secret police

American  

noun

1. a police force that functions as the enforcement arm of a government's political policies and whose activities, which often include surveillance, intimidation, and physical violence as a means of suppressing dissent, are usually concealed from the public.

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secret police British  

noun

1. a police force that operates relatively secretly to check subversion or political dissent

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Etymology

Origin of secret police

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

And critics claimed the company’s “Service Department,” designed to see that workers remained “sober and industrious,” was nothing more than a secret police force.

From Barron's • May 20, 2026

Shirin worries about a suspended prison sentence which the secret police could invoke at any time.

From BBC • May 10, 2026

From 2014 to 2018, Mr. González López headed the secret police.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 17, 2026

Tricia McLaughlin, the DHS assistant secretary for public affairs, refuted descriptions of ICE as a secret police force.

From Salon • Oct. 24, 2025

“Look at them. With how they strut about, you’d think they’re the Okhrana, the secret police back in Russia. I wouldn’t dare try anything with them around.”

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros