Special Branch is a label used in many polices forces of Commonwealth countries to refer to a unit specialising in National Security and Intelligence matters. Within the ambit of such units would usually be topics such as counter-espionage, counter-terrorism, counter-extremism, international organised crime and international drug trafficking. The first special branch was set up in the Metropolitan Police in London in 1883. This is probably the most well known, and among its other responsibilities is the protection of non-Royal VIPs. Most commonwealth police forces also set up their own special branches. Other police forces in the UK also had special branches, most of them were set up in the 1960s in response to Cold War needs. In the U.K., one distinctive is that Special Branch personnel are police officers, with police ranks. They cooperate with other national intelligence organisations such as the Security Service and the Intelligence Service.
In the UK, the Metropolitan Special Branch was merged with the Anti-Terrorism Branch to form Counter Terrorism Command in 2006.[1]
When "Special Branch" is used in the works of Agatha Christie, it must be noted that the label could be used loosely to refer to some intelligence or security organisation without any precision. It may or may not refer to the Special Branch of the Metropolitan Police. This is dramatic licence and also in some ways reflects reality, as very often senior figures in the world of intelligence are deliberately vague about the exact organisation they work for. Hence Christie also uses the (imprecise) term "Secret Service".
Special Branch in the Works of Christie[]
Cat Among the Pigeons[]
In Cat Among the Pigeons, Colonel Ephraim Pikeaway (a recurrent character in several books) is introduced as head of the Special Branch. Here some of his role reflects what the Special Branch of the Metropolitan Police would do, for example in protecting Princess Shaista. However, his men do not appear to be police officers.
Pikeaway's men in the novel include:
- “Adam Goodman” (aka Ronnie)
- Derek O'Connor
- Jenson
The Clocks[]
In The Clocks, Colin Lamb is a counter-espionage officer but he doesn't use a police rank, and he says he is not in the police but from a different department. At the end of the story, however, he does wait for personnel from Special Branch to come to effect the arrest of the spy he has caught.
Passenger to Frankfurt[]
In Passenger to Frankfurt, Colonel Ephraim Pikeaway appears again although the label "Special Branch" is not mentioned. Here his organisation appears to take on a role highly oriented towards external intelligence or intelligence operations overseas (not what a Special Branch would do).