Interior Ministry says watchmen have authority to conduct ID check, random controls

Turkey's Interior Ministry has said that the country's pseudo-police force of "neighborhood watchmen" are allowed to ask people for identification and conduct random controls.

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Turkey's Interior Ministry said that members of the pseudo-police force of "neighborhood watchmen" are allowed to ask persons for identification and conduct random controls.

In an infographic released on June 5, the Interior Ministry explained how a watchman's authority compared to a police officer's, a topic that has created great controversy since the recent expansion of the watchmen's authorities.

Watchmen are allowed to stop persons, ask for ID and conduct random controls, the Interior Ministry said, but can not conduct body searches, vehicle searches or gather information about persons from others.

Police and watchmen are both authorized to detain persons, "use force," use weapons and seize possessions.

However, watchmen are not authorized to take official witness statements, investigate a crime scene, take photos or finger prints, confine persons to their home or workplaces, form a line-up or get a witness to direct them to a location.

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Topics Watchmen Police Turkish police identity Interior Ministry gun Watchman Turkish Interior Ministry security forces use force using force ID check police control body search police search weapon