Law enforcement in Turkey
Encyclopedia
Law enforcement in Turkey is carried out by several departments and agencies, all acting under the command of the Prime Minister of Turkey or mostly the Minister of Internal Affairs.
According to figures released by the General Directorate of Prisons and Detention Houses of the Justice Ministry, there are 100,000 people in Turkish prisons as of November 2008; a doubling since 2000.
The high command of the Turkish Police, situated in Ankara
, is called the General Directorate of Security . Every district also hosts a District Directorate . The organization has a centralized hierarchy similar to that of the Turkish Armed Forces
.
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” on the side doors and hood. Lieutenants and captains wear silver stars on their shoulders, highest ranking officers wear golden stars.
Police officers are required to present their ID before approaching citizens.
Some well-known police units in Turkey are:
.
The Gendarmerie Command is based in Ankara
.
Their area of jurisdiction is outside city centres, mostly in the country where population and pop. density are low and crime rates are especially high (this is even more true for the Southeastern Anatolia Region, where terrorist acts are committed every day in and out of towns). Most tourist sites are also areas of Jandarma’s jurisdiction because their average population throughout the year are not high enough to fall under the police departments.
The Turkish Gendarmerie engages in counter-terrorist operations in the southeast of Turkey.
The Gendarmerie also have an independent organization for Traffic Control similar to that of the police, but they take shifts outside the cities; similar to the American highway police.
The Gendarmarie Intelligence and Counter-Terrorism Organization
(JİTEM) is subordinate to the Command General.
In Turkey, Gendarmes can generally be spotted wearing dark green trousers and light green shirts, with special red-and-blue markings on their collars. But any army officer with the same markings no matter which uniform they are in is a Gendarme.
s and deserters
). Some of the other duties they perform are, protection and VIP detail provided to important bases or commanders, control of traffic inside the bases and providing security in military courts. They can be identified using the very obvious “AS. İZ.”, printed in large letters across the front of their helmets.
operations are conducted by more than one organization also acting with coordination.
Firstly, the Police and the Gendarmarie each have a department that perform duties relevant to the collection and analysis of intelligence and countering criminal acts. Emniyet İstihbarat Daire is the Police force's intelligence wing, second one is Intelligence Department of Gendarmerie General Command.
Also, each of the Armed Forces have an intelligence branch within themselves. These are the Naval Intelligence, Army Intelligence and Air Force Intelligence. To supersede all three, the General Staff also has an intelligence branch which ensures the cooperation and coordination of these organizations.
As the chief intelligence agency, The National Intelligence Organization
conducts most of the intelligence operations. The undersecretary of the MIT reports directly to the Prime Minister.
And the Undersecretariat of Public Order and Security provides coordination between those agencies.
According to figures released by the General Directorate of Prisons and Detention Houses of the Justice Ministry, there are 100,000 people in Turkish prisons as of November 2008; a doubling since 2000.
Turkish Police
The police force is responsible for law enforcement in cities and some exceptional locations, such as airports, which they protect with the help of the customs office . Traffic Police ensure the safety of transportation and also work with registration of vehicles. The Turkish Police also play a big part in important intelligence and counter-terrorist operations.The high command of the Turkish Police, situated in Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
, is called the General Directorate of Security . Every district also hosts a District Directorate . The organization has a centralized hierarchy similar to that of the Turkish Armed Forces
Turkish Armed Forces
The Turkish Armed Forces are the military forces of the Republic of Turkey. They consist of the Army, the Navy , and the Air Force...
.
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” on the side doors and hood. Lieutenants and captains wear silver stars on their shoulders, highest ranking officers wear golden stars.
Police officers are required to present their ID before approaching citizens.
Some well-known police units in Turkey are:
- Yunuslar (Motorcycle Units, yunuslar translates to Dolphins)
- Çevik Kuvvet (the Agile Force) who handle difficult cases like demonstrations with the help of K-9 dogsPolice dogA police dog, often referred to as a "K-9 dog" in some areas , is a dog that is trained specifically to assist police and other law-enforcement personnel in their work...
- “Panzer”s,
- Özel Tim, which is the special response unit of the Department (quite like the American SWATSWATA SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers...
or the German GSG 9GSG 9The GSG 9 der Bundespolizei , is the elite counter-terrorism and special operations unit of the German Federal Police.-History and name:...
). This unit uses special weapons and rapid deployment tactics for exceptional circumstances, such as bank robberies, kidnappings, hostage rescues etc.
Gendarmerie
The Gendarmerie , are military forces of law enforcement. They are trained and supplied by the army but they assume duties under the Minister of Interior. Their organization and duties are quite similar to those of the French Gendarmerie, or Italian CarabinieriCarabinieri
The Carabinieri is the national gendarmerie of Italy, policing both military and civilian populations, and is a branch of the armed forces.-Early history:...
.
The Gendarmerie Command is based in Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
.
Their area of jurisdiction is outside city centres, mostly in the country where population and pop. density are low and crime rates are especially high (this is even more true for the Southeastern Anatolia Region, where terrorist acts are committed every day in and out of towns). Most tourist sites are also areas of Jandarma’s jurisdiction because their average population throughout the year are not high enough to fall under the police departments.
The Turkish Gendarmerie engages in counter-terrorist operations in the southeast of Turkey.
The Gendarmerie also have an independent organization for Traffic Control similar to that of the police, but they take shifts outside the cities; similar to the American highway police.
The Gendarmarie Intelligence and Counter-Terrorism Organization
Jandarma Istihbarat ve Terörle Mücadele
Jandarma İstihbarat ve Terörle Mücadele or Jandarma İstihbarat Teşkilatı is a controversial wing of the Turkish Gendarmerie. It is claimed that JITEM was active in the Turkey-PKK conflict...
(JİTEM) is subordinate to the Command General.
In Turkey, Gendarmes can generally be spotted wearing dark green trousers and light green shirts, with special red-and-blue markings on their collars. But any army officer with the same markings no matter which uniform they are in is a Gendarme.
Village Guard
Village guards are mostly locals in villages of the Eastern Anatolia Region. They perform auxiliary and voluntary law enforcement duty. Established by a 1985 law, their initial purpose was to defend villages against attacks from the PKK which is Kurdish Terrorist Group in Turkey.Military Police
Military Police (Turkish= Askeri inzibat) 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. But they also track down military criminals (draft dodgerDraft dodger
Draft evasion is a term that refers to an intentional failure to comply with the military conscription policies of the nation to which he or she is subject...
s and deserters
Desertion
In military terminology, desertion is the abandonment of a "duty" or post without permission and is done with the intention of not returning...
). Some of the other duties they perform are, protection and VIP detail provided to important bases or commanders, control of traffic inside the bases and providing security in military courts. 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 counter-intelligenceCounter-intelligence
Counterintelligence or counter-intelligence refers to efforts made by intelligence organizations to prevent hostile or enemy intelligence organizations from successfully gathering and collecting intelligence against them. National intelligence programs, and, by extension, the overall defenses of...
operations are conducted by more than one organization also acting with coordination.
Firstly, the Police and the Gendarmarie each have a department that perform duties relevant to the collection and analysis of intelligence and countering criminal acts. Emniyet İstihbarat Daire is the Police force's intelligence wing, second one is Intelligence Department of Gendarmerie General Command.
Also, each of the Armed Forces have an intelligence branch within themselves. These are the Naval Intelligence, Army Intelligence and Air Force Intelligence. To supersede all three, the General Staff also has an intelligence branch which ensures the cooperation and coordination of these organizations.
As the chief intelligence agency, The National Intelligence Organization
National Intelligence Organization
The National Intelligence Organization is the governmental intelligence organization of Turkey. It was established in 1965 to replace the National Security Service....
conducts most of the intelligence operations. The undersecretary of the MIT reports directly to the Prime Minister.
And the Undersecretariat of Public Order and Security provides coordination between those agencies.