Turkey ranks third in police force ratio in Europe

Photo: Tuğçe Yılmaz/bianet

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According to recent data from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union (EU), Turkey has a higher police force ratio compared to the EU average.

The data reveals that in 2021, there were 568 police officers for every 100,000 people in Turkey, while the average ratio in the EU stood at 335 officers per 100,000 people.

According to the data, Montenegro takes the lead with the highest ratio of 678 officers per 100,000 people, followed by Serbia with 596 officers (data from 2015). Turkey ranks third in this regard, with Cyprus and Greece following closely behind.

In terms of countries with the lowest police force ratios per capita, Finland takes the spotlight.

Over the past five years, Turkey has witnessed a significant increase in the police force ratio. According to Turkey's General Directorate of Security, the number of police officers per 100,000 people was 515 in 2009, dropping to 464 in 2015. However, the figure saw a notable rise in 2021, reaching 568 officers per 100,000 people. This marks a 21% increase in the police force ratio per capita over the past five years.

However, there are slight discrepancies in the data provided by different sources within Turkey itself. According to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), the number of police officers in Turkey was reported as 287,000 in 2021, increasing to 290,000 in 2022. On the other hand, the Ministry of Interior reported that the Turkish Police Force had a personnel count of 329,000 in 2020. (TY/VK)