Türkiye replaces police chiefs in 37 cities amid major overhaul

ANKARA

Türkiye has reshuffled the provincial police chiefs of 37 of its 81 provinces, marking a sweeping overhaul of the country’s internal security, according to a decree by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan published on the Official Gazette.

In addition to the 37 new appointments, police chiefs in 22 provinces were reassigned to lower-profile posts at central headquarters, a move widely referred to as being placed on the "sidelines.”

Diyarbakır Police Chief Fatih Kaya was promoted to deputy director general of the national police, while Special Operations Department head Süleyman Karadeniz was appointed police chief of the southwestern province of Muğla.

Bursa Police Chief Sabit Akın Zaimoğlu was named to replace former Antalya Police Chief İlker Arslan, who was recently ousted from his post and jailed in connection with a bribery investigation against the municipality in the southern city.

In a written statement, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said, “For the peace of our nation and the security of our people, we will continue to work with determination and perseverance in line with the goals of the Century of Türkiye.”