. |
| 42 | * 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. |
| 43 | * In ''Manga/SPYxFamily'', Yuri Briar is secretly an interrogator for the Ostanian government (specifically of the State Security Service, as the government's secret police is officially known as in-universe), and one of his goals is to capture Twilight, the rival nation of Westalis's greatest spy. HilarityEnsues because Twilight is currently posing as his sister Yor's husband, Loid Forger. |
| 44 | [[/folder]] |
| 45 | |
| 46 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 47 | * ''ComicBook/BlackPanther'': The Hatut Zeraze (Dogs of War) were the secret police of Wakanda until they were disbanded and exiled by T'Challa when he rose to the throne. Despite this, they still operate in Wakanda as unofficial mercenaries. |
| 48 | * The Judges of Mega City One in ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'' have the Wally Squad, who have the same powers as a regular judge but are free to blend in with the general citizenry. Since the citizenry of Mega City One consists largely of idiots, this means you get characters like Jack Point, a HardboiledDetective archetype who has to dress like a clown. |
| 49 | * ''Franchise/{{Tintin}}'': The nations of [[{{Ruritania}} Syldavia]] and [[CommieNazis Borduria]] both have their own secret police. Syldavia's secret police are the ZEPO (''Ze-Po'', ''Zekrett Politzs''), and are analogous to the American CIA and British [=MI6=]. Borduria's are the similarly-named ZEP, and are analogous to Nazi Germany's SS and the Soviet Union's NKVD. |
| 50 | * The ''Fingermen'' in ''ComicBook/VForVendetta'' -- with the 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. |
| 51 | [[/folder]] |
| 52 | |
| 53 | [[folder:Fanfics]] |
| 54 | * ''Fanfic/FourDeadlySecrets'': The RSS, Vale's "secret happy fun-time people," who you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alleyway. |
| 55 | * According to the [[ConspiracyTheorist narrator]] of ''Fanfic/EquestriaAHistoryRevealed'', Celestia has all sorts of different secret polices. |
| 56 | ** The LemonyNarrator fears the dreaded Fallacy Police. Apparently they're watching her, waiting for her to slip up. Good thing for her, Loose Change reasons that [[BlatantLies she's had no faults in logic in her essay so far]] so she should be fine. But given the absurdity of the statement, it stands to reason that their existence is highly questionable. |
| 57 | ** It is hinted that Celestia might have had a secret police during the Classical Era. The name that the narrator gives the organization, "Celestia Watermelon Friendship Surprise", casts doubt into this validity of this claim, though. |
| 58 | * ''Fanfic/FledglingsOrEverythingsBetterWithPenguins'': The Department of Internal Operations is a department at the PPC that goes after Mary Sue infiltrators of the organization, and does such a good job at covering up its own existence that most people aren't sure if it's real. By the time the story takes place, however, the DIO has been defunct for over a decade. [[spoiler:Some of the department's members end up helping Anis and Mallory assassinate the Gary Stu known as Agent Tawaki Penguin, as the fanfic they're all in is set at a time when the DIO was still active.]] |
| 59 | * Season 2 of ''Fanfic/TheNewAdventuresOfInvaderZim'' reveals that the Irken Empire has a secret police force called the Consulars. They're Irkens with rare psychic abilities, allowing them to search the minds of suspects, which makes them TheDreaded among the rest of the ranks. Also, they report directly to [[TheManBehindTheMan the Control Brains]], which means that technically they don't have to be subservient to the Tallest. |
| 60 | * ''Fanfic/NightsFavoredChild'' has the Imperial Overwatch, led by [[TheDragon the Inquisitor]]. |
| 61 | * In ''Fanfic/SummerCrowns'', the Second Sons are reorganized to serve as this function after the Dragonhunt-led alliance they're part of take over Myr and make it the capital of the newly established Kingdom of Summer. |
| 62 | * In ''Fanfic/TheUnabridgedMemoirsOfDarthPlagueisTheWise'' has the Political Security Service serving this role for the [[YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters Rim Liberation Front]], often carrying out purges in order to eliminate supposed "Republic spies". |
| 63 | [[/folder]] |
| 64 | |
| 65 | [[folder:Film -- Animated]] |
| 66 | * PlayedForLaughs in ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGOMovie'': There are the "Super Secret Police", who [[WithCatlikeTread have those exact words written on their vehicles]], and are also [[RedRightHand almost entirely robotic]]. While they are mainly tasked with tracking down and capturing the Master Builders, they are also seen attacking civillians and [[CallingTheCopsOnTheFBI other police officers]] by the movie's climax. The video game even shows their headquarters in broad daylight with their title on a sign in front. |
| 67 | [[/folder]] |
| 68 | |
| 69 | [[folder:Film -- Live-Action]] |
| 70 | * ''Film/ThirteenMinutes'': Gestapo head Heinrich Müller is one of Elser's interrogators, with Kripo chief Arthur Nebe. |
| 71 | * In a semi-Real Life example the movie ''Film/TheBankJob'' features [[UsefulNotes/SecretIntelligenceService MI5]] acting in a role similar to this when they blackmail a group of thieves to commit a bank robbery to [[{{Irony}} steal blackmail materials]] against the royal family. Though the incident in the film has been alleged to be true, it is entirely unproven. |
| 72 | * ''Film/ClosetLand'': The Interrogator seems to be a member of the government political police, interrogating (i.e. torturing) suspected dissidents such as the Author. He says their job is to protect society through removing "negative elements" |
| 73 | * The Grammaton Clerics of ''Film/{{Equilibrium}}''. Like the [[Literature/Fahrenheit451 Firemen]], the Clerics seek out and destroy anything that the state declares [[CulturePolice "emotionally dangerous."]] What separates them from other political police is that they know GunKata, making them far deadlier and much cooler. |
| 74 | * ''Film/TheException'': The Geheime Staatspolizei (literally "Secret State Police", aka the Gestapo) are Nazi Germany's secret police, who serve as the main antagonists in the film. |
| 75 | * ''Film/GoldThroughTheFire'': Peter is threatened while in the US by KGB agents, demanding that he return or they'll hurt his family (who are imprisoned). After he refuses even so, they kidnap him. He escapes, so at the end an agent is sent to kill him. Upon hearing Peter speaking with his foster brother about what Russian Christians endure, the agent puts down his rifle with a smile, deciding not to. |
| 76 | * Conal Cochran's robotic employees serve as this in ''Film/HalloweenIIISeasonOfTheWitch'', killing anyone who poses a threat to their plans or simply hates Silver Shamrock. A drunk who falls victim to the robots warns Dr. Challis that Cochran has spies all over the place. Furthermore, it's impossible to make phone calls from outside Santa Mira, where his factory is located. |
| 77 | * ''Film/HeadInTheClouds'': Franz Bietrich, the German officer whom Gilda dates to get intelligence, works with the Gestapo in Paris. As a result, she tips off the French Resistance about their operations where possible. |
| 78 | * ''Film/TheLivesOfOthers'' is about the Stasi monitoring playwright Georg Dreyman and his actress partner Christa-Maria Sieland. The story focuses on Stasi Captain Gerd Wiesler as he becomes disillusioned with the operation due to the ulterior motives of Minister Bruno Hempf and his increasing sympathies for the couple. |
| 79 | * ''Film/NightTrainToLisbon'': They were the terror of Portugal under Porfirio Salazar, shown as ruthlessly torturing Joao for information. As resistance against the regime grows, the secret policeman who tortured him is then beaten up. Amadeu gets the brunt of the assailants' anger for treating him afterward. |
| 80 | * In ''Film/VForVendetta'', the Norsefire government has the Finger who serve them this way, with all the so-called "Fingermen" operating in virtual impunity. However, when the revolution happens, citizens turn upon them without mercy, as it's implied most secretly hated them (not surprisingly). |
| 81 | * ''Film/WhereHandsTouch'': The Gestapo are the bane of Leyna's existence, constantly harassing and tracking her down, with the ever-present threat of her being sterilized or worse just because she's black. |
| 82 | [[/folder]] |
| 83 | |
| 84 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 85 | * ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour'': The dreaded Thought Police watch the population of Oceania for any sign of {{thoughtcrime}}. Citizens don't even need to have done anything contrary to Big Brother. They just need to be ''thinking'' about it. The famous slogan "Big Brother Is Watching You" threatens that the Thought Police could be inspecting your behavior at any moment, so you never get a moment's safety to be yourself. The Thought Police will even recruit your own family members to inform against you (this was a common tactic of totalitarian regimes, and is still used in dictatorial regimes today). |
| 86 | * In the first ''Literature/AbleTeam'' novel, it's pointed out by the leader of a Puerto Rican independence group that Able Team fits this description -- they receive the full cooperation of the police and FBI, yet don't admit to belonging to any official government agency. |
| 87 | * ''Literature/TheBartimaeusTrilogy'' by Jonathon Stroud has the Night Police. This trope, and they're [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent werewolves]] to boot. |
| 88 | * Creator/ChinaMieville's ''Literature/BasLagCycle'': ''Literature/PerdidoStreetStation'' combines this with TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse to the point of ParanoiaFuel. The city state that serves as the setting makes uses of its "militia" which has agents that can be anyone. |
| 89 | * In Creator/RobertAHeinlein's ''Literature/BetweenPlanets'' we have the I.B.I. (not stated but probably Interplanetary Bureau of Investigation) which is the Federation's secret police. Their agents are Don Harvey's main antagonist. |
| 90 | * Given this record, the trope is notably averted in the third of the most significant literary dystopias, Aldous Huxley's ''Literature/BraveNewWorld''... the people are too happy to care, so no police enforcement is needed. Though it should be noted that there is obviously a police force, as seen when John the Savage starts throwing out the [[FantasticDrug soma]] rations. |
| 91 | * In ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'', the White Witch's SavageWolves serves as the secret police. The Witch also has ''[[ParanoiaFuel trees]]'' spying for her. |
| 92 | * ''Literature/TheCityAndTheCity'', where the "Breach" spirits away any citizens of the titular cities caught trespassing into the other. Given the two cities occupy the same space, it's more difficult than it seems. |
| 93 | * To a lesser extent in Pournelle's ''Literature/CoDominium'' series: |
| 94 | ** In the ''Literature/FalkenbergsLegion'' books, the CD Intelligence Services work to prohibit any scientific research to keep the peace. They have no problems with corrupting databanks, censoring publications, and exiling scientists to deadly prison planets. |
| 95 | ** The Kingdom of Haven's Secret Police of ''Literature/KingDavidsSpaceship''. Just as unscrupulous as their counterparts (they kill off an entire tavern and an landlady to preserve a secret they ''might'' have accidentally overheard). Unusual is that their goal is rather benevolent. |
| 96 | * The ''Crisis of Empire'' series by Creator/DavidDrake and other authors had the Kona Tatsu, whose authority included rearranging a marriage -- as in, "You're now divorced so we can have your wife make a political marriage to someone else" -- to support their agenda. The series portrays them as somewhat morally grey rather than wholly evil. As a whole, they are not as horribly bad as they ''pretend'' to be; They're certainly ruthless and sometimes sociopathic, but as a whole they are one of the few forces keeping civilization intact, and they know it, and some of their people try to behave decently when they can keep it from being obvious to their victims. |
| 97 | * ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': The "Cable Street Particulars" as seen in ''Literature/{{Night Watch|Discworld}}'' are portrayed as an English version of UsefulNotes/TheGestapo. They mainly hunt out revolutionaries and are ''not'' picky about how they get their information. People have been known to enter their HQ and are never seen again. The scene where a time displaced Vimes breaks into the building is a disturbing scene by Discworld standards. In a chronologically later book, Commander Vimes revives them as an undercover division of the City Watch: "secret policemen for secret crimes" as he puts it. It's safe to assume that since they report to an honest Commander, the modern Particulars are a benevolent version. The one secret policeman we meet in ''Literature/{{Maskerade}}'' is essentially the same thing as an undercover officer and works under a temporary identity to investigate a specific crime, rather than lurking and spying indiscriminately. |
| 98 | * ''Literature/DraconisMemoria'': The Cadre, the elite intelligence agency of the Corvantine Empire, are very much this, executing traitors, suspected traitors and anyone associated with either with equal amounts of callousness and zeal. They are the main opponents of the Syndicate’s Exceptional Initiatives and employ almost as many Blood-blessed as the former, though their approach tends to be considerably more blunt and violent. When in uniform, their members even don the stereotypical [[ConspicuousTrenchcoat "dark coat and fedora"]] outfit for bonus intimidation factor. |
| 99 | * The Firemen of Creator/RayBradbury's ''Literature/Fahrenheit451'', [[CulturePolice who hunt and raze houses containing uncensored materials]]. |
| 100 | * In UsefulNotes/SouthAfrica-set novel ''Literature/TheFirstRuleOfSurvival'', set in post-[[UsefulNotes/TheApartheidEra apartheid]] South Africa, white Afrikaner policeman Vaughn de Vries comes to realise the new Internal Security department is as paranoid and repressive as the old BOSS that it replaced. Except this time, the dissaffected and possibly rebellious section of South African society whose actions and thoughts are being monitored are ''white''. |
| 101 | * ''Literature/ForWantOfANail'': The Constabulary, an organization put together by the United States of Mexico during a time of civil unrest and guerrilla terrorist activity in the hopes of restoring order and stability. While this works, it ultimately backfires, as the Constabulary's commandant, [[MeaningfulName Benito]] Hermion, with the backing of [[MegaCorp Kramer Associates]], stages a coup and takes control of the country. |
| 102 | * ''Literature/GarrettPI'': In the later novels, Deal Relway's Unpublished Committee for Royal Security becomes a covert law-enforcement force to be reckoned with in post-war [=TunFaire=]. Still marginally an agency of good, but likely to turn toxic if Relway ever runs out of genuine malefactors to target or gets replaced by someone less righteous. |
| 103 | * ''Literature/GentlemanBastard'': The secret police of Camorr are known as the Midnighters. They are, in fact, so secretive that most people never have interactions with them. When the Bastards are posing as midnighters for a con, they don't even know what the badges should look like and have some custom made based on rumors they've heard, trusting that their targets also won't know any better. |
| 104 | * ''Literature/InfernoLarryNivenAndJerryPournelle'': Discussed. Benito and Allen get through the {{Obstructive Bureaucrat}}s of Dis by means of Benny pretending to be a government official. The ruse is paper-thin and everyone knows it, but the bureaucrats think that they are secret police and obey him anyway. When Allen later asks Benito how he knows that there's a secret police around, the latter replies that that's the only way a bureaucratic state can function. [[spoiler:He'd know, being a former dictator.]] |
| 105 | * ''Literature/TheHandmaidsTale'': The Republic of Gilead's secret police are called the Eyes of God, or simply Eyes. The historical notes section does mention that lots of them were double or triple agents who spied for the Commanders but were also required to spy on them, and lots of them were also members of the resistance group Mayday. |
| 106 | * ''Literature/TheHeritageOfShannara'': The Seekers are somewhere between this and StateSec. With their {{Black Cloak}}s and wolf's head pins, they are among the most feared people in the entire [[TheEmpire Federation]]. |
| 107 | * ''Literature/ThatHideousStrength'' has the N.I.C.E. Institutional Police, which act like any other typical secret police. Oddly enough, the NICE also have a female police auxiliary, headed by a woman who loves to abuse female prisoners. |
| 108 | * ''Literature/HonorHarrington'': The People's Republic of Haven had a number of secret agencies: |
| 109 | ** The Mental Hygiene Police and Internal Security. |
| 110 | ** When the Committee of Public Safety comes to power, it centralizes the secret police, and creates StateSec, whose initials ''SS'' is no coincidence. |
| 111 | * The Caretaker Service in Yulia Latynina's ''Literature/{{Inhuman}}'', but so much more efficient (also, they can double as special forces). |
| 112 | * In ''The Island of Crimea'', OSVAG is the alternate Crimean-White Russian cloak-and-dagger outfit. |
| 113 | * ''[[Literature/{{MARZENA}} The MARZENA Series]]'' has the IJS (not to confuse with the US). They spy on people, sell their data to Neo-Nazis and use the Transhuman Army to clean up the mess left behind so that [[EvilInc Tresisda]] pass out as heroes. Also there is their American counterpart, Section-C, a Private Intelligence Company contracted by Homeland Security to take care of dirty business that the American government don't want to get involved in. |
| 114 | * In M. K. Wren's ''The Phoenix Legacy'' trilogy, there was the SSB, the Special Services Branch of the [[TheEmpire Concord]] Police. SSB personnel always wore electronic masks that hid their faces in apparent shadow. Their interrogation division was known as Psychocontrol. |
| 115 | * In ''Shadow of Freedom'', one bit character is introduced as the leader of the Mobius Secret Police, an agency whose existence is [[NoSuchAgency literally a state secret]]. Another bit character takes a moment to muse on whether or not the former realizes that in most cases, only a Secret Police's ''actions'' are kept a secret. |
| 116 | * Creator/TomSharpe's black farces of life in apartheid South Africa, ''Literature/RiotousAssembly'' and ''Literature/IndecentExposure'', centre on the criminally inefficient, incompetent, thuggish and racist Piemburg Police Force. This comes across as a version of Creator/TerryPratchett's CityWatch but lacking its redeeming virtues. A memorable character is the certifiably insane Lieutenant Verkramp, the Piemburg sector head of the dreaded Bureau of State Security (BOSS), the old South African secret police. Verkramp is a hysterical paranoid maniac who believes Communist subversion is everywhere, and that every despised black is ultimately plotting rebellion and the bloody downfall of white (Afrikaaner) power in South Africa. Verkramp is obsessed with miscegenation and racial purity, and with the aid of a Nazi-inclined German psychiatrist, is forever devising tests and measurements to precisely define the degree of black contamination in otherwise white people. He is also interested in aversion therapy to prevent white men from desiring black women, and vice-versa. In this he shares character traits with Terry Pratchett's Captain Findthee Swing and may well have been an inspiration for the character, who appears in Pratchett's ''Literature/{{Night Watch|Discworld}}''. |
| 117 | * 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. [[spoiler:These accusations are more or less true, since he's a powerful greenseer who can [[MindRape enter the mind]] of and control any animal or person, as well as receive visions of the future. Over 100 years later, he's hiding out beyond the Wall, teaching these tricks to Bran.]] |
| 118 | * ''Literature/TheStarsMyDestination'' has a Secret Police which even has its own code language ("the Secret Speech"). They have a reputation for ColdBloodedTorture and disappearing people, although one of their members asserts that they made up stories of atrocities themselves so as to scare people. They are all descended from Chinese tongs. |
| 119 | * ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'': |
| 120 | ** Imperial Intelligence (military) and the Imperial Security Bureau (political) are the Empire's two main secret police organs, often at each other's throats. The latter is also StateSec (unsurprisingly, given its name) with special ISB stormtrooper units. |
| 121 | ** The Emperor's Hands are a more informal version, Force-sensitive assassins who report directly to the Emperor, don't exist on any record, and serve as judge, jury and executioner. |
| 122 | ** The Espos (Security Police) of the Corporate Sector Authority straddle the line between this and DirtyCop. |
| 123 | ** The Galactic Alliance Guard in the ''Literature/LegacyOfTheForce'' books, initially the Galactic Alliance's response to Corellian secessionist movements, quickly develops into this trope. |
| 124 | ** In ''Literature/FateOfTheJedi'', PresidentEvil Daala used the [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Mandalorians]] as a covert "peacekeeping" force. Soon she starts doing it openly, and as a result nobody really complains when the Jedi [[PutOnAPrisonBus remove her from power]]. |
| 125 | ** A few smaller-scale examples at the planetary level, like Corellia's Public Safety Service, which is the secret police of the local Imperial government and its successor state after it goes independent. It was a replacement for Corellian Security Force (or [=CorSec=]), which was a regular law-enforcement organisation broadly comparable to the FBI or the French ''Gendarmerie'' with a close working relationship to the local Jedi sect. One of the heroes in the ''Literature/XWingSeries'', a former [=CorSec=] agent, is very bitter about what happened to the organisation. |
| 126 | * In the ''Literature/TroyRising'' series, the Kazi fills this slot for the Rangoran Empire. |
| 127 | * ''Literature/VorkosiganSaga'': Barrayar had the Ministry of Political Education in Emperor Ezar's time, and though things have improved by Miles' time [=ImpSec=] still enjoys a bit of a reputation, which they do little to discourage. |
| 128 | * The main antagonists in Creator/EricFrankRussell's novel ''Literature/Wasp1957''. The Kaimina Tempiti, or Kaitempi, serve this role for the [[PuttingOnTheReich Nazi-like]] Sirian Empire. The name is an obvious allusion to the Japanese Kempeitai during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. In the novel, the Kaitempi censor all media and use violence and intimidation to quell any opposition to the Imperial government. The protagonist, James Mowry, is sent to a remote Sirian colony in order to foment rebellion and sow chaos as preparation for the Terran invasion. To this effect, he creates (and [[RefugeInAudacity officially registers]]) an anti-government (read: [[YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters terrorist]]) organization called Dirac Angestun Gesept (Sirian Freedom Party). He also proceeds to hire contract killers to take out Kaitampi officials. |
| 129 | * ''Literature/WatershipDown'': In Efrafa there is the Oswlafa, or Council Police. |
| 130 | * The Brocade Guards (a nod to Jinyi Wei; see Real Life below) in Yulia Latynina's ''Wei Empire'' cycle would be this, except they are very numerous, highly public and often quite incompetent; some of the government characters have their own private intelligence services that can be much more like this, though. |
| 131 | [[/folder]] |
| 132 | |
| 133 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 134 | * PlayedForLaughs in ''Series/AlloAllo'', where the local [[UsefulNotes/TheGestapo Gestapo]] operatives are the [[LaughablyEvil incompetent bumblers]] Herr Flick and Von Smallhausen. |
| 135 | * ''Series/Avenue5'': Iris proposes establishing one of these in "Intoxicating Clarity" in order to root out anyone opposed to Ryan's recent election to ship dictator. Ryan himself shoots down the idea (as he never wanted to be in charge anyway, let alone dictator), only to approve it in order to clamp down on order and preempt [[PowderKegCrowd another]] panic-induced riot when the ship learns about [[spoiler: the missile launched at them by The Office of the Other President]]. |
| 136 | * ''Series/BlakesSeven''. The Terran Federation had Central Security, who have all the tools of a future dystopia to maintain order -- [[BigBrotherIsWatchingYou ubiquitous surveillance]], GovernmentDrugEnforcement, [[TheMole undercover agents]], {{brainwashing}}, [[FakeMemories memory alteration]], {{Mind Probe}}s, {{Torture Technician}}s, even [[StateSec their own military forces]]. |
| 137 | * ''Series/DasBoot'': The Gestapo, who are in La Rochelle, France, to help enforce the German occupation and hunt down the French Resistance. Hagen Forster is a member and one of the main characters in the series. |
| 138 | * The Alliance Operatives in ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' (and the BigDamnMovie ''Film/{{Serenity}}''). |
| 139 | * ''Series/AFrenchVillage'': The SD (the SS's intelligence service) is a menacing presence under Heinrich Müller in Villeneuve, ruthlessly hunting down and torturing resistance members. Conversely, the French RG were already around before investigating Communists, and continue their work into the war as collaborators. |
| 140 | * ''Series/TheHandmaidsTale'': The Eyes of God, who even the Commanders are afraid of. A couple of them are seen grabbing a man straight off the street in broad daylight, then stuffing him into a van. Nick was one, working undercover as Commander Waterford's driver and tasked to spy on him. At the same time, he's a {{double agent}} serving in the resistance. |
| 141 | * ''Series/TheManInTheHighCastle'': |
| 142 | ** The SS's intelligence branch, the SD (''Siecherheitsdienst'') pops up in multiple episodes, especially in the Neutral Zone, where their agents murder and terrorize people with impunity. |
| 143 | ** Season 3 reveals that J. Edgar Hoover has remade the FBI into the ARBI, which adds yet another layer of secret-police oppression to the Reich's American territories. |
| 144 | ** The Nazi Gestapo (the TropeNamer) is naturally mentioned to still be around. Season 4 also introduces a female Gestapo agent, Martha Stroud-it's then referred to as the "Staatspolizei" (the second two words of its official title, ''Geheime Staatspolizei''-Secret State Police), and she's assisted by male agents too. |
| 145 | * ''Series/{{SSGB}}'': The Gestapo have set up shop in the building right next to the Metropolitan Police Service. |
| 146 | * The Tal Shiar, Obsidian Order and Section 31 in ''Franchise/StarTrek''. Section 31 is notable because it (an amoral, covert agency) operates within TheFederation (who typically acts in the open and does the right choice). However, Section 31 is more of a Secret Society than a Secret Police. |
| 147 | ** Section 31 is even more notable in that while all other said governments at least tacitly acknowledge their prospective organization's existence, even Section 31's name means little to nothing, as it could more technically be called ''Article XIV, Section 31''...that is, of the original United Earth Starfleet Charter, that ambiguously allows an unspecified "investigative agency" to take "extraordinary measures" in cases of "extraordinary circumstances" which threaten Earth, and later on the Federation as a whole. As Luther Sloane makes clear in the ''[[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Deep Space Nine]]'' finale about them...there are no centralized offices for Section 31, anywhere. Some admirals and other high-ranking officials seem to know of its existence, but Section 31 is held accountable to ''absolutely no one.'' |
| 148 | ** ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' then reveals that in the mid-23rd century, Section 31 was a known and sanctioned division of Starfleet Intelligence, with certain admirals providing oversight. Then they lost control of a threat-assessment A.I. that tried to end all sentient life in the galaxy and it was decided that Section 31 had to be kept on a shorter leash. Apparently, that didn't go so well. |
| 149 | ** The Cardassian Obsidian Order is so powerful that they are effectively TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness that runs the whole empire. Civilian politicians and military commanders do exist, but eventually all major decisions are made by them. |
| 150 | ** The Romulans' Tal Shiar behaves as both secret police and political officers aboard Romulan ships. Romulans are almost universally ''terrified'' of them. When Troi is posing as a Tal Shiar officer aboard a Romulan Warbird (long story), she mostly maintains her cover because the ship's crew doesn't dare question any of her actions. Near the episode's climax, she commandeers the ship from its rightful commander by threatening to summarily execute not just anyone who objects, but their entire family. The crew's reaction makes it clear that nobody doubts that a member of the Tal Shiar would follow through on that threat. |
| 151 | *** In ''Series/StarTrekPicard'', Laris, herself a former Tal Shiar operative, points out that the term "Secret" Police, while not inaccurate, is [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment redundant]] when applied to the Romulans. ''Every'' aspect of Romulan culture is effused with secrecy and deception, police included. [[spoiler:The ''real'' Romulan Secret Police is the Zhat Vash, who are far older and supposedly use the Tal Shiar as a mask for their ''real'' mission to eliminate synthetic life-forms throughout the galaxy.]] |
| 152 | * ''Series/TheTripods'' from BBC has a group of soldiers called the Black Guard who are portrayed as the Tripods' emissaries in the outside world (though they aren't present in the books). |
| 153 | * ''Series/UtopiaFalls'': The Authority, the city's police, detain and interrogate people simply for dancing or singing in unapproved ways, while having spies everywhere. |
| 154 | * On one episode of ''Series/WKRPInCincinnati'', Johnny is convinced that the phone company has their own secret police force - AND they're after him for destroying a phone earlier in the episode. |
| 155 | * ''Series/WorldOnFire'': |
| 156 | ** The Gestapo investigate the Rosslers after Mr. Rossler killed a Nazi woman to protect his daughter, and interrogate them both harshly. |
| 157 | ** In Season 2 they arrest Gertha, who's just 16, simply for objecting to her friend Marga having gotten recruited into the Lebensborn program. Threats by them against her parents get Gertha to give her teacher Herr Turtz up, who had counseled Marga's parents against it too. He doesn't blame her, clearly realizing what happened. |
| 158 | [[/folder]] |
| 159 | |
| 160 | [[folder:Music]] |
| 161 | * "California Uber Alles" by the Music/DeadKennedys mentions the Suede Denim Secret Police, who drag away the "uncool" for a "shower". |
| 162 | * Parodied in Lost Twists's "Pensè que se trataba de cieguitos" ("I thought these were blind dudes!"), since the narrator is a super oblivious dude who spends three days in the hands of some secret police and doesn't even seem to ''notice'' who they are. |
| 163 | * The song "[[https://youtu.be/_XB3PxNZpT4 Secret Police]]", sung by [[Music/{{Vocaloid}} Hatsune Miku]], describes this trope to a T, with a bit of ParanoiaFuel to the mix, as is implies that the agents could be absolutely anyone, no matter their age or social status. |
| 164 | * Mentioned in the second verse of "Resistance" by Music/{{Muse}}. |
| 165 | -->''Kill your prayers for love and peace\ |
| 166 | You'll wake the thought police''\ |
| 167 | [[/folder]] |
| 168 | |
| 169 | [[folder:Podcasts]] |
| 170 | * Cecil mentions the Sheriff's Secret Police in nearly every broadcast of ''Podcast/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). Indeed, it seems that the Sheriff's Secret Police is Night Vale's ''only'' form of law enforcement. |
| 171 | [[/folder]] |
| 172 | |
| 173 | [[folder:Radio]] |
| 174 | * The eponymous organization featured in ''Speed Gibson of the International Secret Police'' is a rare and somewhat baffling heroic example, which uses its secrecy and unquestioned authority to fight actual bad guys ForGreatJustice. Why a benevolent law enforcement agency would need to hide its existence from the world is never addressed, nor is [[FridgeHorror who they answer to, and whose version of the law they're charged with enforcing]], but luckily for everyone they appear to be staffed entirely by [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure Reasonable Authority Figures]], [[TheCape Capes]], and [[ByTheBookCop By-The-Book Cops]] who [[TheFettered wouldn't dream]] of abusing their position (not that a kids' show from the '30s would've gotten away with exploring that angle anyhow). |
| 175 | [[/folder]] |
| 176 | |
| 177 | [[folder:Tabletop Games]] |
| 178 | * ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'': Each major faction in the Inner Sphere has at least one: |
| 179 | ** The Federated Suns have the MIIO, the Draconis Combine the ISF, the Lyran Commonwealth has LOKI, the Free Worlds League has SAFE, the Capellan Confederation has the Maskirovka and [[ImpartialPurposeDrivenFaction ComStar]] has ROM. LOKI and ROM cross the line into outright StateSec, the former having enough military clout to all but take over the Commonwealth in TheCoup during the backstory and ROM being heavily integrated with the [=ComGuard=]. |
| 180 | ** The Clans have the Watch, which is more or less run independently by each Clan. As can be expected from ProudWarriorRaceGuys who despise all forms of lies and trickery and had spent 300-odd years living in complete isolation from other humans, their competence leaves a bit to be desired. 'Clan intelligence' more or less starts and ends with 'looking it up on Chatterweb' (the Clan version of social media)[[note]]Given that Clan battles ''start'' with announcing who you are, what you're attacking with, and your projected goal, it's a miracle the Clans had an intelligence apparatus at all[[/note]]. |
| 181 | * ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': ''TabletopGame/{{Eberron}}'': In the Gnome nation of [[http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ebds/20041129a Zilargo]], all aspects of national security and law enforcement are handled by an order of spies, diviners and assassins known as the Trust. The Gnomes of Zilargo are mostly happy with this arrangement, since their nation has the lowest crime rate on the continent and their national pastime, intrigue, is not generally interfered with. This, combined with the fact that they're actually rather democratic (Zilargo has the most lax censorship laws in Eberron) means that they actually seem like a mostly normal police force who just happen to be run by a culture where elaborate schemes are looked upon as a fun diversion. To put it another way: in Zilargo, a gnome becomes paranoid if he thinks ''no one'' is watching him. |
| 182 | * ''TabletopGame/InNomine'': Asmodeus' servants, the demons of the Game, serve as Hell's secret police. Most of their efforts go into rooting out incompetents, spying on the other Princes' plots, and tracking down Renegade demons and bringing them home to face "justice". |
| 183 | * ''TabletopGame/LegendOfTheFiveRings'': For a while, Hantei XVI, better known as the Steel Chrysanthemum, instated the Steel Magistrates, which were meant to root out the many (mostly imaginary) conspiracies he thought were arrayed against him. This was seen after the fact as one of the many pieces of evidence that [[TheCaligula he was completely insane]], and [[spoiler:led to the sages [[RetGone striking most of the records of his reign from history]]]]. |
| 184 | %%* ''TabletopGame/{{Paranoia}}'': Internal Security or [=IntSec=]. |
| 185 | * ''TabletopGame/{{Traveller}}'': The Zhodani Consulate enforced behaviour with their Guardians of Morality. Given that the Zhodani embraced telepathy and psionics in their society, they were real Thought Police. |
| 186 | * ''Franchise/{{Warhammer}}'': |
| 187 | ** ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': |
| 188 | *** The Inquisition, with three major branches, each specializing in fighting either heretics, aliens, or the forces of chaos. Also overlaps with StateSec. How ''secret'' their policing is can vary, considering some Inquisitors have become famous and well-known, but also depending on circumstances or an individual Inquisitor's preferred methods. While Inquisitor Lord Torquemada Coteaz maintains an extensive informant network throughout the Formosa Sector (said to be [[BigBrotherIsWatching at least 2 in every 3 citizens]]), others such as Inquisitor Lord Fyodor Karamazov are more likely to descend on a planet with their own personal fleet and Chamber Militants. |
| 189 | *** For more mundane dangers, there's the Adeptus Arbites. The Arbites deal with organised crime, sedition, rebellion, and everything else outside the jurisdiction or ability of the local police forces. Essentially, they are the MVD to the Inquisition's KGB. One source describes them as having [[SinisterSurveillance "crystal lenses and sound wave detectors... that can watch citizens and listen to their conversations 100 leagues away, Imperial spy satellites watch what they can't see directly"]]. |
| 190 | ** And most shadowy of all is the Officio Assassinorum. Their forte is stealth and secrecy, and as well as external threats, the Officio Assassinorum often deals with rogue planetary governors. So capable is the Officio Assassinorum that one Grand Master of Assassins, Drakan Vangorich, used the temples to slay the other High Lords of Terra and take over the Imperium himself. It took 400 Space Marines to defeat his army of 100 Eversor Assassins and the battle left one lone Space Marine of the Imperial Fists standing to claim the Grand Master's head. Since this event, deployment of even a single Assassin requires the authorisation of at least two thirds of the High Lords of Terra, and the lasting distrust means the Space Marines have '''conspiracy theories''' about them, suspecting the Officio Assassinorum of responsibility for unexplained misfortunes such as the Crimson Fists' fortress monastery being destroyed by its own defence missile. |
| 191 | ** ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasyRoleplay'': Kislev, being a FantasyCounterpartCulture based on Tzarist Russia, has them. [[CrapsackWorld They are]] [[LowFantasy not nice]]. |
| 192 | [[/folder]] |
| 193 | |
| 194 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 195 | * ''VideoGame/{{Beholder}}'' has you taking on the role of secret policeman yourself. Although player-character Carl Stein is just a landlord and not a member of any such organisation, he is tasked by the state to spy and report on his tenants by such means as searching apartments and installing cameras in their smoke-detectors without the tenants knowing. |
| 196 | * ''VideoGame/ColonyWars: Vengeance'' has "The Watch": formed by Commander Kron after myriad intelligence failures in the Imperial Navy, The Watch functions as Kron's eyes and ears, observing the Navy fleet for any disloyalty or dissent. Those found -- or even suspected -- to be disloyal were summarily dispatched. Those who refuse offers to join The Watch also [[JoinOrDie tend to die in]] [[MakeItLookLikeAnAccident "accidents"]]. [[spoiler:Ironically, The Watch's leadership is eventually discovered to, themselves, be traitors. Kron has them purged as a result, only to reinstate them as his personal strike force to continue fighting the League, even after the Navy and League cease hotilities.]] |
| 197 | * The Suppression Bureau from ''VideoGame/CultistSimulator'' has inspectors, courts and laws that are themselves secret, and they can punish crimes that were literally only committed in dreams. Convicts are not given visiting rights or even a finite release date. They do still need evidence to arrest or convict, though. |
| 198 | * The armed forces of Majestic 12 in ''VideoGame/DeusEx'' exist primarily to carry out the conspiracy's plans. They run ships secretly loaded with nanobots for killing off the population and guard the organization's many hidden bases and labs, making sure that no test subjects or dissenters leave the premises. |
| 199 | * The Secret Police in ''[[http://www.nrtoone.com/dictator/ Dictator]]'' is one of the factions to appease. |
| 200 | * The Ben-Hassrath are the intelligence agency and secret police of the Qunari in ''Franchise/DragonAge''. In addition to gathering intelligence on other lands, they also enforce political loyalty and philosophical orthodoxy among the qunari population, and are responsible for "[[TwoPlusTortureMakesFive re-educating]]" those who have gone astray. One of the potential companions in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'', Iron Bull, is a Ben-Hassrath operative who is surprisingly open about it, and he talks about some of their tactics they use to control the population. |
| 201 | * ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'': |
| 202 | ** In addition to being an AncientOrderOfProtectors who have served as the PraetorianGuard for the emperors of Tamriel, the Blades have also branched out into other areas including espionage and diplomacy, essentially being Tamriel's CIA. The highest ranking Blade in each province is referred to as TheSpymaster and the Blades often engage in covert operations. Following the [[GreatOffscreenWar Great War]], the Blades were decimated and a term of the White-Gold Concordat officially disbanded them. The survivors were forced to flee underground to avoid being ruthlessly hunted by the [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Thalmor]]. Since then, the Pentius Oculatus has risen up to replace them in service to the Emperor. |
| 203 | ** Speaking of the Thalmor, this is one of their roles in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'', mixed with, essentially, ChurchPolice. One of the reasons [[ScrewYouElves everyone hates them so much]] is because they have a nasty habit of dragging off dissenters and making them disappear; a right they gained within Imperial territory from the Empire as part of the White-Gold Concordat to end the [[GreatOffscreenWar Great War]] no less. Their enforcement of the ban on [[DeityOfHumanOrigin Talos]] worship is one of the many motivating factors of the [[LaResistance Stormcloaks]] in the Skyrim CivilWar. |
| 204 | * The Federation's Bureau of Internal Investigation in ''VideoGame/EscapeVelocity Nova'' was founded as this (with a special focus on counter-intelligence). By the time the game actually ''starts'', they've not only (at least de-facto) absorbed all intelligence functions (Federation Intelligence is only mentioned in the past tense), or even just went full-blown StateSec with elements of the Federation Navy answering directly to them: they've gone so far as to to all practical purposes ''have taken over the Federation''. |
| 205 | * ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'': |
| 206 | ** Appears to be a large part of the Turks' job in the ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' setting, although it's not their ''official'' job and they combine it with CIA-type external functions. And dress like [[TheMenInBlack Men in Black]]. Another variant of theirs on the archetype is having only ''first'' names and a great variety in appearance and fighting style. They pulled at least one of their members out of an orphanage and trained her from childhood. This is not standard Secret Police fare; there's a certain ninja vibe to the whole thing and they apparently take lead in most covert ops, even if [=SOLDIERs=] are assigned as supplementary muscle. And please everyone note that these are the secret police not of a country, but of a ''power company''. Though said company ''is'' the government. |
| 207 | *** ''VideoGame/BeforeCrisis'' winds up being largely about being a rebel Turk faction trying to [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight Screw The Rules And Do The Right Thing]]. Interestingly, the ringleader of this little caper, the stoic softy Tseng, is still head Turk during ''[[Anime/FinalFantasyVIIAdventChildren Advent Children]]'', when Shinra has lost most of its control, and is one of Rufus Shinra's personal guards. |
| 208 | ** The port city of Limsa Lominsa in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' has its own heroic version of SecretPolice known as the Rogue's Guild. Formerly the Upright Thieves, the Rogue's Guild works directly under Admiral Merlwyb to uphold the original [[ScoundrelCode Pirate's Code]] from the shadows while the Maelstrom (military) and Yellowjackets (police) focus on other tasks. |
| 209 | * Plays a role in the central mystery of ''VisualNovel/TheGreatAceAttorney''. [[spoiler:The Reaper]] is not a serial killer, avenging ghost, supernatural curse, or a macabre string of coincidences, but rather a [[spoiler:small, covert contingent within Scotland Yard organized by Lord Chief Justice Stronghart]] to extrajudicially assassinate big-time criminals that can bribe or threaten their way out of legal consequences and MakeItLookLikeAnAccident. |
| 210 | * Arstotzka from ''VideoGame/PapersPlease'' has the Ministry of Information's Special Investigation Division, which focuses on rooting out any and all possible enemies of the state. As if to drive the point home, M. Vonel, the agent that the player encounters throughout the game, [[http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/papersplease/images/a/a1/Grestininvestigator.png/revision/latest?cb=20130901145926 looks nearly identical]] to the trope image. [[spoiler: Also, just like a real Secret Police, being ''too'' forthcoming, even if you support the state, will put you under suspicion and get you arrested.]] |
| 211 | * The Agent in ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic''. As Imperial Intelligence is the Sith Empire's equivalent of the KGB, your remit covers internal security too, which is most prominent in the Prologue segment on the capital planet, Dromund Kaas. Your companion Kaliyo Djannis even points this out when you visit the Sith Sanctum as ''even Sith Lords fear your authority''. |
| 212 | * In ''VideoGame/TotalWarRomeII'', the Eastern Empires factions share a trait called Secret Police, which grants them extra defense against enemy agents. |
| 213 | * Very practical to have one in ''VideoGame/{{Tropico}} 3''. Stupid rebel bombings. |
| 214 | ** In ''Tropico 4'', the secret police are formed by edict of the Ministry of the Interior. You assign it to an existing service building and they monitor dissent on the island, allowing you to discreetly head off subversive activities and assassinate undesired civilians. They are more effective if they are allowed to tap the island's telecommunications. |
| 215 | ** In ''Tropico 5'', the secret police cannot be formed until the Cold War. They monitor the island's inhabitants to discover faction leaders and rebels. |
| 216 | * The Dominion from ''VideoGame/WildStar'' has the Imperial Corps of Intelligence (ICI), run mostly by the Mechari. This has the effect of making them terrifyingly effective and extremely cool. |
| 217 | * ''VideoGame/WorkersAndResourcesSovietRepublic'': You can create a force of secret police, though contrary to the usual depictions they do very little oppression and instead seem to exist solely to snoop on citizens and track their loyalty, with higher loyalty being potentially rewarded by you and mild, if any, punishments for low loyalty. |
| 218 | * ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3'': Colony 0 deals in information control, inciting sedition, and overall serving as the backbone keeping Aionios' ForeverWar chugging. According to Segiri, part of their job was finding and destroying pieces of what [[FauxAffablyEvil Consul F]] referred to as the "[[AfterTheEnd old world]]" as threats to the social order. No. 8, the one specifically tasked with doing that, notes that he didn't even know much about what he was destroying at the time and just followed F's orders. |
| 219 | [[/folder]] |
| 220 | |
| 221 | [[folder:Webcomics]] |
| 222 | * ''Webcomic/DriveDaveKellett'', despite its overall Spanish/{{Spanglish}} culture, has the Jinyiwei (see the Real Life section for the group that inspired the name). Many of them are pretty unpleasant people, though in most cases it's more "ruthless" than actually "evil". |
| 223 | * ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'': PlayedForLaughs. One of the old Heterodynes realized that his town needed a police force, but he didn't want to be bothered by actually seeing them going about their work. So he invented a way to make police that [[WeirdnessCensor would be impossible for normal people to notice]], [[LaserGuidedAmnesia and even if told about them, the people would forget in a few minutes]]. They can see each other, of course, as can the [[GeniusLoci Castle]] and the [[SuperSoldier Jaegers]], but no one else ever notices them. |
| 224 | * ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'': |
| 225 | ** Spoofed in the Empire of Blood, where the Death Squad marches in a [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0755.html celebratory parade]] like any other civic institution: |
| 226 | --->'''Bob:''' Now Judy, I'm not familiar with this next group. Can you shed some light on this for me?\ |
| 227 | '''Judy:''' Why, that's the Death Squad, Bob!\ |
| 228 | '''Bob:''' Really?\ |
| 229 | '''Judy:''' Yes, they're marching in a parade for the first time, but this elite order of assassins has been around for longer than you'd think. They play a very important role in curtailing our personal liberties and maintaining the regime of the current fascist—Unnnh! ''[killed by assassin]'' |
| 230 | ** [[YouKillItYouBoughtIt Bonus points for said assassin taking her job.]] |
| 231 | * ''Webcomic/TowerOfGod'': The the Royal Enforcement Division is an Internal Affairs Agency that overlooks the loyalty of Jahad's followers from the shadows, especially his [[PraetorianGuard princesses]]. Ren, the youngest member, is strong enough two wipe the floor with the two strongest fighters of Bam's clout. |
| 232 | * ''Webcomic/UnOrdinary'': EMBER turns out to be a secret government agency, that murders superheroes and other powerful dissidents to the Authorities' power by framing it as the murders being done by a mysterious person/group which the news never has any new information on no matter how many people they kill, in order to scare the populace into keeping in line. |
| 233 | [[/folder]] |
| 234 | |
| 235 | [[folder:Web Original]] |
| 236 | * The [[CommieLand United Federation of People's Republics]] in the Gemini Galaxy of ''VideoGame/ImperiumNova'' has the State Security Commissariat, and in particular the Domestic Intelligence Bureau. |
| 237 | * In ''Literature/AMorePersonalUnion'', the Inquisition Real serves this role in the Golden Roman Empire, eliminating everyone who politically opposes the Emperor. |
| 238 | * ''Roleplay/OpenBlue'' has two, with [[PuttingOnTheReich Sirene's]]'s Kolpo, and [[TheEmpire Avelia's]] Office of Counter Intelligence, which is basically a Secret Police exclusively for its (bloated) military. |
| 239 | * The ''WebOriginal/ProtectorsOfThePlotContinuum'' have the Department of Internal Security, possibly influenced by the Cable Street Particulars, who started out benign but eventually shifted to the Mysterious Somebody's secret police and began a reign of terror until they were thrown out in a CivilWar. Their existence was obviously public knowledge, but their corruption and methods weren't, with even most Guards not seeming to know just how rotten the department had become. The later Department of Internal Operations is a more literal example, as in theory only the DIO itself and the Board of Department Heads know they even exist; their role is to root out Suvian infiltrators of HQ and dispose of them, and anyone who encounters them is promptly [[LaserGuidedAmnesia neuralysed]]. In practise, there are rumours of their existence, but nobody knows for sure; according to one of the DIO's agents, the department's discovery would be disastrous, resulting in the deaths of the DIO's members at best and a full-scale rebellion against the Board of Department Heads at worst. |
| 240 | [[/folder]] |
| 241 | |
| 242 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 243 | * The Dai Li of Ba Sing Se from ''Franchise/AvatarTheLastAirbender''. They 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 are the main intelligence officers, since they're only supposed to fight when the system has sprung a leak. While they officially answer to the Earth Kingdom royalty, in practice [[FairWeatherFriend they are loyal only to whoever keeps them in power]]; at the start of the story this is [[TheSpymaster Long Feng]], by Book 3 its [[spoiler:Azula]], and in [[WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra the sequel show]] they've somehow warped back around to the Earth Queen, who unlike her father is a power-hungry despot. Perhaps the scariest thing about them is that they were founded ''[[NiceJobBreakingItHero by an Avatar]]''; they were one of Avatar Kyoshi's pet projects. |
| 244 | * ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'' features the Predacon Secret Police (PSP), who serve the shadowy bidding of the Tripredacus Council. [[spoiler:Tarantulas is secretly an agent of their’s who was sent to infiltrate Megatron’s crew before the events of the series]]. Interestingly, they’re not portrayed as necessarily being evil; some of them seem halfway decent, [[ALighterShadeOfBlack especially in comparison to Megatron’s fanaticism]], though others (like [[spoiler:Tarantulas]]) are definitely sinister. |
| 245 | [[/folder]] |
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