Law enforcement in the Arab Union

Law enforcement in the Arab Union forms an integral part of the public security and criminal justice system. Law enforcement is the primary responsibility of the republics of the Arab Union, the federated states which constitute the union: each governorate (government of a republic) exercises this authority through its National Police, which handles policing, criminal investigation and public security at the level of local government and the republic. The National Police in each republic are controlled by the governorate through its respective Ministry of Interior, which also administers corrections, emergency services and other elements of public security, such as the ID card system.

The minority of law enforcement and public security duties coming under federal jurisdiction–limited to those matters affecting more than one republic or the union as a whole–are the responsibility of the government of the Arab Union–the Judicial Police handles federal policing and criminal investigation, while unique internal security responsibilities like counterterrorism and intelligence are handled by the Joint Security Committee (the national security agency, which also conducts foreign intelligence operations).

The organisation of law enforcement is set out in the National Police Act, which specifies agency structure, regulates authority, areas of jurisdiction and relationship with other parts of government and society.