A total of 15 police officers have committed suicide over the past 25 days, Faruk Sezer, the chairman of Turkish police union Emniyet-Sen said on Wednesday.
A total of 40 suicides have taken place in the Turkish police force since the beginning of the year, Sezer told opposition outlet Halk TV, with the number already nearing that of 2013, when the country registered 57 suicides among police, the highest to date.
The long and unpredictable work schedule and bad management play a role in officers claiming their own lives, according to Sezer, who explained that members of the Turkish police force work at least 240 hours a month, as compared to civil servants, who clock in 160 hours.
Some even work up to 400 hours, he added.
Often“15 police officers are assigned to tasks that could be handled by a few,’’ the union head said, noting the inefficiency in management.
“The police force has never been managed well,’’ according to Sezer. “Not just now.’’
Ahval