Law Enforcement Day in Iran Date in the current year: October 5, 2024

The formation of a centralized law enforcement system in Iran began in the last quarter of the 19th century. During his visit to Europe, Naser al-Din Shah Qajar (the ruler of Iran) was impressed by the Italian law enforcement system and took it as an example when he began to reform law enforcement in his country.

Ahmad Shah Qajar, the last ruling member of the Qajar dynasty, created the Iranian Gendarmerie in 1910. It was the first modern rural police and highway patrol in Iran. After the advent of the Pahlavi dynasty, Reza Shah Pahlavi authorized the development of an extensive system of law enforcement agencies. It included the Gendarmerie, the National Police (Nazmiyeh), and the secret police (SAVAK).

After the Islamic Revolution of 1979, the law enforcement system of Iran consisted of three main agencies – the Gendarmerie, the National Police (Shahrbani), and Islamic Revolution Committees. In 1991, the three agencies merged together to form the Law Enforcement Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran (NAJA). It has more than 60,000 police personnel whose professional holiday is celebrated on October 5 every year.