Law enforcement in Turkey
Law enforcement in Turkey is carried out by several departments and agencies, all acting under the
National agencies
General Directorate of Security[1]
The General Directorate of Security (
The police force is organised as follows:
- Central organisation
- Provincial organisation
- 81 Province Directorate
- 751 District Directorate affiliated to Province Directorate
- 22 Border Gates Police Directorates
- 18 Free-Zone police stations
- 834 police stations in 81 Provinces
The organization has a centralized hierarchy similar to that of the Turkish Armed Forces. The high command of the Turkish Police, situated in Ankara, is called the General Directorate of Security (Turkish: Emniyet Genel Müdürlüğü). Every province has a Province Directorate (Turkish: İl Emiyet Müdürlüğü) and it operates under the command of province governors (Turkish: vali) and every district has District Directorate (Turkish: İlçe Emiyet Müdürlüğü / Amirliği) and it operates under the command of district governors (Turkish: kaymakam). Civil administrators (Turkish: mülki amir) are responsible for the security and well-being of towns and districts.
In Turkey, police officers wear navy-blue uniforms and caps. Patrol cars can be identified using the unique blue-white design and the writing "Polis", usually in capital letters, on the side doors and hood. Commissioners and chiefs wear silver stars on their shoulders, while directors wear golden stars.
Gendarmerie General Command[2]
The Gendarmerie General Command (
The Commander of the Gendarmerie reports to the Minister of the Interior.
The Gendarmerie Command (Turkish: Jandarma Genel Komutanlığı) is based in Ankara.
Their area of jurisdiction is outside city centres, mostly in the country where population and population density are low and crime rates are especially high (this is even more true for the
Most of the counter-terrorism operations in the southeast of Turkey are being carried out by the Gendarmerie.
Coast Guard Command[3]
The Coast Guard Command (Turkish: Sahil Güvenlik Komutanlığı) is the coast guard service of the Turkish Republic. The Turkish Coast Guard is under the command of the Ministry of the Interior. However, during wartime some of its elements can be subordinated to Turkish Naval Forces by the President.
The Coast Guard is responsible for controlling the maritime jurisdiction areas and coasts of Turkiye and fighting all kinds of illegal action in the responsibility area. Turkish Coast Guard is also the main Search and Rescue Coordination Authority in Turkish SAR Zone.
Military Police
The Askeri İnzibat military police is a small force that is under military command that handles cases directly relevant to military security and military crimes. Their area of jurisdiction is generally limited to military bases. Some of the other duties they perform are, protection and VIP detail provided to important bases or commanders and control of traffic inside the bases. They can be identified using the very obvious “AS. İZ.”, printed in large letters across the front of their helmets.
Intelligence
The Turkish Intelligence and
The main intelligence agency is The
Domestic intelligence is mostly collected by the Police and the Gendarmarie and each have a department that perform duties relevant to the collection and analysis of intelligence and countering criminal acts. Police Intelligence Department is the Police force's intelligence wing, second one is Gendarmerie Intelligence Department. Coast Guard Command is also has an intelligence department.
Also, each of the service branches of the Turkish Armed Forces has an intelligence branch within it. These are the Army Intelligence, Navy Intelligence and Air Force Intelligence. Superseding all three, the General Staff also has an intelligence branch which ensures the cooperation and coordination of these organizations.
Customs Enforcement
Conservation Enforcement
Local agencies
Municipal Police
Municipal police (Turkish: Belediye zabıtası) is a law enforcement body responsible for ensuring the implementation and control of municipal services in different municipalities in Turkey. The police officers also use their powers as traffic police in metropolitan municipalities. Other than that it does not have any policing powers nor any weaponry.
Village Guards
Village guards (
As a guest police force in Germany
In light of growing crime and racial tensions in many Turkish-populated areas of Germany, the German government implemented a plan in 2010 for the Turkish law enforcement to patrol areas affected and to participate in maintaining law and order. The plan was met with criticism, but was implemented in the belief that local law enforcement has difficulty dealing with members of the Turkish community.[4]
Historical secret police organizations
- Special Organization
- JİTEM
Issues
- Police brutality in Turkey, including Torture in Turkey
- Human rights in Turkey
See also
- Crime in Turkey
- Prisons in Turkey
- JÖAK
- Jandarma Özel Harekat
- Polis Özel Harekat
- Çevik Kuvvet
- Municipal police (Turkey)
References
Further reading
- Ferhat Ünlü (2006). "National Intelligence Organization". In Ümit Cizre (ed.). Almanac Turkey 2005 : Security Sector and Democratic Oversight. ISBN 978-975-8112-79-1. Archived from the originalon 2009-09-04. Retrieved 2008-11-05.
- Karakiliç, Hande (2007), "The Importance of Evaluating Psychiatric Illnesses in an Armed Profession: Summary of the Process of Mental Health Evaluation at the Turkish Police Organization", International Journal of Mental Health, 36 (3): 84–94, S2CID 72387543