Latvian State Security Service (VDD) is one of the three Latvian Security and Intelligence Services besides Constitution Protection Bureau (SAB) and Defence Intelligence and Security Service (MIDD).
VDD is counterintelligence and internal security service, which gathers the information from different sources, carries out its analysis, informs senior officials about the threats identified to the national security as well as takes measures to neutralize them.
Latvian VDD’s responsibility is the conduction of counterintelligence activities, protection of state secrets, protection of constitutional order, protection of economic security interests, coordination and conduction of counterterrorism measures as well as protection of dignitaries. VDD is also the only service out of three Latvian intelligence and security services with the right to carry out pre-trial investigation (to initiate criminal proceedings, initiate criminal prosecution as well as arrest persons).
The work of VDD is supervised by the Minister of Interior, the operational activities and the legitimacy of pre-trial investigation process is supervised by the General Prosecutor, but the parliamentary control over VDD is performed by the National Security Commission of the Saeima (the Parliament).