It was based in British-controlled Singapore and established by Colonel Cyril Egerton Dixon, a career MI5 officer with a great deal of war time counter intelligence experience in Britain and India.
[1][2][3][4] SIFE (like SIME) was also a MI5 controlled organisation, which partially merged its counterintelligence section with the regional headquarters of MI6 in 1950.
SIFE is an inter-Services organisation responsible for the collection and dissemination of all security intelligence affecting British territories in the Far East to interested and appropriate Service and Civil Departments.
(a) Head/SIFE is responsible to the Director General of the Security Service and locally in Singapore to the Defence Committee jointly and the Commanders-in-Chief individually.
It is, however, within the discretion of Head/SIFE to do so in a case where he considers it desirable or expedient to do so, subject to obtaining the consent of any other organisation which may control or have an interest in the matter.