Law enforcement in Jordan

Law enforcement in Jordan is the purview of the "Public Security Force" (includes approximately 50,000 persons), the Jordanian national police, which is subordinate to the Public Security Directorate of the Ministry of Interior.

The first police force in the Jordanian state, after the fall of the Ottoman Empire 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 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 and the Transjordan Frontier Force, after that year the Public Safety Department was established.

Headquartered in Amman, 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 general, who then reports to the Minister of Interior. Below the central headquarters there are ten regional directorates. Eight of which correspond to the governorates 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:

Additionally, there are three major structural divisions for the police force:

The Special Police Force (SPF) 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.

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