'Is the new police unit authorized to track dissidents?'

Photo: AA/File

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Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) İstanbul MP Sezgin Tanrıkulu has submitted a parliamentary question about a new police unit established in İstanbul.

The İstanbul Reinforcement Ready Forces Directorate was founded with a Presidential Decree by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on August 20.

The new unit will directly report to the General Directorate of Security rather than the İstanbul Provincial Security Directorate. The general directorate stated on Saturday (August 22) that the reinforcement force will help the authorities taking measures "in every kind of social events," and participate in search and rescue operations.

The first Reinforcement Ready Forces Directorate was founded in 2018 in Ankara, the capital.

Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu had said the new unit would prevent "time loss" and "save costs" for the security units.

MP Tanrıkulu asked Minister of Interior Süleyman Soylu, "What is the purpose of the establishment of the Reinforcement Ready Forces Directorate?" and "In what ways does it differ from the purpose of establishment and the field of work of the riot police?"

He asked whether the allegations that the reinforcement unit will be authorized to track citizens and politicians who are against the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government were true.

Tanrıkulu also asked the following questions:

"How many police officers have been assigned under the Reinforcement Ready Forces Directorate?

"From which areas of expertise are the personnel to be assigned selected?

"Will there be a public statement about all the allegations mentioned?"