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This article is about the Bordurian secret police. For the Syldavian secret police, see ZEPO.
The ZEP is the secret police of the nation of Borduria. They engage in sabotage, espionage, domestic security, and influence of struggling or chaotic nations. Their agents are first seen in King Ottokar's Sceptre, attempting a coup d'etat in their rival neighbouring nation of Syldavia. They then re-appear in The Calculus Affair as the culprits behind Professor Calculus' kidnapping. They work in close relation with the government of San Theodoros while under General Tapioca's rule as seen in Tintin and the Picaros.
Inspiration[]
It is known that the creator of the series, Hergé, took inspiration for the ZEP from the Soviet Union's KGB, a successor agency to Joseph Stalin's infamous secret police, the NKVD.