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Special Branch

British

noun

(in Britain) the department of the police force that is concerned with political security

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Its report also named a "main person of interest" - a senior Special Branch official, Awaludin bin Jadid, who headed the unit tackling social extremism.

From BBC • Dec. 26, 2025

Special Branch, which typically handles national security and intelligence in the U.K., “never bothered to prepare overseas trips,” relying instead on local security forces.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 29, 2025

Part of its investigation looked at the conduct of Stakeknife’s Army handlers and police Special Branch, as well as MI5.

From BBC • Aug. 7, 2024

Haggarty replied: "Special Branch doesn't come into my thoughts. I don't care about them".

From BBC • Oct. 25, 2023

He stood and stared at me as intently as if he were a Special Branch detective.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023