Post by yenilira on Oct 11, 2011 0:18:59 GMT 1
In Mahmutlar, near Alanya, there are eight hundred market vendors split between two weekly markets. The Zabita there, under Amir Kemal Sandal, are responsible (inter alia) for checking things like hygiene standards and permits, and are on call 24 hours a day..
The uniform worn by the Zabita and that of their blue/white cars (akin to 'Panda Cars') resemble those of the police ('polis' in Turkey), and many a tourist has been mistaken when approaching a Zabita patrol.
The biggest differences are that the Zabita do not carry a pistol and cannot arrest anyone, but can, however, hand out fines. They are, of course, a very good source of local information.
At the Tuesday market, for example, the stalls are checked for price tags, as all goods and food must show a price, though the vendor can set their own, but it must be displayed. Checks are also made on whether the stalls and goods are all kept neatly within the confines of the designated stands, and the vendors are required to wear official name badges, but don't have to wear it round their necks per se, as long as they have it to hand when asked.
Aggressive (to tourists) stallholders are normally given a caution, and as each market stand has a number, if anyone has a complaint about a specific vendor or stall, they can give that number to the Zabita who will investigate the complaint further.
Even a complaint – both by a local or a tourist - about a particular shopkeeper, a noise nuisance, rubbish in the streets, or damage to a public open space, can be made to the Zabita.
Apart from my bins being emptied every two/three days, I often wondered what I paid the council £30 a year for!
Law enforcement in Turkey is carried out by several departments and agencies, all acting under the command of the Prime Minister of Turkey or mostly the Minister of Internal Affairs.
Police officers wear navy-blue uniforms and caps. Patrol cars can be identified using the unique blue-white design and the writing “Polis” on the side doors and hood. Lieutenants and captains wear silver stars on their shoulders, highest ranking officers wear golden stars.
Some well-known police units in Turkey are:
Yunuslar (Motorcycle Units, yunuslar translates to 'Dolphins')
Çevik Kuvvet (the Agile Force) who handle difficult cases like demonstrations with the help of K-9 dogs
“Panzer”s,
Özel Tim, which is the special response unit of the Department (quite like the American SWAT or the German GSG 9). This unit uses special weapons and rapid deployment tactics for exceptional circumstances, such as bank robberies, kidnappings, hostage rescues etc.
The Gendarmerie (Turkish: Jandarma), are military forces of law enforcement. They are trained and supplied by the army but they assume duties under the Minister of Interior. Their organization and duties are quite similar to those of the French Gendarmerie, or Italian Carabinieri, and are responsible for policing rural areas.
The Jandarma also have an independent organization for Traffic Control (Turkish: Jandarma Trafik) similar to that of the police, but they take shifts outside the cities; similar to the American highway police. 'Traffic Cops' to us.
Military Police (Turkish= Askeri inzibat) is a small force that is under military command that handles cases directly relevant to military security and military crimes.
They can be identified using the very obvious “AS. ÝZ.”, printed in large letters across the front of their helmets.
Special Tourism police (Turizm Polisi) operate in Istanbul and other major cities.
Then there is the 'Emniyet Polisi' (Security Police') in smaller towns who carry out law-enforcement duties.
The recent riots and looting in the UK (July/August) have prompted many to state, quite correctly, that the Turkish police would not put up with that nonsense and I can tell you now that the Turkish police would beat the s*** out of them.
If you start damaging and looting people’s homes or business, you better have a miraculous ability to wake up the next morning with a new face and identity.
And then there is the Zabita.
YL.
The uniform worn by the Zabita and that of their blue/white cars (akin to 'Panda Cars') resemble those of the police ('polis' in Turkey), and many a tourist has been mistaken when approaching a Zabita patrol.
The biggest differences are that the Zabita do not carry a pistol and cannot arrest anyone, but can, however, hand out fines. They are, of course, a very good source of local information.
At the Tuesday market, for example, the stalls are checked for price tags, as all goods and food must show a price, though the vendor can set their own, but it must be displayed. Checks are also made on whether the stalls and goods are all kept neatly within the confines of the designated stands, and the vendors are required to wear official name badges, but don't have to wear it round their necks per se, as long as they have it to hand when asked.
Aggressive (to tourists) stallholders are normally given a caution, and as each market stand has a number, if anyone has a complaint about a specific vendor or stall, they can give that number to the Zabita who will investigate the complaint further.
Even a complaint – both by a local or a tourist - about a particular shopkeeper, a noise nuisance, rubbish in the streets, or damage to a public open space, can be made to the Zabita.
Apart from my bins being emptied every two/three days, I often wondered what I paid the council £30 a year for!
Law enforcement in Turkey is carried out by several departments and agencies, all acting under the command of the Prime Minister of Turkey or mostly the Minister of Internal Affairs.
Police officers wear navy-blue uniforms and caps. Patrol cars can be identified using the unique blue-white design and the writing “Polis” on the side doors and hood. Lieutenants and captains wear silver stars on their shoulders, highest ranking officers wear golden stars.
Some well-known police units in Turkey are:
Yunuslar (Motorcycle Units, yunuslar translates to 'Dolphins')
Çevik Kuvvet (the Agile Force) who handle difficult cases like demonstrations with the help of K-9 dogs
“Panzer”s,
Özel Tim, which is the special response unit of the Department (quite like the American SWAT or the German GSG 9). This unit uses special weapons and rapid deployment tactics for exceptional circumstances, such as bank robberies, kidnappings, hostage rescues etc.
The Gendarmerie (Turkish: Jandarma), are military forces of law enforcement. They are trained and supplied by the army but they assume duties under the Minister of Interior. Their organization and duties are quite similar to those of the French Gendarmerie, or Italian Carabinieri, and are responsible for policing rural areas.
The Jandarma also have an independent organization for Traffic Control (Turkish: Jandarma Trafik) similar to that of the police, but they take shifts outside the cities; similar to the American highway police. 'Traffic Cops' to us.
Military Police (Turkish= Askeri inzibat) is a small force that is under military command that handles cases directly relevant to military security and military crimes.
They can be identified using the very obvious “AS. ÝZ.”, printed in large letters across the front of their helmets.
Special Tourism police (Turizm Polisi) operate in Istanbul and other major cities.
Then there is the 'Emniyet Polisi' (Security Police') in smaller towns who carry out law-enforcement duties.
The recent riots and looting in the UK (July/August) have prompted many to state, quite correctly, that the Turkish police would not put up with that nonsense and I can tell you now that the Turkish police would beat the s*** out of them.
If you start damaging and looting people’s homes or business, you better have a miraculous ability to wake up the next morning with a new face and identity.
And then there is the Zabita.
YL.