Internal Security Forces in Lebanon
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1860 Ministry of attachment: Ministère de l’Intérieur et des municipalités Workforce: 27 693 General manager: Général Imad OSMANE Address: Caserne Ibrahim Khoury Tél.: 961 1 422000 - 961 1 425250 Responsible for international relations: Lieutenant-colonel Maroun KHAWAND Tél.: 961 70 243 790 Email: isf@isf.gov.Ib Website: www.isf.gov.lb/fr 
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History
After the 1860 French expedition ordered by general Beaufort d’Hautpoul, a Lebanese Gendarmerie force replaces the Ottoman forces in charge of the security. In October 1914, this one passes under the command of Turkish officers and a school is created in Baabda. In 1920, with the creation of the "Big Lebanon State", placed under French mandate, a new Lebanese Gendarmerie is organized on the French model. The staff is then 1 200 men among whom 37 officers. Until the institution of the Lebanese National Army (LNA) in 1945, the Gendarmerie is the only armed force at the government disposal. In 1952, the Gendarmerie counts 2 400 men. In 1953, the statutory order NR 59 of March 24 defines three main security forces: the Gendarmerie, the Police and the General Inspectorate. In 1959, the statutory order NR 138 of June 12 creates an Interior Security Force (ISF) depending on the Ministry of the Interior. In 1967, the statutory order NR 54 of August 5 cancels the former organization defined in 1959 without modifying the ISF General Direction Structure and their main missions. During the Lebanese War (1975-1991), in spite of the division of most of the institutions, the ISF remains attached to the same command and to the Lebanese legality. From 1983 till 1985, the "gendarme" naming is replaced within ISF by that of "policeman". The law n° 17 of September 6, 1990 and the statutory order n° 1157 of May 2, 1991 are officialising the existence of a "Regional Gendarmerie" within the ISF.
Organization
Central Organization
According to the article 2 of the statutory order n° 1157 of May 2,1991, the Interior Security Forces general-staff consists of:
• the Head office, which includes the General Director, the General - Staff Council and the Central direction;
• the general Inspectorate;
• the Regional Gendarmerie Command;
• the Motorized Forces Command;
• the Beirut police Command;
• the Criminal Investigation Department Command;
• the embassies, administrations and public institutions security Command;
• the Interior Security Forces Institute Command;
• the social detachments Presidency;
• the Command Council.
Territorial organization
The Regional Gendarmerie consists of the departmental Gendarmerie command and of the anti-riot police Command. It ensures all the law and order missions (except specialized services) on all the Lebanese territory with the exception of Beirut.
The departmental Gendarmerie is divided into four regions:
• Southern Lebanon Region;
• Bekaa Region;
• Mount Lebanon Region;
• Northern Lebanon Region.
Every of them is subdivided into companies, brigades and posts.
Specialized Training
The following units are not under the authority of the Gendarmerie general direction:
• the mobile Forces;
• the Motorized Forces unit;
• the interior security Forces brass band.
Missions
Interior Security Forces are law enforcement forces, the skills of which extending over all the Lebanese territories, the waters and the regional airs, which are connected with it, but their functions, or roles, are limited to what follows:
• with regard to administrative police:
- maintenance of law and order and strengthening of security,
- securing Public tranquillity and peace,
- protection of the people and the properties,
- protection of the liberties within the framework of the law,
- application of the laws and the regulations, which are connected with it;
• with regard to Criminal Investigation:
- perform the Criminal Investigation roles,
- execute summonses and letter rogatory,
- execute judgments and judicial warrants;
• in other domains:
- support public authorities in order to carry out their functions?
- ensure the guarding imposed by competent authorities in order to protect the directions and the public institutions,
- ensure the guarding and the administration of prisons. 700 gendarmes are in charge of the Roumieh prison guarding and 700 others are in charge of prisoners’ escorts,
- ensure the Lebanon diplomatic commissions guarding.
Staff
The ISF counts 27 693 personnels among whom 8 100 gendarmes. The ISF are called "policemen" when they practice in the Lebanese cities and "gendarmes" outside. They have all the military status but they do not live in barracks. Recruited since 2012, the women are near a number of one thousand.
Training institutions
Interior Security Forces Institute - Aramoun, Mount Lebanon - Lebanon.
Main equipment
Not communicated.
Cooperation
The French Gendarmerie has been completely committed in Lebanon for several years, thanks to a historic and strategic relation between both countries. The transfer of the French expertise is perform for the benefit of the Interior Security Forces in their various components, with a particular effort in the direction of the Department of Information (DI), the Governmental Guarding (GG) and the Mobile Forces (MF).
The GIGN (French "Groupe d’Intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale") has strongly marked with its imprint the IFS executives training (Intervention and High personalities protection techniques, negotiations in case of hostage taking, sniper, etc.). The Republican guard, the CNEFG and the CNFSR are intervening regularly for the benefit of Lebanon, in support of expertise missions in Lebanon or internships/training courses organized in France. THE EOGN integrates every year one to several French-speaking Lebanese officer cadets.
© The iconography was provided by the concerned gendarmeries