23.04.2026 16:04
Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi made statements regarding the new measures to be taken in schools. Çiftçi said, 'School security meetings, held twice a year in provinces, will now be held every month. We will utilize both night watchmen and temporary village guards for security in schools. The seven-step directive will be sent to governorates this week.'
Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi responded to questions about the Gülistan Doku murder case, security measures in schools, and municipal operations.
Speaking at a press briefing with Ankara representatives of media organizations, Çiftçi made important statements on the agenda. He listed the measures taken regarding school security after the attacks in Şanlıurfa and Kahramanmaraş as follows:
"GUIDANCE AND SECURITY COORDINATION WILL BE ENSURED" “School security meetings, held twice a year in provinces, will now be held every month. We will utilize both night watchmen and temporary village guards for security in schools. A 7-step directive will be sent to governorates this week. Risk analyses related to schools will be renewed. Physical security measures in schools will be increased. The early warning system will be operational. If a child is determined to be introverted or troubled, early warning systems will be evaluated. Students in this situation will be monitored by both guidance counselors and law enforcement. Guidance and security coordination will be ensured. The chain is broken somewhere, and coordination cannot be achieved. There will be coordinated work between ministries.”
LIMITATION ON LICENSED FIREARMS Interior Minister Çiftçi stated that a regulation is being prepared regarding licensed firearms, which can currently be obtained in any quantity, and that the issue of public officials paying a fee for purchasing firearms above a certain number is being evaluated.
NUMBER OF CYBER PATROLS WILL INCREASE Minister Çiftçi said, “We are increasing measures against cybercrime,” and gave the message that the number of cyber patrols will increase. Çiftçi stated, “We are increasing the number of cyber patrols, both police and gendarmerie. We identified 539 accounts with offensive content in one week. We initiated proceedings for 379 account administrators.”
Noting that action was taken regarding 8,270 pieces of content after the attack and that 259 channels of a group on Telegram were closed, Çiftçi said, “The digital domain is not an area outside the law. Just as we do not tolerate crime and criminals on the streets, we will not tolerate crime in the digital domain. We will not leave room for those who glorify crime in the digital space.”
Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi - Haberler.com Ankara Representative Şerife Güzel "SUCH AN INCIDENT SHOULD NOT REMAIN IN THE DARK" Interior Minister Çiftçi, who also provided updates on the Gülistan Doku murder case, recalled that two inspectors were assigned regarding the arrested former Tunceli Governor Tuncay Sonel, and said, “We assigned 2 civil and 2 police inspectors to investigate claims like the incident being covered up. We assigned 4 inspectors to check if there was any negligence and whether an effective investigation was conducted.”
Minister Çiftçi also stated that the gendarmerie provided both technical and logistical support to the prosecutor's offices for the search of Gülistan Doku's grave. Minister Çiftçi said, “Our approach is clear. We do not want to leave any claim unanswered. If there is negligence, let us not ignore it. Such an incident should not remain in the dark. Our aim is to have no unsolved murders.”
Minister Çiftçi noted that within the scope of efforts to solve unsolved murders and capture fugitive perpetrators, red notices have been issued for 262 people, giving the message, “Wherever they go, even to the other end of the world, we are determined to find them and hand them over to justice.”
Emphasizing that they have determined that Umut Altaş, one of the perpetrators of the Gülistan Doku murder, first went to Mexico and then to the USA, Minister Çiftçi said, “We are trying to determine his location in the USA. We will find him and bring him to Turkey. No file is ownerless; we are determined to solve all of them.”
NEW GENERATION CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS Stating that street gangs are defined as ‘New Generation Criminal Organizations,' Çiftçi pointed out that these are structures that disrupt public order, target neighborhood peace, drag young people into crime, and threaten urban security.
Announcing that they declared 2026 as the ‘New Generation Criminal Organizations' year of struggle, Çiftçi said, “They name themselves after cartoon characters or nicknames. They use ostentation, social media visibility, and spreading fear as methods. Their average age is decreasing, and the desire for quick money is prominent. They use digital platforms more intensively for both propaganda and crime income. Their fixed centers are weak, their organizational ties are looser, and their modus operandi is more unpredictable. Therefore, the fight against them cannot be limited to classical methods.”
"WE ARE DETERMINED IN THE FIGHT AGAINST STREET GANGS" Minister Çiftçi shared data for last year and the January-April period of this year regarding the fight against street gangs and new generation criminal organizations. “In 2025, 556 operations were carried out against 222 gangs. In 2026, 676 operations were conducted against 274 gangs. We increased the number of operations. The number of structures we have dealt blows to is higher. We are extremely determined.”
"32,523 UNLICENSED FIREARMS SEIZED IN 2026" Sharing the seizure rates of unlicensed firearms, Minister Çiftçi said, “We do not want unlicensed firearms to be carried,” and stated, “In 2024, 111,131 unlicensed firearms were seized. Legal action was taken against 123,739 people. In 2025, 110,470 firearms were seized, and legal action was taken against 119,469 people. In 2026, 32,523 firearms were seized. Legal action was taken against 33,120 people. We show zero tolerance for any weapon that creates fear on the streets.”
"NO PARTY DISCRIMINATION IN MUNICIPAL OPERATIONS" Addressing municipal operations, Minister Çiftçi said, “The actions we take are not based on political affiliation,” and shared the distribution of mayors approved and not approved for legal proceedings by political parties. Çiftçi stated, “Investigation permits were issued for 1,535 municipalities. Of these, 677 are related to AK Party municipalities, 371 are CHP municipalities. Inspections and investigations are being conducted for all municipalities. Claims that ‘only opposition parties are targeted' do not reflect the truth.”