118 police chiefs, including Turkey's graft probe police, forced to retire

118 police chiefs, including Turkey's graft probe police, forced to retire

ANKARA
118 police chiefs, including Turkeys graft probe police, forced to retire

DHA Photo

A total of 118 chief of police have been forced to retire, in line with articles of a controversial homeland security law that has caused debates, fights and protests in the Turkish parliament when opposition parties tried to prevent the bill from passing, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. 

According to a written statement issued by the Turkish National Police, 118 police chiefs were forced into retirement due to the new homeland security law, which came into force April 4 after being published in the Official Gazette. 

While 19 of these people were first-rank chiefs of police, 49 held second ranks, 27 of them third and 23 forth rank as police chiefs.  

The statement said that the ministry of interior had approved the retirement decisions of the 118 chiefs of police, which were first decided at the Turkish National Police Higher Survey Board. 

Many of the police chiefs were active in Turkey’s biggest ever corruption probes on Dec. 17 and 25, 2013, while some of the police chiefs were retired due to lack of quotas, daily Hürriyet reported.