The expansion of intelligence agencymandates: British counter-terrorism incomparative perspective

The UK’s domestic intelligence agency, MI5, has become increasingly involved inthe realm of law enforcement over the last decade. This article puts the British experiencein perspective by comparing it with France’s main domestic intelligence agency, which haspushed deep into the law enforcement arena in recent years. A similar perception of Islamistterrorism underpins these parallel developments in the two countries. However, differencesrelating to accountability, legal systems and conceptions of the state mean that the Frenchintelligence agency has expanded its role considerably more than its British counterpart. Theanalysis indicates that MI5’s move into law enforcement is likely to remain a relativelyconservative one.