Turkey to hire 15,000 police officers

ANKARA – Agence France-Presse

Turkey’s ruling Justice and Devleopment Party (AKP) has submitted a bill to parliament to recruit 15,000 new police officers to boost counter-terrorism efforts after the Ankara suicide car bombing, according to documents seen on March 16 by AFP.

Turkey has been on high security alert after a string of terror attacks on its soil including the bombing in the heart of the capital Ankara on March 13 that killed at least 35 people.

The new police will mainly be concentrated in counter-terror branches, according to the motion presented by the AKP.

The bill is expected to be discussed in committee next week and be speedily passed.  

“The state’s most basic mission is to ensure that its citizens lead a life in peace and safety far from fear or worries,” the proposal says, adding that the biggest responsibility in this regard lies with the police department in charge of fight against any form of crime.    

Turkey faces double threat of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), have put the question of security under the spotlight.