The General Directorate of Criminal Investigation was established by Minister of Interior Decree No. (79) for the year 2014. It comprises of three departments: the Criminal Investigation Department, the Forensic Laboratory Department, and the Criminal Evidence and Information Department.

The department specializes in combating all types of criminal crimes that occur in the country. The criminal investigation men conduct the necessary search and investigations to detect crimes and track their perpetrators, collect all related information and evidence, and in general all data and information that help in detecting crimes and tracking their perpetrators, and distributing this information to the competent departments.

The directorate operates with a working mechanism similar to that in public security, as the departments under the GDCI were previously under the umbrella of Public Security. These four departments were chosen for their close connection with each other in their work mechanism and specialization, and to work on developing and upgrading them by the ministry with the aim of holding the crime and extracting evidence that leads to the finding of the perpetrator of the crimes. It also organizes the work under one system to show the laboratory results of crimes, organizing the working mechanism within the General Directorate, and using technology that would contribute to preventing the occurrence of crime in coordination with the relevant departments of the Ministry and advancing field and technical work in the field of detection the crime.