Prosecuting authorities

PST is a police body with prosecuting powers. This means that the Director General of The Norwegian Police Security Service can decide to initiate criminal investigations.

The superior prosecuting authorities
In criminal investigations, it is not the Ministry of Justice but the Director General of Public Prosecutions and the Public Prosecutors' Offices that monitor our work. (This division of powers is the same for all police bodies in Norway that have investigative powers.) The Director General of Public Prosecutions and the Public Prosecutors' Offices will, as the superior prosecuting authority, monitor all criminal investigations, including those conducted by PST.
 
The exercise of prosecuting powers
Rules on the exercise of prosecuting authority are stipulated by the Norwegian Parliament in the Criminal Procedure Act (Act no. 25 of 22 May 1981 on legal procedure in criminal cases), and further detailed in the Code of Practice for Prosecutors (Regulation no. 1679 of 28 June 1985 concerning arrangements for the prosecuting authority).