President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivered a statement at the Police Academy graduation ceremony. President Erdogan’s statement was succinct: I am very happy to be with you on this meaningful day as you take your first steps into the police profession. I would like to offer my heartfelt congratulations to the 2,000,366 police officers (483 women and 1,883 men) who successfully graduated today. Today, we are not only pleased that our own children are graduating from the Academy, but also that a total of 94 guest students from 15 countries around the world are graduating from the Academy.
Upon returning to their countries, these brothers will use the advanced education they received at the Academy to serve their people in the best way possible. I wish you every success, my brothers and sisters, as you serve in every corner of our nation’s heartland, from Africa to the Republic of Turkey, from the Balkans to South Asia.
We will not tolerate attempts to damage our economy, tourism, trade and public diplomacy. We will continue to have one foot of our nation in Anatolia and the other embracing the whole world. We will achieve our goal. I pray that God will open your path and destiny. Our police will be more effective in fulfilling its responsibilities to our nation with the addition of 2,366 new soldiers to its ranks.
No one has the power to confine a country like Turkey, founded on the remains of a global empire, to the shallow waters of racism and lumpen-fascism.
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We will not compromise on democracy
I believe that you will also abide by statutes and laws. You cannot serve the nation above the law. You cannot maintain social order by simply circumventing the law. There are no exceptions to this, and it cannot be. When the public sees law enforcement, they also want to see the rule of law. In the past, our country has suffered greatly under the leadership of bureaucrats who put themselves above the law. By claiming national security, the principles of the rule of law have been violated, the Constitution has been suspended, and the sphere of freedom in our country has been narrowed. We consider this era as Turkey’s lost era.
We sought to ensure national security and national peace. Today, we strictly adhere to the same principles. We strive to ensure security and protect rights and freedoms. I ask you to always act with this sensibility when enforcing the law in your official capacity. The principles of our work are very clear. We will have zero tolerance for miscreants who threaten the lives, property, honor, freedom and security of our people.
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“I will ensure that anyone committing a crime and crossing our borders is apprehended, handed over to justice and receives the punishment they deserve. Just as you will not give any leeway to those who break the law, you will be compassionate towards your people and will not go beyond your call of duty. I would like to once again express my gratitude to all police officers for their dedicated efforts in ensuring public order, safety and peace in all 81 states,” he said.
“We have achieved historic gains against terrorist organizations.”
Turkiye is a country facing asymmetric threats. We have a duty to be vigilant against all crimes and intimidation. We are about to leave 40 years in the fight against separatist terrorist organizations. We have achieved historic victories in this struggle in recent years. Thanks to the great efforts of our soldiers, police and gendarmes, our country has prevented terrorist organizations from moving within our borders. We will not allow bloody killers to breathe.
1,045 terrorists neutralised
I would like to share some figures with you here. Last year, 34,000 765 operations were conducted against the PKK. In these operations, 1045 terrorists were neutralised, including 7 in the red category, 1 in the green category, 15 in the orange category and 34 in the grey category. Participation in separatist terrorist organisations is declining. It now barely reaches the teens and twenties. We also stand against FETO, DAESH and left-wing terrorist organisations. Our operations against FETO will continue without interruption. Last year alone, 5,00827 operations were conducted against FETO. 9,350 suspects were detained. Our state institutions will continue to be at the mercy of the FETO thugs, wherever they may flee.
603 local, regional, national and international gangsters were arrested by police and intelligence agencies.
Poison dealers are also organizations we target. We made great progress last year in the fight against illegal immigration and smuggling. 12,500 people were detained, of which 4,500 were arrested and sent to prison. The number of deported people reached 149,000. In terms of security, 93 cases out of 100 came to light last year. No one can escape it.
We will not tolerate any structure that considers itself above the nation.
The place where terrorists had their nest has been destroyed. We will carry out more decisive and productive operations over the summer. We will continue the fight. Dear police friends, the truth that all successes show us is that as the security forces are cleansed, our success against terrorist and criminal organizations will increase. From this there is absolutely no turning back. We will not tolerate any structure that considers itself above the nation. I want to emphasize here that we will not tolerate even the slightest mistake that undermines confidence in our police and our nation.
Please remember this. You are the police of the Republic of Turkey, not the police of any group or ideology. You are soldiers from the heart of this country. You are the guarantors of our security and our democracy and economic progress. Law enforcement officers acting on behalf of public authority are expected to exercise more caution than anyone else in carrying out their duties. I trust that you will act with that expectation in mind.
