Located in North Africa, Morocco has a total area of 446,550 square kilometers and a population of 31.7 million inhabitants (July 2003). The Moroccan political system is considered a constitutional monarchy.
Policing in Morocco is the work of a national force, composed of the Sûreté Nationale and the Royal Gendarmerie. The security apparatus includes several police and paramilitary organizations with overlapping authority.
The National Police Force manages internal law enforcement in cities and reports to the Ministry of Interior. The Auxiliary Forces also report to the Ministry of Interior and support gendarmes and police. The Royal Gendarmerie, which reports to the Administration of National Defense, is responsible for law enforcement in rural regions and on national highways.
The judicial police (investigative) branches of both the Royal Gendarmerie and the National Police report to the royal prosecutor and have the power to arrest individuals.
Moroccan Sûreté Nationale and Royal Gendarmerie: Background and History
For the Berbers, the indigenous ethnic group in Morocco, early order maintenance was largely performed in traditional kinship units. According to a Finnish ethnographer, Edward Westermarck (1862-1939), most tribes lacked the division of labor of what could be likened to a police force.
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Rather, traditions of paying blood money and revenge-seeking by paternal kin of victims characterized the Berber response to crime. Leaders, known as shareefs, often acted as mediators among intertribal or interkinship homicidal rivalry.
The advent of a police force as an organized protective and law enforcement organization came to Morocco with the Roman Empire (146 B.C.E. until the 3rd century B.C.E.). The Roman military acted as guardians for the peace in cities. However, traditional modes of order maintenance continued in the countryside.
From the 7th century C.E. until the encroachment of the French in the late 18th century, Morocco was ruled by a series of Islamic monarchs, beginning with Moulay Idriss in 788 C.E. Under the Islamic order maintenance, laws, known as shariah, were revealed to humankind by Allah via Muhammad's recitation of the Qu'ran.
There is no doctrinal difference between judicial and executive functions among authorities under this tradition; however, in actuality, the institution of the shurta developed. The shurta, which evolved into the modern-day Arabic word for police, was given authority to investigate crimes, conduct trials, and punish offenders. The shurta was led by the wali al-jara'im (official in charge of crimes).
Settlements of disputes, which often fell into the category of criminal violations, were also negotiated by a parallel system of justice practiced by qadis, specially designated Islamic judges who claimed legitimacy via local Moroccan saints (marabout). In some rural areas, qadi justice remains as an alternative to the state-sanctioned criminal justice system.
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With the advent of French control over Morocco in 1918, the French government used a similar police structure for its management of the colonies as it did domestically. The modern French system of policing was developed by Napoleon. It consisted of two branches of service:
- Police force for urban centers
- Paramilitary force for rural settings (Gendarmerie)
In addition, the French-occupying military also had order maintenance responsibilities. For criminal investigation, the French often deputized local people. This practice was notable in its use of ethnic policing. Local officials were primarily hired from among the indigenous Berber minority rather than from the Arab majority.
Because the main goal was suppression of political dissent among colonial subjects, this strategy enabled the use of force against an ethnic “other.”
After 1956 when Morocco gained its independence, the existing colonial police force took over policing the new nation. Local forces were often young, inexperienced, and minimally supervised. Working under a fragile new government, the force had the audacious goals of easing social, economic, and political reform.
Direction Générale de la Sûreté Nationale
The General Directorate for National Security (Arabic: االمديرية العامة للأمن الوطني, romanized: Aālmdyryh al-ʻĀmmah lil-amn al-Waṭanī; Standard Moroccan Tamazight: ⵜⴰⵎⵀⵍⴰ ⵜⴰⵎⴰⵜⴰⵢⵜ ⵏ ⵜⵏⴼⵔⵓⵜ ⵜⴰⵏⴰⵎⵓⵔⵜ, romanized: tamhla tamatayt n tnfrut tanamurt; French: Direction Générale de la Sûreté Nationale, DGSN) is the national police force of the Kingdom of Morocco. The DGSN is tasked with upholding the law and public order.
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It was founded on 16 May 1956 by King Mohammed V. There were regional and tribal Muhtasibs (equivalent to a police commissioner) who were appointed by the Pasha. The Muhtasib had the power to issue fines for minor offenses. Criminals were tried in front of a Qadi, the judge of a Sharia court.
In 1906, the Algeciras Conference led to various police reforms in Morocco. The reforms established a national police force that would fall under the Sultan's sovereign authority. The police force's recruitment would be overseen by the Makhzen and commanded by Caïds.
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In 2007, the Sûreté Nationale had approximately 46,000 personnel.
Morocco's Legal and Governmental Framework
Morocco is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system under which ultimate authority rests with King Mohammed VI, who presides over the Council of Ministers, although executive authority is shared with Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch. According to the constitution, the king appoints the head of government from the political party with the most seats in parliament and approves members of the government nominated by the head of government.
Human Rights and Oversight
Civilian authorities maintained effective control over security forces.
The law prohibits arbitrary arrest and detention and provides for the right of any person to challenge in court the lawfulness of his or her arrest or detention. By law police may arrest an individual after a general prosecutor issues an oral or written warrant.
The law permits authorities to deny defendants’ access to counsel or family members during the initial 96 hours of detention under terrorism-related laws or during the initial 24 hours of detention for all other charges, which can be extended 12 hours with approval of the Prosecutor’s Office. Authorities did not consistently respect these limits. Most reports of abuse stemmed from police interrogations during these initial detention periods.
The constitution provides for an independent judiciary, but the government did not always respect judicial independence and impartiality. The law provides for the right to a fair and public trial with the right of appeal, and the judiciary generally enforced this right, but NGOs reported significant concerns with fair trial guarantees in some high-profile cases.
Security Priorities and Challenges
The government places the utmost priority on protecting its people, economy and political system from terrorist and criminal elements. Morocco’s geographic location at the crossroads of Europe, Africa, and the Middle East exposes it to transnational threats, including illegal immigration and the trafficking of humans and narcotics.
Military and Security Resources
The Moroccan military consists of 195,800 active personnel, plus an additional 200,000 reserves. The Army accounts for 88% of the total armed forces which includes not only the Army, Navy, and Air Force but also the Royal Gendarmerie (24,000) and Royal Guard (6,000).
The Auxiliary Police: GUS (Groupement Urbain de Sécurité)
GUS was established by the Direction Générale de la Sûreté Nationale (DGSN) (the main National police body) in October 17, 2005. The initiative lies within the scope of a general reform whose principle was "the Police force, near to you for your safety". As of October 2006, GUS comprised between 4,000 and 5,000 agents. The GUS are considered first-aid workers and all members speak English. They were attached to arrondissements. Because of its nature as an auxiliary police, GUS, for example did not have the right to confiscate driver licenses or to file official reports.
GUS were equipped with Peugeot Partner vans and Honda motorcycles. The body was disbanded exactly one year later; in October 16, 2006. Before its disbanding, GUS comprised 6 groups. The action came as a result of the reforms which started to be executed within the national police and army bodies.
While many Moroccans regarded the presence of GUS as a relief, many others considered it as a step back to the rule of the Makhzen (Elite). The disbanding came after many criticisms about excesses or abuses of power were noted. Some irresponsible actions of certain members of this police turned over the public opinion which became discreditory. GUS were also accused of corruption especially.
Royal Gendarmerie
The Moroccan Royal Gendarmerie was founded in 1957 by late King Mohammed V. The legislation which founded the Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie describes it as a public force designed to guarantee public security and public order and the implementation of laws. This legislation text attaches the Gendarmerie to the Royal Moroccan Army, then constituting a military force in its structure, administration and command forms. It consists of officers, NCOs and privates. Although the Moroccan Royal Gendermerie is a military force it has also been tasked with policing duties.
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