General Security Service (Syria)

The General Security Service (Arabic: جهاز الأمن العام, romanized: Jihāz al-Amn al-ʿĀmm) is the main police service of Syria. It is charged with maintaining law and order, protecting life and property and investigating crimes. It also performs other routine police functions, including traffic control.

General Security Service جهاز الأمن العام
Common name	Syrian Police, General Security Forces
Agency overview
Formed	29 May 1945 (as Public Security Police)[1] 2019 (General Security Service)[2] 2024 (current form)
Preceding agencies	Levantine Special Forces Public Security Police Free Syrian Police Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham
Jurisdictional structure
National agency	Syrian Arab Republic
Operations jurisdiction	Syrian Arab Republic
Population	18,437,288
Governing body	Syrian transitional government
General nature	Civilian police
Operational structure
Overseen by	Government of Syria
Headquarters	Damascus, Syria
Agency executives	Ahmed al-Sharaa, President Anas Khattab, Minister of Interior
Parent agency	Ministry of Interior

History

The General Security Service was the police force of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which controlled areas in Northern Syria replacing the Free Syrian Police before it was transferred to the interior ministry of the Syrian Salvation Government in April 2024.^[2][3] Its roots could be traced to 1945 when the Public Security Police was formed. A police academy was opened in September 2023 and produced its first batch of graduates in August 2024.^[4][5]

The Ba'athist-led Public Security Police collapsed in 2024 with the fall of the Assad regime and flight of Bashar al-Assad. HTS brought the General Security Service from Idlib to maintain order and security in recently captured areas in the country. The new de-facto rulers of Syria, the Syrian caretaker government, are making preparations to drastically reorganize the General Security Service as Syria's police force.^[6][7]

Syria is in dire need of security forces, as the Public Security Police had dissolved the same day as fall of the Assad regime. Heavy recruitment is still ongoing and needed.^[6]