Shahrbani

The institutional foundations of the Shahrbani were established in the early twentieth century, when Iran’s urban police were reorganized from locally based Nazmiyeh units into a more centralized national system.^[2] Between 1911 and 1935, spanning the late Qajar (1789-1925) and early Pahlavi (1925-1979) periods, successive governments sought to professionalize law enforcement using European models while promoting Iranian control and nationalization.^[3] Early reforms were introduced by foreign officers, including Count Monteforte of Austria-Hungary and later Swedish police advisers, whose role ended once Reza Shah expelled foreign instructors as part of his program of centralization.^[4] During this period, police academies and new investigative units were created, and the professional journal Nazmiyeh began publication, serving as a medium for technical instruction and moral training.^[5] These reforms transformed policing from a local, mediatory institution into a hierarchical, state-run national service that came to be known as the Shahrbani-ye koll-e keshvar (National Police).^[3]

Reign of Reza Shah

• Mohammad Dargahi [fa] (23 December 1923 – 4 December 1929)
• Mohammad Sadeq Kopal [fa] (4 December 1929 – 22 November 1930)
• Fazlollah Zahedi (22 November 1930 – 1931)
• Mohammad-Hosayn Ayrom (1931 –20 April 1936)
• Rokneddin Mokhtari (20 April 1936 – 16 September 1941)

Reign of Mohammad Reza Shah

• Yahya Radsar [fa] (28 September 1941 – 8 December 1942)
• Abdul Ali Etemad Moghadam [fa] (8 December 1942 – 15 February 1944)
• Mohammad Hossein Jahanbani [fa] (15 February 1944 – 23 December 1942)
• Abdullah Saif [fa] (23 December 1942 – 3 April 1945)
• Mahmoud Khosropanah [fa] (3 April 1945 – 3 April 1946)
• Ibrahim Zarrabi [fa] (3 April 1946 – 26 January 1947)
• Mohammad Ali Safari [fa] (26 January 1947 – 16 February 1948)
• Ibrahim Zarrabi [fa] (16 February 1948 – 2 September 1948)
• Mohammad Ali Safari [fa] (2 September 1948 – 14 November 1949)
• Fazlollah Zahedi (14 November 1949 – 22 May 1950)
• Seyyed Mehdi Farrokh [fa] (22 May 1950 – 26 June 1950)
• Mohammad Daftari [fa] (26 June 1950 – 20 March 1951)
• Abdol Hossein Hejazi (20 March 1951 – 15 May 1951)
• Fazlollah Zahedi (15 May 1951 – 10 July 1951)
• Hassan Baghaei [fa] (10 July 1951 – 18 July 1951)
• Mansour Mazini [fa] (18 July 1951 – 30 November 1951)
• Shamseddin Amir-Alai (30 November 1951)
• Amirteymour Kalali (30 November 1951 – 18 December 1951)
• Mohammad Kazem Saleh Sheibani [fa] (18 December 1951 – 21 August 1952)
• Azizullah Kamal [fa] (23 August 1952 – 19 February 1953)
• Mohammad Kazem Saleh Sheibani [fa] (19 February 1953)
• Mahmoud Afshartous (19 February 1953 – 24 April 1953)
• Nasrallah Mudaber [fa] (24 April 1953 – 15 August 1953)
• Mohammadreza Shahandeh [fa] (15 August 1953 – 19 August 1953)
• Mohammad Daftari [fa] (19 August 1953 – September 1953)
• Mehdi Qoli Alavi Moghadam [fa] (September 1953 – September 1960)
• Nasser Amir Ansari [fa] (September 1960 – 23 October 1960)
• Nematollah Nassiri (23 October 1960 – 26 January 1965)
• Mohsen Mobasher [fa] (26 January 1965 – January 1971)
• Jafargholi Sadrii [fa] (January 1971 – 1 August 1973)
• Samad Samadianpour (1 August 1973 – 13 January 1979)
• Mehdi Rahimi (13 January 1979 – 11 February 1979)

Reign of the Islamic Republic of Iran

• Mohammad Ali Norouzi [fa] (11 February 1979 – 17 February 1979)
• Nasser Majalli [fa] (17 February 1979 – 19 June 1979)
• Seyyed Mostafa Mostafaei [fa] (19 June 1979 – 17 February 1980)
• Mostafa Mir-Salim (17 February 1980 – 5 March 1981)
• Houshang Vahid Dastgerdi [fa] (5 March 1981 – 5 September 1981)
• Seyyed Ibrahim Hejazi [fa] (5 September 1981 – 13 January 1983)
• Jalil Samimi [fa] (13 January 1983 – 11 July 1987)
• Seyyed Reza Niknejad [fa] (11 July 1987 – 30 June 1990)
• Seyyed Amanullah Mortazavi [fa] (30 June 1990 – 1 April 1991)