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Polis Özel Harekât (PÖH)
Police Special Operations

Founded in 1982 as "Special Action Office" (Turkish: Özel Harekat Sube Müdürlügü), under the command of Department of Public Security, to prevent armed acts of terrorist organizations residential area or in rural areas, to rescue hostages in places like aircraft, land vehicles, ships, subways, trains, and in enclosed spaces like buildings, to ensure the safety in cities and in civil aviation airports with special skills, modern weapons, ammunition, vehicles, equipment, tactics and techniques. In bigger cities like Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir, the "Special Operations Group Authorities "(Turkish: Özel Harekat Grup Amirlikleri) were organized in the same year. As a result of changing conditions, in 1987, the office transrred to Anti-Terrorism and Operations Department under the name of "Special Action Branch" (Turkish: Özel Harekat Subesi). In 1993, the branch wsa promoted to a department, and got its current structuring.

Turkey established an 11,000- person police unit that will carry out intelligence duties and combat terror alongside the military in rural areas, Hurriyet reported 24 July 2011. In 2010 Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had asked the ministry, which controls the police, to start work on a special-forces unit aimed at broadening resources to fight terror. A commission comprised of the military, justice and interior ministries, police force, intelligence and gendarmerie started work on a legal framework.

In March 2016 it was reported that the government had decided to increase the number of the Special Operations teams in charge of the ongoing operations against terrorism in the Southeastern of Turkey. By the end of 2017, the number of the Gendarmerie Special Forces (GSF / JÖH - Jandarma Özel Harekât) and the Police Special Operations (PSO / PÖH - Polis Özel Harekât) was predicted to be 40,000. Furthermore, based on a risk analysis to be performed in the upcoming period, a total of 280 police stations where the specially trained officers were to serve would be constructed in the city centers and districts in the provinces from the Southeast to the West.

In June 2016 it was reported that the number of police and gendarmerie special operations, will by the end of 2016 increaed by 20,000. Special Operations Teams were increasing weapons, equipment and armored vehicles. The number of staff of the Special Operations Unit showed great success in the fight against terrorism. Interior Ministry and the General Staff were increasing the number of new special operations unit. Training for staff who joined neared completion. Police Special Forces and the Gendarmerie Special Operations of the Timer number was expected to reach 40 thousand in total by the end of 2017.

By mid-2016 a total of 7,800 police Special Operations had training completed, so the 5,000 thousand police reached a totasl of 12,800. Sme 4,000 Special Operations Police also began training. They also added at the end of the year the number of the police Special Operations Teams will reach 17,000.

Special Operations Teams also added weapons, equipment and armored vehicles. For this purpose, the police and gendarmes acquired 40 millimeters greanda launchers to confront the sniper attacks, with drum grenade launcher weapon capable of a high rate of fire. Teh MK-19 grenade launcher was mounted on armored vehicles for use in rural areas.

Police Special Operations Department (Turkish: Polis Özel Harekât Dairesi) or Police Special Action (Turkish: Polis Özel Harekât - PÖH) is the special response unit of the General Directorate of Security. It was established in 1983. Police Special Operations Department , General Directorate of Security roles are to intervene in bank robbery and terrorist acts, using a special weapons and tactics for extraordinary situations such as hostage-rescue raids and special forces is the unit. The teams are concentrated in the area of the fight against terrorism in general and is capable of operating in almost any condition. Special operations police, law enforcement agencies working police officers in different units, depending on a voluntary basis. Special operations police officers who graduate from educational institutions in Ankara-Gölbasi usually served areas of terrorism in the East and Southeast.

On 22 March 1983 with the approval of the Interior Ministry's Public Security Department, the center "Special Operations Division" were formed in Ankara, Istanbul and in Izmir province reporting directly to the Chief "Special Operations Group Head Offices" in the form of changing conditions. On 13 March 1987 in the Public Security Department in the site 23 February on Counter-Terrorism and operations Department within "Special operations Branch" has operated until 1993. Especially due to the increase in the Special Operations Department of the separatist terrorist event established in 13 Juyy 1993, in which the 48 provinces of Izmir Directorate of Special Operations Branch were connected to the Special Operations Department.

Staff are taken to the special operations unit as volunteer police officers. Requirements include sports and physical development, physical strength, composure, the owners of fast reaction ambitious, who are successful in the interview given to the special operations courses taken through the tough ones. Those who successfully complete this course as special operations personnel are assigned to staff branched.

Ibrahim Sahin was head of the Department until forced to resign in 1996 over the Susurluk scandal. In 1982 he was admitted to the Special Operations Department. Chief of Staff attached to the Special Warfare Department's completed in the Special Operations Course. In 1984, Germany 'in' GSG-9 Commando Course's joined. In 1987, the United States ' de 'Anti-Terrorism Course' s joined. In 1988 he was appointed Siirt Police Department Special Operations Branch. In 1990, he was Director of Special Operations Branch of Istanbul Police Department. Conducted numerous terrorist operation in Istanbul, "Eurasia Ferry" also took part in the operation. In 1993, he was Mehmet Agar's proxy during the General Directorate of Police Special Operations Department was brought to the Presidency. This was the first president of the new entity. In Balikesir "SWAT Training School" was opened and created special teams to take part in the fight against terrorism.

Ayhan Çarkin was a notable member of the department in the 1990s. He sais with the sanction of state officials he personally killed 1000 people at the height of the Kurdish–Turkish conflict. The leader of the Special Operations Department (Turkish: Özel Harekât Dairesi), Ibrahim Sahin, said Çarkin was the most fearless policeman he had ever met. He was part of the elite Police Special Operation Teams department (Turkish: Özel Tim) that was responsible for assassinating businessmen suspected of financially supporting the PKK.

On 15 July 2016, members of the "parallel state structure" in the capital, land and air, arms carried out bomb attacks as part of the coup attempt. As a result, some destruction occurred in the Police Special Operations Department. Aerial bombs rained down from jets, especially special operations police officers dormitory section of the target. Dormitory additional service building, guest house had large damage to the front of the section is used as a canteen occurred. In the garden of the Special Operations Department it was found to be unusable, and burned many of the staff and armored vehicle. The degree of damage is not that great with pieces of cluster munitions in the garden of the Special Operations Department. A funeral was held in the garden of the Department for Special Operations Safety, for four of the 17 troops who were killed in the attack. The ceremony was attended by many close to the martyred police and the police.