The General Directorate for National Security (; ; , DGSN) is the national police force of the Kingdom of

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

. The DGSN is tasked with upholding the

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

and

public order Public order may refer to * Public security: the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety and security of the public from significant danger or property damage * Public order policing: police maintenance of order ...

. It was founded on 16 May 1956 by King Mohammed V. It works alongside the ''Gendarmerie Royale'' and the ''Forces Auxiliaires''. In 2007, the Sûreté Nationale had approximately 46,000 personnel. A decade later, in 2017, the number of personnel had increased to 70,000. As of 2004, the Sûreté Nationale operated the following specialist divisions: * The Border Police: responsible for border control and surveillance * Mobile Intervention Corps: tasked with rapid intervention in major emergencies * National Brigade: primarily responsible for investigation of serious crimes, including

terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...

, organized and

white-collar crime The term "white-collar crime" refers to financially motivated, nonviolent or non-directly violent crime committed by individuals, businesses and government professionals. The crimes are believed to be committed by middle- or upper-class indivi ...

History

Pre-colonial

Before the 20th century, a regionalized Shurta (police) enforced

Sharia law Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on scriptures of Islam, particularly the Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' refers to immutable, inta ...

and ensured security across the country. During the

Almohad caliphate The Almohad Caliphate (; or or from ) or Almohad Empire was a North African Berbers, Berber Muslim empire founded in the 12th century. At its height, it controlled much of the Iberian Peninsula (Al-Andalus) and North Africa (the Maghreb). Th ...

, the caliph also took on the role of ṣāḥib al-shurṭa (head of police). There were regional and tribal Muhtasibs (equivalent to a police commissioner) who were appointed by the

Pasha Pasha (; ; ) was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman political and military system, typically granted to governors, generals, dignitary, dignitaries, and others. ''Pasha'' was also one of the highest titles in the 20th-century Kingdom of ...

. The Muhtasib had the power to issue fines for minor offenses. Criminals were tried in front of a

Qadi A qadi (; ) is the magistrate or judge of a Sharia court, who also exercises extrajudicial functions such as mediation, guardianship over orphans and minors, and supervision and auditing of public works. History The term '' was in use from ...

, the judge of a Sharia court. The Qadi issued judgements in criminal, civil and commercial cases. On July 20, 1901, Morocco formed its first national border patrol. The patrol was in charge of ensuring the security of the border with

French Algeria French Algeria ( until 1839, then afterwards; unofficially ; ), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of History of Algeria, Algerian history when the country was a colony and later an integral part of France. French rule lasted until ...

, under the control of a commissioner in

Oujda Oujda (, ) is a major city in northeast Morocco near the Algeria–Morocco border, border with Algeria. Oujda is the capital city of the Oriental (Morocco), Oriental region of northeastern Morocco and has a population of 506,224 people (2024 censu ...

. In 1906, the

Algeciras Conference The Algeciras Conference of 1906 took place in Algeciras, Spain, and lasted from 16 January to 7 April. The purpose of the conference was to find a solution to the First Moroccan Crisis of 1905 between France and Germany, which arose as Germany ...

led to various police reforms in Morocco. The reforms established a national police force that would fall under the Sultan's sovereign authority. The police force's recruitment would be overseen by the Makhzen and commanded by Caïds. Additionally, the police force would be stationed in the eight ports that were open to international trade.

Protectorate

In 1912, the General Police Service was created after the installement of the

French Protectorate in Morocco The French protectorate in Morocco, also known as French Morocco, was the period of French colonial rule in Morocco that lasted from 1912 to 1956. The protectorate was officially established 30 March 1912, when List of rulers of Morocco, Sultan ...

. In 1913, a forensic identification unit was formed. A general forensic identification service was formed in November 1931.

Post-independence

On May 16, 1956, a year after Morocco gained independence, the DGSN was formed. The Royal Institute of Police in Kenitra was inaugurated in 1978. The Scientific and Technical Police Laboratory in Casablanca was created in 1991. On 8 September 2023, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 M_w hit

Marrakesh-Safi Marrakesh-Safi () is one of the twelve regions of Morocco.Jounaux.ma
Its popul ...

region of Morocco. DGSN along with DGST has announced it will contribute MAD 50 million to Special Fund for Managing Earthquake Effects. They set up two mobile bakeries near Marrakech, to provide bread to those who were affected by the earthquake.

Directors

* Mohammed Laghzaoui (1956-1960) * Mohamed Oufkir (1960-Mid 1960s) *

Ahmed Dlimi Ahmed Dlimi (; 16 July 1931 in Zaggota, Sidi Kacem Province – 25 January 1983, Marrakesh) was a Moroccan general under the rule of Hassan II. After General Mohamed Oufkir's 1972 assassination, he became Hassan II's right-hand man. He led ...

(Mid 1960s-1972) * Abderrahmane Rabiah (1972-1979) * Slimane Alaoui (1979-1979) * Abdelhak Kadirin (1979-1983) * Hamid El Boukhari (1983-1988) * Mohammed Dryef (1989-1990) * General Ouazzani (1990-1993) * Ahmed Midaoui (1993-1997) * Hafid Benhachem (1997-2003) * Hamidou Laanigri (2003-2006) * Charki Draiss (2006-2012) * Bouchaib Rmail (2012-2015) * Abdellatif Hammouchi (2015-Present)

History

Pre-colonial

Protectorate

Post-independence

Directors

References

See also