Burglaries

[Lantana]

Some posters on this topic keep repeating the phrase that there is no police force in Kalkan. Along with many of the other rather emotional and inflammatory statements they have made, this is completely incorrect.

Other posters, trying to bring some sense to this whole discussion and refute many of the wilder claims being bandied about have been accused of 'quoting facts' in response to points made.   Surely in any intelligent debate facts, rather than uninformed personal opinion, make for an intelligent well reasoned argument. Why be afraid of facts, unless your argument is so flimsy that it cannot stand up to a few well chosen facts.

So now some facts about the Jandarma.
The Jandarma is a police force. Kalkan has a strong police presence in the form of the Jandarma garrison.

The Jandarma is a military force of law enforcement. They are trained and supplied by the army but they assume duties under the Minister of the Interior - which is the Turkish equivalent of the Home Office which has overall responsibility for the UK police. Their organization and duties are quite similar to those of the French Gendarmerie, or Italian Carabinieri.

Their area of jurisdiction is outside city centres, mostly in rural areas, so small villages and towns where population and population density is low.  Most smaller, popular tourist destinations are also areas of the Jandarma’s jurisdiction because their average population throughout the year is not sufficiently large to qualify for a non-military police presence.

The Jandarmerie has control over 90% of the land area of Turkey and 50% of the population. So 50% of the population of this country  ( approx 36 million people) are policed by the Jandarmerie and find that perfectly acceptable, unlike the tiny handful of Brits who want to get rid of a local police force which does not meet their specific needs.

The administrative functions of the gendarmerie correspond roughly to those of the National Police but include such distinctive requirements as enforcing hunting and fishing laws, fighting forest fires, and patrolling borders. The gendarmes' judicial tasks include guarding prisons and assisting in investigations and preparations for trial. They also have military duties: serving as adjuncts to the army in emergencies, enforcing conscription, apprehending military deserters, and working in military courts.

Gendarmerie officers are chosen from cadets during the second year of training at the military academy, an aptitude for law being a prime factor in the selection. After completing their academy training, officers attend the infantry school for six months and the commando school for four months. Further professional training follows at the Gendarmerie Schools Command. NCOs are selected by examination from army personnel who have already served at least one year. They are then trained at the Gendarmerie Schools Command for five months. Basic military training is given to conscripts by the Gendarmerie Schools Command, followed by specialized training in various areas including crime prevention and detection.

Jandarmerie officers receive a much longer, more intensive and more comprehensive training than a British police recruit.

And as for crime rates, in this case robberies, Turkey has an exceedingly low rate just 0.0234421 per 1,000 people . In comparison Spain has 12.3265 per 1,000 people, the UK 1.57433 per 1,000 people. 

Without factual foundations, arguments based just on personal bias become increasingly circular, they prove no point other than the complete lack of objectivity and credibility of the person making the point.

Yes, Kalkan has crime, there is nowhere in the world that is crime free. However, despite what some people may want you to believe, the actual crime rate is very low.

There is not a conspiracy by the mayor, local Turks, foreign property owners  and the Jandarma to hide the facts. Much is being done to deal with crime here but statistically it is a very small problem and you are not going to see headlines about the local anti-crime initiatives.

This is still a wonderful place to live or have a holiday. If this debate cannot be informed rather than hysterical, objective rather than inflammatory and positive rather than derogatory then it should be stopped now as it is going nowhere.

Lantana

[Denners]

All well informed, well said and reasoned, Lantana.
Completely agree with you.
This thread is going nowhere, and because of certain ill imformed and histerical posts has unfortunately 'lost the plot' !!!

[felicity]

I would just like to add my own personal experiences of the Jandarma.  During the short periods that I stay in Kalkan - I have experienced the Jandarma patrolling the streets at night, right past our villa and in April they stopped and entered my property to find out what was going on as there was rather an old car parked outside the entrance with doors open and engine running.

Again in June (twice) they stopped outside my property to find out what was happening as there was a group of boys outside on the terrace at a rather ungodly hour of the morning (my son and his friends) and my son went to talk to them to explain who they were and that it was our property.

They may not be in all places at all times but I am heartened to have witnessed this - would that happen here in the UK...??  I think not!

[misty]

A lot of places in the Uk you will get a crime number and a possible visit maybe a week later from a plastic policemen (CSO) or if you are really lucky a real policeman.......where we stay I have often seen a police car patrolling and foot patrols in the evening in the town. As a visitor I have never felt uncomfortably in any situations...obviously I cant speak for residents.

[Enjoy Kalkan]

I think that probably wraps this thread up quite nicely now