The German Security Police

The German Security Police, or Sipo, was the political arm of the German police organization. Its goal was to protect the Nazi state, not the people.

In total, around 3,000 German Sipo officials came to Norway during the war. Gestapo was the executive branch of Sipo and has often been used as a term to refer to the entire security police.

The German Security Police in Kristiansand

The Aussendienststelle (ADSt) in Kristiansand had a very independent role and a relatively large number of staff for a local office. At the time of capitulation, the staff consisted of around 35 personnel: police officers, secretaries, and interpreters. Nine of them were women. Five Norwegians were employed as interpreters, and one as a writing assistant.

It can be misleading to speak of the Gestapo officers at ARKIVET because it may lead one to think that the activities were carried out by a small number of German police officers in Section IV (Gestapo). In reality, it was a large workplace with both German and Norwegian employees distributed across various departments. Compared to the larger Sipo headquarters in Norway, the ADSt in Kristiansand had a lower degree of specialization.

During the war years, over one hundred German citizens were associated with the operations at the Sipo headquarters in Kristiansand, including the first two years at Østre Strandgate 5, before the move to ARKIVET in January 1942.

Nearly 90 Norwegians served Sipo in Kristiansand during the occupation.