Eight police officers in Turkey have died by suicide in the past two weeks, sparking renewed scrutiny over working conditions and the systemic challenges they face, the Euronews Turkish service reported on Thursday.
The deaths have highlighted deep-seated issues in the police force, including overwork, financial stress and a lack of institutional support.
Faruk Sezer, founder of the Voice of Police Platform (Polisin Sesi Platformu) and a retired police officer, attributes the suicides to stress and workplace bullying.
“Family problems and financial debt are often indicated as the last straw, but these suicides are a result of cumulative pressures from the profession,” Sezer said.
Sezer said his platform, which has monitored police grievances for over a decade, has found mobbing and institutional harassment to be at the root of many problems.
“Over 800 officers have died by suicide in the last 15 years, including cases where they harmed their families during mental breakdowns,” he said.
A currently serving senior officer who spoke on condition of anonymity echoed these sentiments, describing the daily hardships faced by police.
“Our work hours are grueling. We’re constantly on duty — nights, weekends, holidays. Family tensions rise because we’re absent. This isn’t just about financial issues; it’s about being worn down by the system.”
The officer recounted an instance where a colleague’s family life was devastated due to work demands. “One of my officers was assigned to a remote post, but his wife’s chronic illness required specialized care in İstanbul. The family was split apart, and he broke down under the strain,” the officer said.
The officer criticized the lack of institutional support for police officers. “When an officer is taken to court by a suspect, the plaintiff often has multiple lawyers. We have none. Officers feel abandoned in these situations,” the officer said.
Sezer noted that officers are also frequently tasked with jobs outside their official responsibilities, such as enforcing municipal regulations. “A municipal officer earns more than a police officer. Yet we’re the ones doing their work — managing people who accost people stuck in traffic, dealing with beggars. It’s demoralizing.”
The officer highlighted how excessive staffing requirements exacerbate burnout. “For a second-league soccer match with 300 fans, they assigned 2,000 officers. Many of these officers had just completed night shifts,” he said.
Institutional bullying is also common, he added. “A senior officer once called me to the station late at night for no reason other than to reprimand me. This kind of unnecessary humiliation wears people down.”
Sezer argued that the police force’s struggles stem from a lack of leadership and accountability at the highest levels. “Supervisors focus on pleasing their own superiors rather than protecting their officers. Risk-averse decision-making means that officers pay the price for every misstep.”
Sezer also dismissed the perception that police officers in Turkey earn substantial salaries. He noted that when calculated against their long working hours, officers effectively earn below minimum wage. “They can’t take second jobs due to their schedules, and even if they could, they wouldn’t have the time,” he said.
The Interior Ministry has acknowledged a rise in suicide rates among police officers in recent years, though official data show some improvement. The suicide rate decreased from 20 per 100,000 in 2017 to 11 per 100,000 in 2020. However, critics such as opposition politician Murat Bakan argue that systemic issues remain unaddressed.
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