Turkey to boost police force to catch up with EU level

ANKARA, Feb 14 (AFP) - Turkey is planning to boost its police force in a bid to better tackle a rising crime rate and to catch up with European Union standards, Justice Minister Cemil Cicek said Monday.
The government has drafted a bill that would allow holders of four-year university degrees to join the police after a six-month training, Cicek told reporters after a cabinet meeting.
"We will try to pass the bill in parliament as soon as possible," he said.
The minister explained that 35,000 more officers were needed to reach the level of the European Union, where one policeman serves an average of 250 people.
In Turkey, he said, the ratio stands at one officer per more than 300 people, and the shortage is affecting big cities in particular.
The security department said last week that the number of criminal incidents in the country increased by 10 percent in 2004, with some 350,000 incidents reported.

02/14/2005 15:29 GMT - AFP