Interior Minister Çiftçi instructed police chiefs on school safety. (AA Photo)
Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi has instructed newly appointed provincial police chiefs to strengthen school security and take preventive measures before threats reach school gates, following a shooting that injured 11 students in the western province of Manisa.
Speaking at a meeting for newly appointed police chiefs, Çiftçi said judicial and administrative proceedings into the attack were being conducted meticulously.
Çiftçi issued 10 directives to police chiefs, beginning with mapping the security and risk profile of their provinces and closely monitoring high-risk areas. He called for a firm response to groups targeting children and young people and urged police to address crime both on the streets and in the digital sphere, including illegal betting, online fraud and criminal networks operating through social media.
He said each school should undergo an individual risk assessment covering its surroundings, student routes, abandoned buildings, parks and suspicious activity. Police should closely monitor access to firearms, peer bullying, threats and violent behavior, including threats made online, while strengthening coordination between cybercrime, intelligence and operational units.
Police chiefs were also instructed to maintain regular contact with school administrators, families, local officials and businesses, increase school liaison officers and reinforce patrols and visible police presence where necessary.
“Measures must be taken before danger reaches the school gate,” Çiftçi said, adding that school security should no longer be treated as a routine public-order issue.
The directives followed a shooting outside İnci Üzmez Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School in Turgutlu on Sept. 22. A ninth-grade student opened fire with a hunting rifle, injuring 11 students, three of whom were reported to be in critical condition. Çiftçi said the school had been classified as a first-degree high-risk school.
