Ministry of Interior (Syria)

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The Ministry of Interior (Arabic: وزارة الداخلية wuzārat ad-dākhiliyah) is a ministry of the Syrian government, which oversees law enforcement and other aspects of public administration in the Syrian Arab Republic, one of the 20 republics of the Arab Union. It primarily oversees the Syrian National Police and other domestic security agencies. The Ministry of Interior is headed by Minister of the Interior Mohammed Khaled Rahmoun, in office since November 2018.

Structure[edit | edit source]

Below are the directorates and other agencies which constitute the executive function of the Ministry of Interior. All directorates and agencies are led by a director or director-general, who is accountable to the Minister of Interior.

Agencies[edit | edit source]

  • Syrian National Police: The law enforcement agency of Syria's republican government which is directly answerable to the Minister of Interior, responsible for handling crimes at the local and national-republican level, leading major investigations and operations as well as traffic patrol of highways and other intercity roads;
  • Corrections Directorate: Operates all prisons and remand centres in the republic, as well as the parole and probation system;
  • General Intelligence Directorate: Responsible for the political security of the republican government, domestic counterintelligence, and anti-corruption of all Syrian police and security agencies;
  • Criminal Security Directorate: Handles investigation and infiltration of organised crime groups and other serious criminal investigations, often in conjunction with the Syrian National Police;
  • Public Administration Agency: Responsible for record-keeping of all public documents and information, storing vital statistics and other personal identification information (which can be accessed by police agencies), and issuing copies of domestic personal documents, including all identity documents, birth certificates, photo ID cards, social security numbers, and most other personal and family records and related information, with the exception of passports, which are issued by the federal government's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as driver's licences, which are issued by the federal Motor Vehicle Insurance Directorate;

Other offices[edit | edit source]

  • Municipalities and Communities Office: Liaises between the republican government and the municipal governments of Syria;
  • Bureau of Financial Affairs: Handles the ministry's budget and other financial responsibilities;
  • Interior Personnel Office: Responsible for human resources in all of its aspects, from hiring and termination to compensation and personnel records;
  • Interior Legal Office: Advises and represents the Ministry of Interior in all legal affairs, consisting of lawyers, paralegals and other legal professionals;
  • Interior Communications: Represents the Ministry of Interior in all official public announcements and all other media formats;
  • IT Office: Responsible for technical support of all ministry software and hardware;