Turkish Gendarmerie
Encyclopedia
The Turkish Gendarmerie (: Gendarmerie General Command) is a branch of the Turkish Armed Forces
and it is responsible for the maintenance of the public order in areas that fall outside the jurisdiction of police forces (generally in rural areas), as well as assuring internal security and general border control along with carrying out other specific duties assigned to it by certain laws and regulations. It is an armed security and law enforcement force of military nature.
As a part of the Turkish Armed Forces, the General Command of the Gendarmerie is subordinate to the Turkish General Staff in matters relating to training and education in connection with the Armed Forces, and to the Ministry of Interior in matters relating to the performance of the safety and public order duties. The Commander of the Gendarmerie is responsible to the Ministry of Interior
.
The military law enforcement organization which carried out security and safety services was called “Surta” in Seljuks, “Subaşı” under the reign of Ottoman Empire, was later called “Zaptiye” and subsequently in recent history “Gendarmerie”.
corps in 1826 military organizations called Asâkir-i Muntazâma-i Mansûre, Asâkir-i Muntazâma-i Hâssa and, in 1834, Asâkir-i Redîfe were established to deliver security and public order services in Anatolia
and in some states of Rumeli.
Since the term Gendarmerie was noticed in the Assignment Decrees published in the years following the Tanzimat
Declaration, it is assumed that the Gendarmerie organization was founded after the Tanzimat Declaration of 1839, but the exact date of foundation has not been determined yet. Therefore, taking the June 14 of “June 14, 1869” on which Asâkir-i Zaptiye Nizâmnâmesi was adopted; June 14, 1839 was accepted as the foundation date of the Turkish Gendarmerie.
After 1877–1878 Ottoman – Russian War Prime Minister Sait Pasha decided to bring some officers from England and France to establish a modern law enforcement organization.
After the Young Turk Revolution
in 1908 Gendarmerie achieved great successes, particularly in Rumeli. In 1909 Gendarmerie was affiliated to the Ministry of War, and its name was changed to the Gendarmerie General Command (Umûm Jandarma Kumandanlığı).
Gendarmerie units both sustained their internal security duties and took part in the national defence at various fronts as a part of the Armed Forces during the World War I
and the Turkish War of Independence
.
The Gendarmerie organization achieved its current legal status after Law No. 1706 entered into force on June 10, 1930. In 1939, the Gendarmerie organization was restructured, having three groups as Fixed Gendarmerie Units, Mobile Gendarmerie Units and Gendarmerie Training Units and Schools.
Law No. 6815 which entering into force in 1956 assigned the Gendarmerie General Command such duties as protecting borders, coasts and territorial waters and fighting smuggling which had been previously carried out by Gümrük Umum Kumandanlığı that was a military organization at the level of division in affiliation to the Ministry of Customs and Monopoly.
In 1957, Gendarmerie Border Units were transformed into brigades and Gendarmerie Training Brigades were established.
In 1961, Gendarmerie Regional Commands were established.
In 1968, the first Gendarmerie Aviation Unit was established in Diyarbakır
under the name of Light Helicopter Company Command.
In 1974, Gendarmerie Commando Units and Gendarmerie Aviation Units took part in the Turkish invasion of Cyprus
.
Law No. 2692 which entered into force in 1982 assigned the duty of protecting our coasts and territorial waters to the Coast Guard Command.
Law No. 2803 on the Organization, Duties and Responsibilities of the Gendarmerie entered into force in 1983.
Law No. 3497 entering into force in 1988 assigned the duty of protecting the land borders and ensuring their security to the Land Forces Command, but Gendarmerie General Command still holds the responsibility for some parts of the Iranian and Syrian borders and the whole Iraqi border.
Gendarmerie Criminal Department was founded in Ankara
in 1993 and Gendarmerie Regional Criminal Laboratory Superiorities were founded respectively in 1994 in Van, in 1998 in Bursa and in 2005 in Aydın
. Crime Scene Examination Teams,
Explosive Material Disposal Units, Fingerprints and Palm Prints Branches and Crime Scene Examination Units were also established.
Since 1984 up to now, Gendarmerie units have been the most important element of the fight against PKK/KONGRA-GEL.
The General Command is composed of:
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...
and it is responsible for the maintenance of the public order in areas that fall outside the jurisdiction of police forces (generally in rural areas), as well as assuring internal security and general border control along with carrying out other specific duties assigned to it by certain laws and regulations. It is an armed security and law enforcement force of military nature.
As a part of the Turkish Armed Forces, the General Command of the Gendarmerie is subordinate to the Turkish General Staff in matters relating to training and education in connection with the Armed Forces, and to the Ministry of Interior in matters relating to the performance of the safety and public order duties. The Commander of the Gendarmerie is responsible to the Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Interior (Turkey)
The Ministry of Interior is a government ministry office of the Republic of Turkey, responsible for interior security affairs in Turkey.Currently it is headed by İdris Naim Şahin.- External links :...
.
The military law enforcement organization which carried out security and safety services was called “Surta” in Seljuks, “Subaşı” under the reign of Ottoman Empire, was later called “Zaptiye” and subsequently in recent history “Gendarmerie”.
History
After the abolition of JanissaryJanissary
The Janissaries were infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultan's household troops and bodyguards...
corps in 1826 military organizations called Asâkir-i Muntazâma-i Mansûre, Asâkir-i Muntazâma-i Hâssa and, in 1834, Asâkir-i Redîfe were established to deliver security and public order services in Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
and in some states of Rumeli.
Since the term Gendarmerie was noticed in the Assignment Decrees published in the years following the Tanzimat
Tanzimat
The Tanzimât , meaning reorganization of the Ottoman Empire, was a period of reformation that began in 1839 and ended with the First Constitutional Era in 1876. The Tanzimât reform era was characterized by various attempts to modernize the Ottoman Empire, to secure its territorial integrity against...
Declaration, it is assumed that the Gendarmerie organization was founded after the Tanzimat Declaration of 1839, but the exact date of foundation has not been determined yet. Therefore, taking the June 14 of “June 14, 1869” on which Asâkir-i Zaptiye Nizâmnâmesi was adopted; June 14, 1839 was accepted as the foundation date of the Turkish Gendarmerie.
After 1877–1878 Ottoman – Russian War Prime Minister Sait Pasha decided to bring some officers from England and France to establish a modern law enforcement organization.
After the Young Turk Revolution
Young Turk Revolution
The Young Turk Revolution of 1908 reversed the suspension of the Ottoman parliament by Sultan Abdul Hamid II, marking the onset of the Second Constitutional Era...
in 1908 Gendarmerie achieved great successes, particularly in Rumeli. In 1909 Gendarmerie was affiliated to the Ministry of War, and its name was changed to the Gendarmerie General Command (Umûm Jandarma Kumandanlığı).
Gendarmerie units both sustained their internal security duties and took part in the national defence at various fronts as a part of the Armed Forces during the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and the Turkish War of Independence
Turkish War of Independence
The Turkish War of Independence was a war of independence waged by Turkish nationalists against the Allies, after the country was partitioned by the Allies following the Ottoman Empire's defeat in World War I...
.
The Gendarmerie organization achieved its current legal status after Law No. 1706 entered into force on June 10, 1930. In 1939, the Gendarmerie organization was restructured, having three groups as Fixed Gendarmerie Units, Mobile Gendarmerie Units and Gendarmerie Training Units and Schools.
Law No. 6815 which entering into force in 1956 assigned the Gendarmerie General Command such duties as protecting borders, coasts and territorial waters and fighting smuggling which had been previously carried out by Gümrük Umum Kumandanlığı that was a military organization at the level of division in affiliation to the Ministry of Customs and Monopoly.
In 1957, Gendarmerie Border Units were transformed into brigades and Gendarmerie Training Brigades were established.
In 1961, Gendarmerie Regional Commands were established.
In 1968, the first Gendarmerie Aviation Unit was established in Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır is one of the largest cities in southeastern Turkey...
under the name of Light Helicopter Company Command.
In 1974, Gendarmerie Commando Units and Gendarmerie Aviation Units took part in the Turkish invasion of Cyprus
Turkish invasion of Cyprus
The Turkish invasion of Cyprus, launched on 20 July 1974, was a Turkish military invasion in response to a Greek military junta backed coup in Cyprus...
.
Law No. 2692 which entered into force in 1982 assigned the duty of protecting our coasts and territorial waters to the Coast Guard Command.
Law No. 2803 on the Organization, Duties and Responsibilities of the Gendarmerie entered into force in 1983.
Law No. 3497 entering into force in 1988 assigned the duty of protecting the land borders and ensuring their security to the Land Forces Command, but Gendarmerie General Command still holds the responsibility for some parts of the Iranian and Syrian borders and the whole Iraqi border.
Gendarmerie Criminal Department was founded 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....
in 1993 and Gendarmerie Regional Criminal Laboratory Superiorities were founded respectively in 1994 in Van, in 1998 in Bursa and in 2005 in Aydın
Aydin
Aydın is a city in and the seat of Aydın Province in Turkey's Aegean Region. The city is located at the heart of the lower valley of Büyük Menderes River at a commanding position for the region extending from the uplands of the valley down to the seacoast...
. Crime Scene Examination Teams,
Explosive Material Disposal Units, Fingerprints and Palm Prints Branches and Crime Scene Examination Units were also established.
Since 1984 up to now, Gendarmerie units have been the most important element of the fight against PKK/KONGRA-GEL.
Structure
The Turkish Gendarmerie comprises the following commands:- Personnel
- Intelligence
- Operations
- Logistics
The General Command is composed of:
- The headquarters
- Internal security units
- Border units
- Training units
- Gendarmerie schools
- Administrative and logistics support units
Small arms
| Name | Type | Caliber | Origin | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P90 FN P90 The FN P90 is a selective fire personal defense weapon designed and manufactured by FN Herstal in Belgium. The P90's name is taken from 1990, the year it was introduced... |
Personal defense weapon Personal defense weapon A personal defense weapon is a compact semi-automatic or fully automatic firearm similar in most respects to a submachine gun, but firing an armor-piercing rifle round, giving a PDW better range, accuracy and armor-penetrating capability than submachine guns, which fire pistol-caliber cartridges... |
5.7mm | ||
| MKA 1919 Akdal MKA 1919 The Akdal MKA 1919 is a gas operated, semi-automatic shotgun created by Turkish company Akdal Arms. It is intended for use by civilian and security markets.The MKA 1919 highly resembles the M16 rifle and mimics the layout and placement of some of the controls... |
Semi-automatic shotgun Semi-automatic shotgun A semi-automatic shotgun is a form of shotgun that is able to fire a cartridge after every trigger squeeze, without any manual chambering of another round being required... |
12mm | ||
| G41 Heckler & Koch G41 The G41 is a German 5.56mm assault rifle introduced in 1981 and produced in limited quantities by Heckler & Koch. It was designed to replace the 5.56mm HK33 in service providing a more modern weapon platform compatible with contemporary NATO standards. It is chambered for the 5.56x45mm NATO... |
Assault rifle | 5.56mm | / | License produced by MKEK. |
| RPK RPK The RPK is a 7.62x39mm light machine gun of Soviet design, developed by Mikhail Kalashnikov in the late 1950s, parallel with the AKM assault/battle rifle... |
Light machine gun | 7.62mm | From Ex-East German inventory. | |
| M16A1 M16 rifle The M16 is the United States military designation for the AR-15 rifle adapted for both semi-automatic and full-automatic fire. Colt purchased the rights to the AR-15 from ArmaLite, and currently uses that designation only for semi-automatic versions of the rifle. The M16 fires the 5.56×45mm NATO... |
Assault rifle | 5.56mm NATO | ||
| HK23E | Light machine gun Light machine gun A light machine gun is a machine gun designed to be employed by an individual soldier, with or without an assistant, as an infantry support weapon. Light machine guns are often used as squad automatic weapons.-Characteristics:... |
5.56mm | / | Produced under license by MKEK |
| PKM PK machine gun The PK is a 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun designed in the Soviet Union and currently in production in Russia. The PK machine gun was introduced in the 1960s and replaced the SGM and RPD machine guns in Soviet service... |
General purpose machine gun | 7.62mm | From Ex-East German inventory. | |
| HK 69 | Single-shot grenade launcher | 40mm grenade launcher |
Vehicles
| Turkish Gendarmerie | |
| Armored personnel carriers | |
| 323 | BTR-60PB BTR-60 The BTR-60 is the first vehicle in a series of Soviet eight-wheeled armoured personnel carriers. It was developed in the late 1950s as a replacement for the BTR-152 and was seen first time in public in 1961... (8x8) (upgraded) |
| 35 | RN 94 (6x6) |
| 250+ | Otokar Akrep (4x4) |
| 200+ | Otokar Cobra Otokar Cobra The Cobra is a wheeled armoured vehicle developed by Turkish firm Otokar, using some components from the American HMMWV. It was first delivered to the Turkish Army in 1997 and most recently, won a contract from a buyer for APV and 4X4 unarmored tactical vehicles.-Survivability:The monocoque steel... (4x4) |
| 60 | Dragoon 300 Dragoon AFV The Dragoon 300 AFV was produced by Arrowpointe Corporation during the 1980s. It was based on the automotive components of the US Army's M113 APC's and 5 ton trucks... (AFV Armoured fighting vehicle An armoured fighting vehicle is a combat vehicle, protected by strong armour and armed with weapons. AFVs can be wheeled or tracked.... ) (4x4) |
| 25 | Condor Condor (APC) The Rheinmetall Condor is a 4x4 wheeled armoured personnel carrier originally designed by Thyssen-Henschel of Germany and manufactured by Henschel Wehrtechnik GmbH.... (APC Armoured personnel carrier An armoured personnel carrier is an armoured fighting vehicle designed to transport infantry to the battlefield.APCs are usually armed with only a machine gun although variants carry recoilless rifles, anti-tank guided missiles , or mortars... ) (4x4) |
| 35 | UR416 Thyssen Henschel UR-416 The Thyssen Henschel UR-416 is a German armoured personnel carrier, introduced in 1969 built from the same body as the Mercedes-Benz Unimog light truck.-Development:... (4x4) |
| 200 | Cadillac V150/S (4x4) |
| 300+ | Shorland S55 Shorland armoured car The Shorland is an armoured car that was designed specifically for the Royal Ulster Constabulary by a police support officer Ernie Lusty during the sixties for patrolling the border to prevent organised smuggling. They were reallocated to the Ulster Defence Regiment in 1970... (4x4) |
| 47 | Sisu Nasu Sisu Nasu The Nasu is a tracked articulated, all-terrain transport vehicle developed by Sisu Auto for the Finnish Army. It consists of two units, with all four tracks powered. It can carry up to 17 people, although the trailer unit can be adapted for different applications... |
| Helicopters | |
| 28 | S-70A Blackhawk (Avionics upgraded by Aselsan Aselsan Aselsan is a Turkish corporation which produces tactical military radios and defense electronic systems for the Turkish Army.- History :... ) |
| 13 | AB-205 (Avionics upgraded by Aselsan Aselsan Aselsan is a Turkish corporation which produces tactical military radios and defense electronic systems for the Turkish Army.- History :... ) |
| 18 | Mi-17 IVA Mil Mi-17 The Mil Mi-17 is a Russian helicopter currently in production at two factories in Kazan and Ulan-Ude... (Avionics upgraded by Aselsan Aselsan Aselsan is a Turkish corporation which produces tactical military radios and defense electronic systems for the Turkish Army.- History :... ) |
See also
- List of General Commanders of the Gendarmerie of Turkey
- ConstabularyConstabularyConstabulary may have several definitions.*A civil, non-paramilitary force consisting of police officers called constables. This is the usual definition in Britain, in which all county police forces once bore the title...
- GendarmerieGendarmerieA gendarmerie or gendarmery is a military force charged with police duties among civilian populations. Members of such a force are typically called "gendarmes". The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary describes a gendarme as "a soldier who is employed on police duties" and a "gendarmery, -erie" as...
- Military equipment of TurkeyMilitary equipment of TurkeyThe military equipment of Turkey includes a wide array of arms, artilleries, large surface vessels, cannons, armored vehicles, mortars, unmanned vehicles and many different equipments.-General:...