Law Enforcement In Jordan
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Law enforcement in Jordan is the purview of the "Public Security Force" (includes approximately 50,000 persons), the Jordanian national
police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...
, which is subordinate to the Public Security Directorate of the
Ministry of Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...
.


History

The first police force in the Jordanian state, after the fall of the
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
was organized on 11 April 1921. Ali Khulqi Pasha Alsharairi was appointed as the first commander of the security force and as a National Security Counsellor (minister) in the first
Transjordan Transjordan may refer to: * Transjordan (region), an area to the east of the Jordan River * Oultrejordain, a Crusader lordship (1118–1187), also called Transjordan * Emirate of Transjordan, British protectorate (1921–1946) * Hashemite Kingdom of ...
government. The first security force was composed of the Gendarmerie Battalion, and the Gendarmerie regiment, the reservist regiment, the regulars, and the desert patrol force. Until 1956 the police duties were carried totally by the
Arab Legion The Arab Legion () was the police force, then regular army of the Emirate of Transjordan, a British protectorate, in the early part of the 20th century, and then of independent Jordan, with a final Arabization of its command taking place in 195 ...
and the
Transjordan Frontier Force The Trans-Jordan Frontier Force was formed on 1 April 1926, to replace the disbanded British Gendarmerie. It was a creation of the British High Commissioner for Palestine whose intention was that the Force should defend Trans-Jordan's northe ...
, after that year the Public Safety Department was established.


Organization

Headquartered in
Amman Amman (; ar, عَمَّان, ' ; Ammonite language, Ammonite: 𐤓𐤁𐤕 𐤏𐤌𐤍 ''Rabat ʻAmān'') is the capital and largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of 4,061,150 a ...
, national police headquarters has responsibility for police, security, and law enforcement activities for the entire country. The police is headed by the General Director of Public Security, Traditionally a senior
Jordanian Army The Royal Jordanian Army (Arabic: القوّات البرية الاردنيّة; ) is the ground force branch of the Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF). It draws its origins from units such as the Arab Legion, formed in the British Mandate of Transj ...
general, who then reports to the
Minister of Interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a Cabinet (government), cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and iden ...
. Below the central headquarters there are ten regional directorates. Eight of which correspond to the
governorate A governorate is an administrative division of a state. It is headed by a governor. As English-speaking nations tend to call regions administered by governors either State (administrative division), states or province, provinces, the term ''govern ...
s called ''muhafathat'', and one covered Amman and its suburbs. The desert region was a separate directorate and was patrolled by the Desert Police Force. The operations of the Public Security Force are divided into three major functions: * Administrative Police: routine crime prevention and the maintenance of public security; additionally special elements of the police perform traffic control, vehicles licensing, licensing of certain business activities, enforcing of trade regulations, enforcing building codes and zoning ordinances, locating missing persons, guarding public places, plus assisting customs and immigration officials. The police also operate Jordan's prison system. * Judicial Police: conduct of criminal investigations and assistance to the public prosecutor’s office); * Support Operations: provide training, logistics, public affairs, communication, etc. Additionally, there are three major structural divisions for the police force: * metropolitan, * rural (small towns), and * Desert Police Force (official name is the Royal Bedouin Police)—also responsible for detecting and preventing drug and gun smuggling, had also been greatly expanded. The Desert Police use camel-mounted as well as four-wheel-drive vehicle patrol. The Special Security Forces (SSF) used to be separate and elite branch of the Public Security Directorate (PSD) that focused primarily on combating terrorism. It has been taken from the PSD and has become a separate law enforcement agency in Jordan known as " Daraq" which roughly translates to Gendarmerie. This organization is responsible for riot control, direct action/tactical missions, securing foreign diplomatic missions and their diplomats. Daraq is more of a static security force than a traditional law enforcement entity. Additionally, the General Intelligence Department (GID), generally known as the
Mukhabarat ( ar, مخابرات, also transliterated '' / ''), is the Arabic term for intelligence, as used by an intelligence agency. In most of the Middle East, the term is colloquially used in reference to secret police agents who spy on civilians. Organi ...
from the
Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
name ''Dairat al Mukhabarat'', which reports directly to the king and is responsible for domestic and international security, espionage, and counterterrorist operations.


Vehicles


Women

Jordan was the first
Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
country to recruit women to its police, and opened a women's police academy in Amman in 1972. Before being assigned to positions in law enforcement, the women recruits completed a four-month classroom course followed by one month of practical training in the field. Assignment opportunities expanded steadily after the program began. Women served primarily in the police laboratory, in budgeting and accounting, public relations, licensing, and in prison operations. Some also served in street patrols and traffic control in Amman and in border security.


Uniforms

Ranks and insignia of the Police are identical with those of the army. Police uniforms are either dark blue military style fatigues, or a
light blue The first use of "light blue" as a color term in English is in the year 1915. In Russian and some other languages, there is no single word for blue, but rather different words for light blue (, goluboy) and dark blue (, siniy). The ancient Gree ...
shirt and dark blue slacks with either a blue beret (enlisted) or red and blue garrison cap (officers). The Royal Bedouin Police (also known as the Desert Police Force and a division of the national police) wear an
olive drab Olive is a dark yellowish-green color, like that of unripe or green olives. As a color word in the English language, it appears in late Middle English. Shaded toward gray, it becomes olive drab. Variations Olivine Olivine is the typical ...
uniform lighter in shade than that of the army but otherwise similar. The Desert Police Force retained their traditional Arab garb.


References


External links


Photius articlePSD website
{{Asia topic, Law enforcement in