Citizen-Centered Public Security in Turkey: Policy and Practice

Abstract

Citizen orientation in public security has come to the fore since the 1990s upon rising crime rates and fear of crime. As a result, focus on the root causes of crime and targeted initiatives to restore public trust have guided citizen-centered public security. Gained momentum with the EU accession negotiations in the 2000s, citizen-oriented policies and practices have also been integrated into Turkey’s public security management. Citizen orientation can be seen through participative, community-oriented, and oversight undertakings. In this context, this chapter investigates Turkey’s public security policy to explore how citizen orientation has been implemented. The study suggests that committee-type bodies and e-government applications have been vastly utilized to improve citizen participation. In contrast, community-oriented initiatives, alongside nationwide community policing, have focused on the most vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, relying on awareness raising and information. Civilian oversight of public security has made remarkable progress by upgrading an integrated state-wide accountability system. Yet it needs more autonomy, national recognition, and ownership for more effective functioning. For long-term gains, more behavioral interventions must support restructuring and project-based efforts. To conclude, citizen-centered public security in Turkey has been underway and will likely produce more favoring outcomes in the next decade.