Author: Cerrah, Ibrahim
Title: The European Code of Police Ethics and the Vocational Socialization of Security Personnel in Turkey
Summary: Although the structure of and services provided by security sector institutions have transformed and developed through the course of history, the centrality of security in private and public spheres has remained intact. Domestic security services need to be constantly improved and amended according to dominant and current value systems so as to ensure that individuals’ rights and liberties are protected and that societies’ have a higher quality of life. As the level of welfare in a society rises, people expect the public services provided by their state to rise accordingly. Men and women of today’s world want to be more informed about, partake in and oversee the services that are designed for and paid by them. Domestic security services, like all other forms of public service, are also evaluated in the above context. Naturally, domestic security services in Turkey ought to comply with current international standards. Security sector institutions in Turkey and the services they provide are subject to parliamentary and administrative oversight both at national and local level. However, the difficulty in externally overseeing the conduct of security sector personnel is obvious. Therefore, there is an impending need for a code of ethics that security sector personnel may adopt and internalize. We live in an age where maximizing quality of life is the ultimate goal. ‘Effectiveness and efficiency’ are the basic precondition for the production of public goods and services. Although provision of security is critical for private and public life, security services should not be provided “at all costs”. Provision of security has economic and social costs, both of which have to be acceptable and affordable. “Social costs of security” refer to the impact that security services have on a society. Security measures and practices that have a negative impact on social life may be considered “effective” in deterring security threats but may not be accepted as “productive” since these measures hamper social harmony and quality of life. Security sector institutions, while performing their duties in accordance with international norms, have to act as conscientious vanguards of social harmony. Security measures that trouble the majority of Turkish society are not productive according to modern standards. Efficiency in this sense is measured according not only to state-of-the-art equipment and gear that security personnel uses but also to the personnel’s attitude, conduct, and methodology. Security personnel involved in fighting crime ought to act as guardians of social harmony also and consequently, they should receive legal as well as professional ethics training. Another aspect of the costs associated with security provision is financial. “Security at all costs” is increasingly becoming unacceptable. Both social and economic costs of security services must be affordable. Defense and security spending that is too expensive and has a negative impact on the well-being of citizens is not productive. A good comparative variable for Turkey is the ratio of defense spending to education or health budgets in developed countries. When the size of a defense budget reaches a level that threatens the well-being of a society, it will trigger an increase in crime. Crimes committed in Turkey today are predominantly the result of abject poverty and unemployment. The inextricable link between terrorism and unemployment and illiteracy proves the hypothesis that the diversion of resources from education and employment to defense contributes to a rise in crime. Consequently, during the 59th government, a law was enacted to grant the Court of Auditors the authority to monitor Turkey’s defense budget. When the corresponding bylaws are drafted and enacted, Turkey’s defense spending will be politically overseen in its entirety. Adjusting the size of the defense budget in Turkey to the standards employed by developed countries lowers the economic cost of security but the social cost of security should be treated separately. Containing the social cost of security, coined with the conduct and practices of security sector personnel, depends on education. Security sector personnel should be trained using a curriculum drafted according to modern universal values including ‘rule of law’ and ‘respect for human rights’. This can only be accomplished through continuous education. Security sector personnel ought to learn first and foremost the regulations that pertain to their individual tasks and duties. Furthermore, legal training will not suffice. Security sector personnel ought to comprehend, through the course of their legal training, the gist of the legislation governing their occupation and internalize the universal system of values that they live in. Security services is an area where its providers can enjoy greater autonomy than other public service providers. The education that security services personnel receive will determine how they will use their autonomy. However, education in this sense is not restricted to formal training given to security services personnel. Formal training should be fortified by pervasive and informal education. The process of socialization that security sector personnel experience during their training, on duty and in their private time determines to a great extent their occupational ethics and their conduct. The author of this report analyzes these matters in detail and reflects on the effects of vocational socialization on police code of ethics and on the behavior of security sector personnel. Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) has passed important laws that aim to increase the quality of domestic security services. Within these laws, a delicate balance was sought between increasing the powers of security sector personnel and decreasing the human rights violations conducted by the security sector personnel. Increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of security sector is as important as preserving sensitivity on human rights. TGNA strove to maintain this delicate balance throughout the previous legislative term. This report on European Police code of ethics, prepared with the joint effort of experts from European Union member states and Turkey, is a valuable resource for Turkish security services personnel. Moreover, the study conducted by the author on Turkish security sector personnel’s socioeconomic structure, level of education, vocational and personal socialization will help security sector personnel to better understand and define their presence and to increase the quality of the services they provide. Security personnel need to interpret their duties within a more contemporary context in order to obtain a qualified relationship with the citizenry. This report will make an important contribution to the training of security personnel in this respect.
Details: Istanbul: TESEV, 2008. 105p.
Source: Internet Resource: DCAF-TESEV
Series in Security Sector Studies - 3: Accessed August 16, 2012 at: www.dcaf.ch
Year: 2008
Country: Turkey
URL:
Shelf Number: 126040
Keywords:
Domestic Security PersonnelPolice Ethics (Turkey)Policing |
