Law enforcement in Syria

Law enforcement in Syria is primarily conducted by the General Security Service under the Syrian transitional government.

The government is also training a new police force guided by Islamic teachings, and established a tourist police unit in May 2025.

In Ba'athist Syria, law enforcement was carried out by the Syrian Public Security Police, while internal security duties were carried out by several intelligence agencies. The Political Security Directorate was one of the agencies under the Ba’athist regime, under the guidance of the Ministry of Interior by the government. The Directorate was used for covert intelligence gathering and internal security issues within Syria. Syria has been an INTERPOL member since 1953. During the Syrian civil war, much of Syria was outside the control of the Ba’athist government, with the Asayish being responsible for policing in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, the Turkish-backed "Free Syrian Police" in areas under the Turkish occupation of Northern Syria, and various Syrian opposition groups around Idlib.

Under the Ba'athist government, the Ministry of Interior controlled the state security forces. There were also other specialized organizations, such as the special metropolitan police in Damascus overseen by the Director General of the Public Security and Police, the Gendarmerie for control in rural areas and the Border Guard for border control especially the Syria-Iraq border.

The Internal Security Forces Day was on 29 May, the anniversary of French forces shelling the Parliament building in Damascus in 1945.