Hur blir väktarna vaktade? En deskriptiv analys av den demokratiska tillsynen av Säkerhetspolisen

Sammanfattning: This study presents a descriptive analysis of democratic oversight of the Swedish security police. The thesis describes the structure and functioning of the system for supervising and controlling the security police. The purpose of this description is to connect it with existing theories, in the realm of democratic oversight of intelligence agencies, to identify strengths and weaknesses in the current system. The conclusions indicate that the various oversight and control bodies have good opportunities to conduct effective supervision. This is partly due to the presence of multiple oversight bodies at different levels in the state, engaging in both proactive and reactive inspections. Additionally, these bodies are also organized according to principles that ensure democratic accountability. However, the study also highlights other shortcomings in the system. The oversight bodies face limitations in terms of personnel and knowledge resources which becomes especially problematic given the technical nature of the security police’s activities. The study further suggests that one of the oversight bodies is primarily elite-focused and may potentially function as a facade arrangement serving political motives. Consequently, this study reveals that democratic oversight of the security police encompasses both strengths to be further developed and weaknesses that need to be addressed.