The office reports to the Home Secretary, and to the Minister of State for Security.
Its current Director General is Chloe Squires,[2] who is the senior government official responsible for counter-terrorist and organised crime strategy.
[3] According to its website, the current responsibilities of the Homeland Security Group (HSG) are:[4] In May 2014, the Director General of HSG made a witness statement on behalf of the government and the three main intelligence agencies for the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, in a legal case brought by advocacy groups including Privacy International, Liberty and Amnesty International, explaining the legal basis for the interception of electronic communications under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.
[3][5] This was characterised in the media as an explanation of how the security services can legally monitor "Facebook, Google and Twitter" usage by UK citizens.
In 2013, HSG stated that 500 people had gone through its Channel deradicalisation programme, including some considering participating in the Syrian civil war, steering some away from violent extremism.