Law Enforcement Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran (Redirected from General Command of the Law Enforcement of Islamic Republic of Iran)

Law Enforcement Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran
فرماندهی انتظامی جمهوری اسلامی ایران
Farmândehiye Entezâmiye Jomhuriye Eslâmiye Irân
Official logo
Official logo
The official flag of the Law Enforcement Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran
The official flag of the Law Enforcement Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Common nameIranian Police
Abbreviationفراجا
Mottoكُونُواْ قَوَّامِينَ لِلّهِ شُهَدَاء بِالْقِسْط
"Be steadfast witnesses for Allah in equity" [Quran 5:8] (Heraldry slogan)
Agency overview
FormedApril 1, 1991
Preceding agency
Employees500,000 (including conscripts and reserves)
Jurisdictional structure
National agencyIran
Operations jurisdictionIran
Map of Iran with province borders
Size1,648,195 km2
Population86,758,304 (2022)
Constituting instrument
General nature
Operational structure
Minister responsible
Agency executive
Parent agencyGeneral Staff of Armed Forces
Notables
Anniversary
  • 5 October
Website
police.ir

The Law Enforcement Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran, previously known as the Law Enforcement Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran or Disciplinary Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran, abbreviated as Faraja (فراجا [fæɾɒːˈd͡ʒɒː]), is the uniformed police force in Iran. The force was created in early 1992 by merging the Shahrbani (شهربانی Šahrbâni), Gendarmerie (ژاندارمری Žândârmeri), and Islamic Revolutionary Committees (کمیته انقلاب اسلامی Komite enghlâb-e eslâmi) into a single force. It has more than 60,000 police personnel, including border guard personnel, and is under the direct control of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei who is the head of state and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. In 2003, some 400 women became the first female members of the police force since the 1979 Iranian Revolution. The Guidance Patrol, commonly called the "morality police", was a vice squad/Islamic religious police in the Law Enforcement Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran, established in 2005 with the task of arresting people who violate the Islamic dress code, usually concerning the wearing by women of hijabs covering their hair.

History

Seal of the Imperial Iranian Gendarmerie

The Persian Gendarmerie, also called the Government Gendarmerie (ژاندارمری دولتی), was the first modern highway patrol and rural police force in Persia. A paramilitary force, it also played a significant part in politics from its establishment in 1910 during the Qajar dynasty until the advent of the Pahlavi Iran in 1921. It was active for some time in the Pahlavi era. Nazmiyeh (نظمیه) was also a Law Enforcement force in Persia, with police duties inside cities.

Intensely concerned with matters of internal security in the post-1953 environment, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi authorized the development of one of the most extensive systems of law enforcement agencies in the developing world. The Imperial Iranian Gendarmerie (ژاندارمری شاهنشاهی ایران) and the National Police (Shahrbani شهربانی or Nazmiyeh نظمیه) gained in numbers and responsibilities. The secret police organization, SAVAK, gained special notoriety for its excessive zeal in "maintaining" internal security. But as in the regular armed forces, the shah's management style virtually eliminated all coordination among these agencies. He tended to shuffle army personnel back and forth between their ordinary duties and temporary positions in internal security agencies, in order to minimize the possibility of any organized coups against the throne. Added to this list of institutional shortcomings was the agencies' all-important public image, cloaked in mystery and fear.

Seal of the Islamic Republic of Iran Gendarmerie

After the 1979 Revolution, the gendarmerie, which was renamed to the Islamic Republic of Iran Gendarmerie (ژاندارمری جمهوری اسلامی ایران), was numbering nearly 74,000 in 1979, was subordinate to the Ministry of Interior. Its law enforcement responsibilities extended to all rural areas and to small towns and villages of fewer than 5,000 inhabitants. The International Institute for Strategic Studies estimated its manpower at 70,000 in 1986. The Gendarmerie was dissolved in 1990 and its personnel were assigned to the INP.

The National Police of Iran operated with approximately 200,000 men in 1979, a figure that has not fluctuated much since. The National Police was also under the Ministry of Interior, and its responsibilities included all cities with more than 5,000 in population, at least 20 percent of the population. Additionally, the National Police was responsible for passport and immigration procedures, issuance and control of citizens' identification cards, driver and vehicle licensing and registration, and railroad and airport policing. Some of these duties were absorbed into the Ministry of the Pasdaran during the early years of the Revolution, and cooperation between these two branches seemed extensive.

Since 1979, both these paramilitary organizations have undergone complete reorganizations. IRP leaders quickly appointed Gendarmerie and police officers loyal to the Revolution to revive and reorganize the two bodies under the Islamic Republic. Between 1979 and 1983, no fewer than seven officers were given top National Police portfolios. Colonel Khalil Samimi, appointed in 1983 by the influential Ali Akbar Nategh-Nouri, then Minister of Interior, who was credited with reorganizing the National Police according to the IRP's Islamic guidelines. The Gendarmerie followed a similar path. Seven appointments were made between 1979 and 1986, leading to a full reorganization. In addition to Brigadier General Ahmad Mohagheghi, the commander in the early republican period who was executed in late summer of 1980 and five colonels were purged. Colonel Ali Kuchekzadeh played a major role in reorganizing and strengthening the Gendarmerie after its near collapse in the early revolutionary period. The commander in 1987, Colonel Mohammad Sohrabi, had served in that position since February 1985 and was the first top officer to have risen from the ranks.

As of 1987, the National Police and the Gendarmerie reflected the ideology of the state. Despite their valuable internal security operations, the roles of both bodies were restricted by the rising influence of the Sepah and the Basij. The Gendarmerie was disbanded in 1991, along with the National Police and Islamic Revolution Committees; all three of these organizations being merged into the present-day Law Enforcement Force.

Commanders, officers and officials of the Law Enforcement Force of Islamic Republic of Iran met Ayatollah Khamenei, commander and chief of the armed forces, on 8 May 2016.

The Police–110 unit specializes in rapid-response activities in urban areas and dispersing gatherings deemed dangerous to public order. In 2003, some 400 women became the first female members of the police force since the 1978–79 Revolution.

The current commander is IRGC-born Brigadier General Hossein Ashtari, former first deputy chief of police under Esmail Ahmadi Moqaddam; he relieved his predecessor and was appointed by the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on March 9, 2015.[citation needed]

Per a decree issued by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, on 8 December 2021 Law Enforcement Force structure was promoted to that of a General Command in 2021, it was thus renamed "Law Enforcement Command of Islamic Republic of Iran".

Provincial Security Council

The Provincial Security Council is the highest provincial security body and is made up of the justice administration chief as well as the provincial police chief; it has the task to manage matters pertaining to security. The council has a provincial jurisdiction charged of managing police issues, ranging from public security issues to handling of serious criminal cases.

Top organization

All issues related to the Law Enforcement Force within the framework of the law are entrusted with the Interior Ministry; but in the areas of war, the authority lies with the Deputy Chief Commander of the Joint Forces. Police top officers are directly appointed by the Supreme Leader. Law Enforcement Force also consists of several different provincial deputies. Provincial commanders rank between Colonel and Brigadier General, while provincial branch heads rank Colonel.

Branches

The Police-110 unit specializes in rapid-response activities in urban areas and dispersing gatherings deemed dangerous to public order. Marine police have 100 inshore patrols and 50 harbor boats.

Tourism Police in Naghsh-i Jahan Square

The Law Enforcement Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran has a number of branches, each with specialized duties:

Guidance Patrol

Guidance Patrol

The Guidance Patrol, widely known as the "morality police", was a vice squad/Islamic religious police in the Law Enforcement Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran, established in 2005 and allegedly dissolved in 2022, with the task of arresting people who violated the Islamic dress code, usually concerning the wearing by women of hijabs covering their hair. On December 3, 2022, the Attorney General of Iran, Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, said in Qom that the police guidance patrol is not under the supervision of the judiciary system and it is closed now from where it was begun first.[clarification needed]

Branch seals

Budget

Ghavamin Bank was financed by the police pension fund. It controls FARAJA Cooperation Bonyad.

Chiefs of Law Enforcement Force

No. Portrait Commander-in-Chief Took office Left office Time in office Previous service
1
Mohammad Sohrabi
Sohrabi, MohammadBrigadier general
Mohammad Sohrabi
1 April 199124 September 19921 yearGendarmerie
2
Reza Seifollahi
Seifollahi, RezaBrigadier general
Reza Seifollahi
24 September 199215 February 19974 yearsIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
3
Hedayat Lotfian
Lotfian, HedayatBrigadier general
Hedayat Lotfian
15 February 199727 June 20003 yearsIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
4
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf
Ghalibaf, Mohammad BagherBrigadier general
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf
(born 23 August 1961)
27 June 20004 April 20054 yearsIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
-
Ali Abdollahi
Abdollahi, AliBrigadier general
Ali Abdollahi
Acting
4 April 20059 July 20052 monthsIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
5
Esmail Ahmadi-Moghaddam
Ahmadi-Moghaddam, EsmailBrigadier general
Esmail Ahmadi-Moghaddam
(born 1961)
9 July 20059 March 20159 years, 9 monthsIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
6
Hossein Ashtari
Ashtari, HosseinBrigadier general
Hossein Ashtari
(born 1959)
9 March 20159 January 20237 years, 10 monthsIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
7
Ahmad-Reza Radan
Radan, Ahmad-RezaBrigadier general
Ahmad-Reza Radan
(born 1963)
9 January 2023353 daysIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

Equipment

See also


This page was last updated at 2023-12-31 02:43 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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