The force was founded in 1993 out of the Somali National Movement (SNM) who liberated the country from the dictator Siyaad Bare's regime of Somalia after the long and bloody Somaliland War of Independence.

[1] It is divided according to each of Somaliland's administrative regions: Maroodi Jeex, Sahil, Awdal, Togdheer, Sanaag and Sool.

[3] The US State Department's 2010 Human Rights Reports in Somalia observed that the Somaliland Police were firmly under civilian control, had not committed any unlawful killings (including demonstrators), were not conducting arbitrarily or politically motivated arrests, and were not committing torture or rape (but were also not taking direction action against people who were).

[13] Since December 2021 the UK government has been funding the Somaliland Security Programme, which includes developing the Police capability in strategic planning, public order, counter-terrorism and joint operations.

[14] Due to lack of funds and an arms embargo on Somalia as a whole, the guns used by the Somaliland Police belong to the individual soldiers themselves.