Hammouchi: the emblematic leader who marks Moroccan security history

1. Hammouchi: Morocco's most famous security chief in history
2. Achievements of the new dynamic led by Hammouchi
3. International cooperation is the key to a secure future for everyone
4. The rigorous and innovative strategy orchestrated by Abdellatif Hammouchi

Guided by a real strategic vision that advocates not only ensuring the protection of citizens, but also contributing to regional and international stability, Abdellatif Hammouchi, head of Morocco's Directorate General of National Security and Directorate General of Territorial Surveillance (DGSN-DGST), marks the history of Moroccan security by revolutionising the entire system and making Morocco a crucial player in global strategies against contemporary threats such as terrorism and transnational crime. 

The ambitious vision with which Hammouchi inaugurated the major reforms of the Moroccan security services is based on principles of innovation, proactivity, cooperation, information sharing and training of national security forces.

The DGSN and DGST pattern has turned the whole system on its head; developing an integrated and multidimensional approach to national security and regional stability that has not lost sight of the human and preventive dimension by promoting the values of tolerance and peaceful coexistence. 

It is a holistic approach whose brilliant leader ensures that the pillars of a nation instrumental in preserving peace and security not only for its citizens, but also for the international community, are strengthened.  

Hammouchi: Morocco's most famous security chief in history

The great employee of the Moroccan state, Abdellatif Hammouchi, was born in 1966 in Beni Ftah, a few kilometres from Taza, but spent his childhood with his nine siblings in Fez, where he received a traditional upbringing. His sister, Laila Hammouchi, was Director of Planning and Equipment at the Ministry of the Interior. 

After graduating from high school, Abdellatif studied law at the Dhar Mehraz Faculty in Fez and at the age of 25 joined the Interior Department, where he excelled in his performance and his particular potential to be included, two years later, in the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST).  

At this time, when Morocco was experiencing the rising tide of radical Islamism, Abdellatif Hammouchi became one of the best experts on the subject thanks to his mentor, the former head of the DGST, Hamidou Laanigri. 

Thanks to his professional qualities, Abdellatif Hammouchi became the perfect English-speaking interlocutor for the Americans after the 11 September 2001 attacks. After the Casablanca attacks of 16 May 2003, at the age of 39, he was appointed head of Moroccan intelligence (DGST) by King Mohammed VI in December 2005. 

On 15 May 2015, Hammouchi became the first person to combine two super-important functions in the two most sensitive state apparatuses when he was appointed by the Alaouite sovereign to head, in addition to the DGST, the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN). 

With a very good reputation, Abdellatif Hammouchi is known to be a man of exceptional values and morality; he represents Moroccan security diplomacy in different countries around the world. The constant watchman and master of the lodges, as he is described in the press, he has managed to have an inspiring career and to be a source of pride for the North African country. 

Achievements of the new dynamic led by Hammouchi

Under the leadership of Abdellatif Hammouchi, the image of the Moroccan Police has been completely changed; applying a particular model in terms of governance, methodology and objectives in order to modernise the country's security system and adapt it to the demands of the new era of technology and information. 

Hammouchi introduced a transformative new dynamic to the two security institutions with all their services, making Morocco the biggest security power in the region.  

Thanks to the rigorous vision of the current Director General of the DGSN and the DGST, major measures, actions and decisions have been taken that have breathed new life into these establishments and accumulated a series of important achievements in less than a decade: 

• Complete reshaping of the Moroccan Police Force in both form and substance; modernising its resources and working methods and advocating professional competence, motivation and discipline. 
• Extending and improving social protection and health coverage for the National Security family.  
• Democratisation of access to the profession by fully integrating women into the recruitment, training and career development system. 
• Diversification of the security, communication and social interaction offer through the annual organisation since 2017 of ‘Open Days’ in different Moroccan cities.  
• Creation of the International Police Training Institute, located in the city of Ifran, for Moroccan executives and their counterparts from other African countries.  
• Opening of the Scientific and Technical Police Laboratory in Casablanca, as a significant milestone in the modernisation of the DGSN. 
• Consolidation of the climate of trust and collaboration with numerous international partners; development of high-level Moroccan security diplomacy.  
• Morocco recognised as a leading country in the fight against terrorism and a key player in the fight against transnational crime, standing out, according to the Global Terrorism Index, as a zero-risk country.  
• Thwarting numerous terrorist plots and dismantling criminal networks. 
• Rehabilitation and reintegration of former terrorist detainees and launching of awareness-raising campaigns targeting young people to combat radicalisation. 
• Organisation of the 47th Conference of Arab Police and Security Chiefs (2023). 
• Accompanying major national, continental and international events organised in Morocco: the annual meetings of the World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Club World Cup, the U-23 Africa Cup, the Women's Africa Cup, etc. 
• Crucial role of the security corps after the Al Haouz earthquake in helping and assisting the victims, ensuring the safety of their property and preserving public order. 
• Morocco's star security chief was awarded the prestigious Medal of Honour of the French National Police and decorated by the governments of Spain, the United Arab Emirates and other countries around the world. He was also received by the heads of the US FBI and CIA and by the German Federal Intelligence Service Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND). 

International cooperation is the key to a secure future for everyone

Given Abdellatif Hammouchi's real vision and leadership, Morocco is positioning itself as a key player in the maintenance of international peace and security; through the fight against cross-border crime and preventive action against various forms of extremism, organised crime and terrorism. 

A man of values and great expertise, he has demonstrated a firm commitment and an undeniable ability to strengthen ties of trust with international partners by relying on international cooperation as a central pillar of Morocco's diplomatic security strategy. 

Morocco's expertise in crucial operations such as explosives detection, security screening and counter-terrorism has paved the way for several countries in the Americas, Africa, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Russia to establish strategic partnerships with the Alawi kingdom.  

Given the importance of its role on the world security stage, Morocco is reaping important achievements, thanks to the well-deserved trust placed in its security expertise: 

• The creation by Morocco and Spain of Police Cooperation Centres, dedicated to the exchange of operational information in relation to transnational crime, including drug and psychotropic drug trafficking. 
• The Memorandum of Understanding 2023 for a comprehensive framework of cooperation between Morocco and the United Arab Emirates in the field of cybersecurity and security of the digital space. 
• Morocco elected vice-president of the NASCA 2023 network of African cybersecurity authorities. 
• The partnership with Qatar during the 2022 World Cup, which demonstrated the effectiveness of the services led by Hammouchi. 
• The excellent Morocco-France security cooperation during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. 
• The collaboration between Moroccan and Sri Lankan intelligence in order to anticipate their response to criminal attack plans. 

The rigorous and innovative strategy orchestrated by Abdellatif Hammouchi

Based on innovation, proactivity and cooperation, the rigorous security strategy orchestrated by Abdellatif Hammouchi reflects, on the one hand, a global and humanist vision of national security and, on the other hand, a unique anti-terrorist model that seeks stability and security not only for Morocco, but for the international community as a whole. 

The senior state official has revamped the police and its perception to bring it up to the level of the US FBI; due to its international dimension it aims to provide security support to other countries.  

The Moroccan model is based on an innovative, global and prospective approach that integrates the dimensions of economic, social and technological security and conducts proactive studies of the needs and threats posed by a world full of growing challenges in terms of peace and stability. 

The ability of Moroccan security policy to adapt to evolving threats is one of the secrets of its success; Morocco has developed the National Cybersecurity Strategy for 2030 as a way of anticipating new forms of threat, particularly cyber threats, and has strengthened its tools in the fight against terrorism as one of the country's main priorities.