HIBAPRESS – Misbah Ahmed (El Jadida)
These are behaviors that reflect human, ethical, and legal values, which are imbued by Abdellatif Hammouchi, the Director General of National Security, and which have always been dominant in police practice and the management of security affairs, in order to consolidate the rule of law and the sovereignty of the law, which enabled, in the Morocco of the third millennium, the Morocco of the new era, to break away from some outdated behaviors and practices.
In addition, the National Security and Interior Intelligence apparatuses, which Morocco possesses, have surpassed and excelled even the strongest Western intelligence and security apparatuses. This has fortified against the dangers of terrorism and extremism, transnational organized crime, human smuggling and trafficking, and has contributed to maintaining security and stability at the national and international levels, and has made the Moroccan experience a model to be emulated in the world.
• New Directorate Strategy
Since becoming head of the General Directorate of National Security, Abdellatif Hammouchi has adopted a new and renewed security strategy, which falls within the framework of establishing strong foundations for ethical conduct, rationalization, and integrity within the ranks of the National Security apparatus, and consolidating the mechanisms of good security governance; a strategy that requires adopting sound behaviors, and reinforcing them with the necessary rigor, and not being lenient with violators in the daily practice of the women and men of security, whether in central or decentralized departments. This is what is clearly and concretely deduced from the visits carried out by the central inspection committees, and from the directorate's circulars that it has continuously disseminated to its directorates and internal and external departments, on the subject of the duty to protect security officials who are subject to several levels of administrative and judicial control, which ensures the detection of any potential violation, and the arrangement of the necessary responsibility for it.
• Law enforcement.. even if it was Hammouchi's sister
Director General Abdellatif Hammouchi did not hesitate, upon being informed that his sister Laila Hammouchi had committed a traffic violation, when she, along with her driver, exceeded the legally permitted speed on Friday, June 14, 2019, on the outer ring road, in the urban area of Rabat, (did not hesitate) to issue his directorial instructions to issue a traffic violation report against his sister.
For the record, the surprise was with the traffic police officers, who found themselves in an embarrassing situation, after they stopped the violation, the sister of the Director General; which forced them to inform their superiors. As a result of informing him, Abdellatif Hammouchi ordered the law to be applied with the necessary firmness and rigor, as is customary with him, and to issue the traffic violation against his sister Laila, who, on this occasion, holds the position of Director (Gouverneur Directrice) of Planning and Equipment at the Ministry of Interior. She was forced to pay a fine, ranging in value between 700 and 1400 dirhams.
Hammouchi's non-tolerance or interference, and his pursuit of the application of the law without distinction or discrimination, even against members of his family and those closest to him, like all citizens, has come to consolidate in police practice the principle of "the legal rule is general and abstract", and to adhere, in the new Morocco, to the principle of "everyone is equal before the law".
• Managerial communication with the apparatus and society
The General Directorate of National Security witnessed a quantum leap in the field of communication, after it promoted the press and media cell to a managerial communication hub, and it and the General Directorate for the Supervision of National Territory, has an official spokesperson, General Inspector Boubker Sabik, who is known for his style "without wooden language", in interviews and media appearances, in which he provides accurate and transparent information about security issues, and enhances trust between the citizen and security. Where he made the Directorate of National Security an institutional actor strongly present in the public space, and very close to the citizen.
To develop professional competencies and skills, and improve the quality of media and communication services, the security directorate is reinforced every year with cohorts of competent journalists, who are selected after passing a police commissioner competition, within limited positions, and according to specific conditions and standards, including having a diploma from the "Media and Communication Sciences" institute.
The communication policy at the security directorate has become to rely on three central pillars and facades, which are written official statements, explanatory videos, and interaction with the press and media.
The security directorate issues "Police Magazine", in Arabic and French, which has been transferred from the paper format to the electronic format (PDF); and it can be downloaded on the information application, which was created by a team of specialized programmers, affiliated with National Security.
"Police Magazine" is considered a periodic information pillar for institutional communication, issued every three months, and it is directed to police officers and the general public. Each issue includes a main file that the editorial board dedicates to specific topics, such as "cyber security", "command and coordination rooms, the beating heart of managing neighborhood police operations", and "the work of emergency police teams in responding to citizens' calls, and achieving reassurance and preserving public order", not to mention the coverage of official activities organized by the "DGSN", at the Royal Police Institute in Kenitra, on crime, such as cyber, financial and economic crimes, or on the occasion of organizing international forums, such as the general assembly of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), in which the National Central Bureaus (NCBs) participate in its work every year, in each of the 196 member countries, such as the Moroccan office, which is considered a key link between the National Security apparatus and the global police organization "Interpol".
• Communication and interaction.. to uphold the rule of law
On Saturday, May 26, 2018, Abdellatif Hammouchi invited to his offices at the National Security Directorate in Rabat, the driver of a three-wheeled tricycle "Triporteur", who was subjected by an excellent security officer to physical and verbal assault, in the public street in Casablanca, on the background of a traffic violation; where he offered him an official apology on behalf of the Moroccan police.
• What followed the official apology
That Hammouchi interacts positively, in an unprecedented initiative, with the case of the assaulted citizen, by inviting him to the headquarters of the security directorate, and offering him an official apology on behalf of the National Security apparatus, which he heads and represents, after an assault due to individual behaviors and an isolated police act, which, on this occasion, occurs daily dozens of times and is even more serious than that in the oldest democracies and the largest capitals and cities of the developed and civilized countries, then this initiative reflects the human, ethical, and legal dimension, and the saturation with civil behaviors, and the values of true citizenship, the nobility and virtues of ethics and humility, and respect for human humanity, the highest right of universal human rights, and adherence to the high royal directives. An initiative that did not come at all under pressure from the street, or pressure from the “Human Rights Watch” organization, or pressure from the directed Western media. Hammouchi's interaction was spontaneous and automatic, and stemmed from the principles and values of a responsible person from the generation of the young king, who is from the people and close to the people, does not carry any "political etiquette", nor ideological backgrounds, he is one of the servants of the noble thresholds, and the protectors of the homeland, its constants and its sanctities, which are summarized by the kingdom's eternal motto: "God – the Nation – the King".
In Hammouchi's justice for the Moroccan citizen and restoring his reputation, it is the upholding of rights, by "rejecting the contempt", and consolidating "dignity and equality". Hammouchi, who on this occasion was quick to activate the contents of the high royal speeches and directives, and translate them on the ground, and implement them in the daily practice of the men and women of National Security, and the strict and firm application of the provisions of the constitution, which stipulate linking responsibility with accountability.
• A lesson.. to be understood
In light of the new era, Morocco and Moroccans have become living a stage in which there is no difference between the official and the citizen, in the rights and obligations of citizenship, and there is no room for escaping from responsibility or escaping punishment. This, on the one hand, allows the consolidation of the pillars of security governance, and, on the other hand, guarantees the sound and firm application of the law. Perhaps this is what is clearly and concretely deduced from the "initiative" of the high official Abdellatif Hammouchi, and from the lesson that must be understood.
This is an unprecedented precedent, neither in the National Security Directorate, nor in any official sector or institution, in the era of the thirty-three executive governments, which succeeded with their various party colors and political slogans, since the government council formed by Prime Minister, El Bakkay Ben Mbarek El Hebil, a politically non-affiliated figure, in the first government appointed at the dawn of independence by the late King Mohammed V (December 7, 1955 – October 25, 1956).
• Hammouchi's interaction with a litigant's complaint
Professor Rachid Wahabi, a lawyer at the El Jadida Bar Association, launched a "bold and exciting" post on his "Facebook" account, after the General Directorate of National Security interacted, which he described as "amazing and fast" with a complaint from one of his clients. Where the security directorate turned the "ordinary" complaint into a "fast-track case", in a scene that rarely exists, and a step that constitutes a "quantum leap and unprecedented" in administrative and professional performance in Morocco.
The effective and responsible interaction, and the level of professionalism and speed in the rapid response, makes the security administration, not just a "police institution", but a "beacon of the Moroccan administration", and places it, as a result of the dramatic transformation in the administration's dealing with citizens' files, at the forefront of the scene as a "model to be emulated" in effective and constructive communication, and high administrative responsibility. Which qualifies its performance to "be crowned with gold", and to be decorated with "the golden collar".
• The complainant's defense post
This is the text of the "fiery" post launched by lawyer Professor Rachid Wahabi on his "Facebook" account:
"Today I can only express my deep gratitude and great pride in the high work that was done by the General Directorate of National Security, both in communication and speed in responding to a complaint concerning my client. This makes me direct my sincere thanks and appreciation to the General Directorate of National Security, in the person of its Director General, Mr. Abdellatif Hammouchi, and its cadres and employees, for what they have shown of high professionalism, effective communication, and a rapid and responsible response, with the grievance I submitted less than ten days ago; Their interaction was an exemplary model in serving the citizen, and in upholding the values of the modern public utility.
The immediate interest of the National Security Institution in our grievance, and its handling in a short period, in less than five days after receipt. And to bring the image of what we are putting forward, to draw conclusions and lessons, we started our work by placing, in June 2025, a request with another institution, and it forwarded it, at the beginning of last July, to the Casablanca Major Security Governorate; We also placed two reminders and a grievance with the Public Prosecution, and we moved from there, more than seven times, to their institution, where we were received by the officials without any result. But the matter was different when we directed a complaint to the Director General of National Security, and to the Public Prosecution; The response came to us in less than a week (the response came to us), as sung by the late Abdel Halim Hafez in one of his immortal songs. The response was from the General Directorate of National Security. And we are still waiting for the response of the Public Prosecution on this occasion.
Moreover, we were contacted by phone, not from the city's security governorate, where we complained about the delay in processing our request referred to it, the city in which our office is not located, but from the regional security of El Jadida, where our office is located. We moved to the relevant department, where we were informed that our grievance addressed to the Director General of National Security, had received his attention, and they informed us of the solution to our client's problem. Accordingly, this work, professional behavior, and conduct, confirms, without a doubt, that we are facing an institution that works with a spirit of seriousness, commitment, listening, and speed in responding, this response that was by a phone call, followed by a reception and informing of the administration's response; the reception was in respect and very good conditions. And this confirms that this administration puts citizens' complaints at the forefront of its interests and priorities. If that indicates anything, it indicates the depth of their professionalism and the consolidation of the principles of good governance, within the very respected police institution.
And as I express my sincere gratitude for the effort made by this administration, I can only say with pride:
If all public institutions in Morocco followed this sound approach, and this unique and commendable communication, and worked to find the useful solution, the reality of the Moroccan administration and the public utility would be more bright and closer to the expectations and aspirations of the Moroccan citizen today.
I decided to write and publish this post, because I was very happy with the speed of response and communication, and the speed of finding a solution, and closing the door to this problem, and also to draw attention to the suffering of Moroccans and the suffering of lawyers, with the problem of ignoring their complaints and grievances. Even the administration, whose heart and pen yearn, answers you only in writing, to inform you that the complaint you filed or sent has been received, and the file has been opened like this and that; And after that, it remains stagnant, without a solution and without movement for months or even many years. As for most institutions and administrations in Morocco, they work on the principle: "How many needs we have fulfilled by leaving them"; And this neglect and poor or non-existent communication, is what made some Moroccans, whose numbers are increasing day by day, come out in social media, in order to present their cases and complaints, "and clean their laundry in front of public opinion", because their problems did not and did not find a listening ear, in the absence of the institution that is supposed and supposed to solve them; From there, they resort to spewing and pouring their anger on institutions and administrations, and even against their country, Morocco. And all this may happen because of a negligent, negligent, absent, and negative employee or administration.
And I conclude this post, and I am very happy, and I once again express all respect and appreciation to the General Directorate of National Security, in the person of its director, Mr. Abdellatif Hammouchi, and to its cadres and employees, as a Moroccan citizen, and in my capacity as a lawyer, I have practiced for about thirty years, I have never witnessed work with this speed, professionalism, seriousness and responsibility. And I am very proud of you and your administration." (End of the post).
• Impressions and consensus
Hundreds of Moroccans in various regions have come to support Abdellatif Hammouchi, by following and publishing the directorate's activities on social media; As some of them have clustered and formed a group called: "The Abdellatif Hammouchi Lovers Group".
Also, the impressions that the newspaper obtained from the general public and civil society figures, and even from security men who are still in service and practice, or have been retired, agreed that the distinguished and successful path and career of Abdellatif Hammouchi, is summarized in 11 years of strengthening and rationalizing the apparatus, thanks to a new and renewed directorate strategy, its modernization and development, and the improvement of the quality of its services, and from effective communication and interaction with the pulse of society and the street, and with the issues, concerns, and grievances of citizens, which are received directly by the central departments, or which are taken into account through social media and the blue space… As well as the affectionate paternal attentions, which Abdellatif Hammouchi bestows, on occasions and holidays, on police officers, their families, security retirees, widows, and those entitled.
• The highest decoration.. the "Royal Trust" medal
If Abdellatif Hammouchi's record is filled with praise and decoration with medals of high and high grades, from the countries of the European Union, the brotherly and friendly Arab countries, and the General Assembly of the "Interpol" organization, in appreciation of the contributions of the security and intelligence apparatus to the development of security work nationally, and security cooperation internationally, and for the central role in maintaining security and stability around the world, then perhaps the highest medal, in addition to the Royal Medal, the Alawite Wissam of the Officer grade, which is awarded to personalities who provide great services to the nation, (then perhaps the highest medal) which King Mohammed VI decorated, in 2011, Abdellatif Hammouchi, the servant of the noble thresholds (perhaps) "the royal trust" that he placed in him, when His Majesty deigned to appoint him, in May 2015, Director General of National Security, and he then combined the "DGSN" and "DGST" apparatuses.
• Pride and honor
If the subjects of the British Crown in the United Kingdom (England) show their pride in their king and their traditional kingdom, and pray for them in the national anthem: "God Save the King", then the Moroccans show, in the Morocco of the new era, after their adherence, attachment and pride in the glorious Alawi throne, their satisfaction and pride in the protectors of the homeland, its constants and its sanctities, and at the forefront of them is Abdellatif Hammouchi, the director of the National Security and Interior Intelligence apparatuses, who deserves to be decorated with the "Lightning Communication" medal and the title of "Moroccan Lighthouse", for his openness, communication, and effective interaction with the pulse of society and the street, and with the citizens, the subjects of His Majesty, may God grant him victory.
