Law enforcement in Syria

Law enforcement in Syria was carried out by the Public Security Police in Ba’athist Syria, while internal security duties were carried out by different intelligence agencies and have since been replaced by a successor agency named the General Security Service under the new Syrian transitional government. The Syrian transitional government is also training a new police force guided by Islamic teachings. The Political Security Directorate was one of the agencies under the Ba’athist regime, under the guidance of the Ministry of Interior of the Syrian government. The Directorate was used for covert intelligence gathering and internal security issues within Syria. Syria has been an INTERPOL member since 1953. During the Syrian Civil War, much of Syria was outside the control of the Ba’athist government, with the Asayish being responsible for policing in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Police in areas under the Turkish occupation of Northern Syria, and various Syrian opposition groups around Idlib.

Under the Ba’athist government, the Ministry of Interior controlled the Internal Security Forces. There are also other specialized organizations, such as the special metropolitan police in Damascus (overseen by the Director General of the Public Security and Police), the Gendarmerie for control in rural areas and the Border Guard for border control (especially the Syria-Iraq border). General Nasser Deeb was the head of the Criminal Security Directorate.

The Internal Security Forces Day is on 29 May, the anniversary of French forces shelling the Parliament building in Damascus in 1945.