GCHQ has become of the UK's most recognised buildings (Image: Getty)
There are few jobs that inspire the imagination more.
Admittedly, this is probably a result of countless works of fiction including cinematic blockbusters and much-loved novels.
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But what is it really like working for one of Britain’s intelligence agencies? And who calls the shots?
In many ways, Britain’s spy chiefs have used their recent recruitment campaigns to actually demystify their organisations. They want to shift the perception away from suave, white, Oxbridge-educated men.
MI6 work to prevent foreign spies and terrorists targeting the UK (Image: Getty)
The campaigns show, anonymised of course, how intelligence officers come from all walks of life. In one authorised interview, an MI5 officer states how she fears her counter-terrorism role will keep her mum up at night.
Intelligence officers are limited to who they can tell. Very often, the only people who know their secret is their partner and their parents.
But if they are in a new relationship, for example, that can pose unique challenges. In addition to the regular thoughts and concerns about a new lover, intelligence officers have to hide what they actually do, until they judge that their true identity will remain hidden.
And, in a bid to reassure a domestic population used to emails pinging on their phones almost 24/7 and a growing work-from-home culture, MI5 state: “It is also true that you are not allowed to take your work home with you, so when you leave the office, you really are leaving your work behind you.”
MI6, glamourised and made famous by the James Bond franchise, tells prospective employees: “There’s a strong family feeling within MI6 – keeping secrets puts us in the same boat.
“There are many social groups that help bring us together. There’s a gaming club, choir, sports teams, sustainability groups and groups for gardening and knitting”.
It also last year launched a recruitment campaign aimed at boosting diversity.
Kwame, an intelligence officer at MI6, told BBC’s Radio1 Xtra last year: “Q here is a woman actually, and her deputy is a woman. We've got a whole line of Qs doing really cool stuff in the tech space who are women."
Don’t mistake this for a lack of intensity.
The threat Russia, Iran, North Korea and China pose is intensifying. Al-Qaeda and ISIS are resurgent and once again plotting mass casualty atrocities in the West, following years of suppression through military action in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.
MI5’s role, led by Director General Sir Ken McCallum, broadly splits into three: countering state threats, counter-terrorism here in the UK and providing “protective advice” to businesses and individuals in the UK.
Intelligence officers will gather crucial clues on the threats posed by enemies using covert sources – agents -, surveillance, intercepting communications, pouring through bulk communication datasets and bugging targets’ homes or vehicles, for example.
Officers will guide agents through how to access information and avoid detection.
Surveillance officers could also monitor someone’s movements, conversations or activities. They could do so in a vehicle, on foot or even from “fixed observation posts”.
In some cases, they may even install covert listening devices or hidden cameras to track suspects. The Home Secretary has to approve such requests. Information gathered this way can be used in court, unlike communications intercepted.
Bulk datasets, such as mobile phone records or travel histories, allow intelligence officers to establish links between a potential target and possible accomplices. This is considered a “critical part” of the response to the growing online threat. MI5 describes bulk communications as the "who", "where", "when", "how" and "with whom".
Experts will then piece together all of that information, from the different sources, to either tip-off counter-terrorism police or run their own disruption operations, such as informing a target of a foreign state that they are being monitored.
This could be done by language analysts, tech experts, data scientists or case managers.
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MI6’s role is different. Led currently by Sir Richard Moore, the Secret Intelligence Service works across the globe to protect the UK from hostile state activity and terrorism.
This, the organisation states on its website, can also help provide the UK with a “strategic advantage” and promote “the UK’s prosperity”.
This is perhaps best indicated by the case of Oleg Gordievsky, a KGB double agent who passed vital intelligence to both MI5 and MI6.
At the height of the Cold War, he warned his British handlers that Moscow had become so paranoid about an imaginary surprise attack by the West that the Soviet Union began making preparations to strike first.
As a result of his tip-off, NATO curtailed its military exercise codenamed Able Archer, and the crisis was averted.
MI6 intelligence officers deployed abroad will spend large amounts of their time trying to identify people who may be willing to help the UK and provide information on Britain’s adversaries. Such tips can sometimes come through partner intelligence agencies.
Following his death, at his home in Surrey, numerous experts pointed to how Mr Gordievsky’s heroic interventions were an example of how intelligence agencies could avert disasters.
The UK’s listening post – GCHQ - makes no secret of this.
On its own website, it declares: “History shows that GCHQ has helped shorten wars, thwart terrorist attacks and apprehend serious criminals.
“To do that we produce intelligence to support policy makers in their decisions and enable partners, such as the military or law enforcement, to take action.”
GCHQ, based from its famous “donut shaped” headquarters in Cheltenham and led by Anne Keast-Butler, tries to access, analyse and disrupt enemy communications. They possess unique capabilities and monitor global communications, intercepting phone calls, emails and electronic data to identify national security threats.
They then provide these vital intercepts to MI6, MI5, police, the Ministry of Defence and partners overseas.
It supports British troops abroad, including during combat operations, and officers could even be deployed alongside infantry.
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Like its sister agencies, GCHQ stresses their spies “come from diverse backgrounds and bring their unique skills.”
The UK has also created a National Cyber Force, a joint venture between the MoD and GCHQ, to launch more offensive cyber operations against the UK’s adversaries.
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