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Directorate of Intelligence and Security

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Directorate of Intelligence and Security
AbbreviationDIS
Established2007
Region served
Botswana
Parent organization
Government of Botswana
Websitedis.org.bw

The Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) is the internal intelligence agency of Botswana founded under the Intelligence and Security Service Act which commenced in 2008.[1] The DIS was formed to oversee matters of the counterintelligence and internal security of Botswana.[2] The DIS has investigative jurisdiction to arrest or detain and interrogate over a wide range of criminal offenses.[3]

Functions

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The DIS' functions include:[4]

  • Investigate, gather, co-ordinate, analyze, correlate, interpret, store and distribute information, regardless of whether it is about things inside or outside of Botswana, for the purposes of detecting and recognizing threats to national security, advising the President and the Botswanan Government about any threat to national security, and taking political, economic, and or militaristic steps in order to protect the security interests of Botswana
  • Gather ministerial intelligence at the request of any Government ministry, department or agency and, without delay, to assess and transmit the requested information to that ministry, department or agency
  • Regulate, in co-operation with any Government ministry, department or agency tasked with overseeing any aspect of the maintenance of national security, the flow of intelligence and security, and the co-ordination between the Directorate and that agency, ministry, or agency of functions relating to intelligence
  • Advise Government, public bodies and statutory bodies on the protection of vital installations and classified documents
  • Perform security vetting investigations for the security clearance of individuals who have access to any sensitive or classified information
  • Make recommendations to the President regarding policies about intelligence and security, intelligence and security priorities, and security measures in Government ministries, departments, and agencies
  • Provide personal protection to the former President, former President's immediate family, the President, the President's immediate family, the Vice-President, the Vice-President's immediate family, visiting dignitaries and such other persons as the President may determine

Organization

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The Director General for the Agency is Brigadier Peter Magosi who was previously on the Special Forces for the Botswana Defence Force before being appointed to the agency in 2018.[5] Edward Robert is the Public relations officer of the DIS.

Organizational Structure

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The DIS is made up of various divisions and units including:[6]

  • Director General
    • Deputy Director General
      • Internal Intelligence Division
      • External Intelligence Division

They also have a tactical unit called the Special Task Team (abbreviation: STT).[7]

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY SERVICE | Alphabetical List of Statutes". botswanalaws.com. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  2. ↑ Mosinyi, Thato (23 July 2020). "Directorate restructures". Daily News Botswana. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  3. ↑ Maundeni, Zibani (2008). "Vision 2016 and Reforming the Intelligence in Botswana". Botswana Notes and Records. 40: 135–146. ISSN 0525-5090. JSTOR 41236039.
  4. ↑ Government of Botswana "CHAPTER 23:02 " Government of Botswana, https://dis.org.bw/assets/pdf/index/act.pdf, Date accessed: July 23, 2026
  5. ↑ "Sunday Standard/ The Telegraph". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  6. ↑ Government of Botswana "CHAPTER 23:02 " Government of Botswana, https://dis.org.bw/assets/pdf/index/act.pdf, Date accessed: July 23, 2026
  7. ↑ Reporter, Sunday Standard (1 March 2022). "Phase 2 robbers were defenceless against the 'double-tap' of DIS' strike force | Sunday Standard". Retrieved 11 June 2026.