Turkey

Turkey has a history of military dictatorship, and the police are part of this history. The Özel Harekat Timleri (or ‘Special Operation Teams’) were established by the military government in the 1980s, and continue to be active. They are heavily armed, work alongside the military, and have been given extensive powers under a recent security bill, including powers to conduct strip searches and car searches, the power to detain (previously only the judiciary had this power), more autonomy on the use of firearms, and increasing the amount of time the police can run wire taps without the permission of a judge. After a bomb attack in Ankara in October 2015 - the deadliest in Turkey’s history - police used tear gas to prevent pro-Kurdish politicians and mourners from laying flowers at the site of the attack.