Police suicides surge in Turkey
A cluster of police suicides in Turkey last month highlights a crumbling brotherhood and lack of organizational support.
In mid-June Turkish social media was rocked by the hashtag #PolislerIntiharEdiyor “Police are killed by suicide.” The numbers were spine-chilling: “In the last month 20, in the last week 6, in the last day 3 were killed by suicide.” The General Directorate of Security acknowledged the increase in police suicides June 17 in a written statement expressing concern over the matter.
Yet the document seemed mostly concerned with public relations, comparing police suicide rates in Western countries with those in Turkey. “From 2010 to 2020 our personnel has grown 43.5%, but our suicide numbers remained the same,” it said.
