Tantan Intervenes, Ends Feud Between Istanbul, Ankara Police

The first step by new Interior Minister Saadettin Tantan was to intervene the conflict between police officers that been gathering in the police department since accusations of corruption by former Istanbul Narcotics Division Chairman Ferruh Tankus arose.

Tankus shook the police organization by levelling accusations against high-level police officers after he was demoted on charges of corruption, setting off a conflict between Ankara and Istanbul police.

Following his unexpected demotion from the position of Istanbul Narcotic Branch Director, Tankus levelled a series of accusations against Istanbul Police Chief Hasan Özdemir and some of his assistants as well as the head of Turkey's Security Forces, Necati Bilican, and his son. Afterwards, those who had been accused by Tankus banded together and had him fired.

There has been relative calm within the security organization, but with the establishment of the Nationalist Motherleft government, people are expecting new changes. Saadettin Tantan, who was a former police chief, is now the minister of the interior. His first step after the appointment was to respond to allegations regarding Turkey's police organization. Tantan formed a team composed of the most reliable inspectors affiliated with his ministry and began having the claims against police officers investigated.

Some officers who got wind of this investigation began accusing each other to divert attention from themselves. The first accusation came from the Ankara Police Force. On the orders of Ankara Police Chief Cevdet Saral, individuals affiliated with the Fethullah religious order were listed and reported to the Ankara State Security Court (DGM). The majority of these people were high-level police officers in Istanbul, including Adil Saçan. Saçan, who is a top police officer at the Istanbul Organized Crimes Bureau, denied the allegations against him and maintained that his enemies in the police organization had fabricated the claims. Istanbul Police Chief Hasan Özdemir defended his team and said the rumors had no basis.

Police split in two

While the police organization has now split into two camps, "the good and the bad," it appears that the one most likely to resolve this conflict is Tantan. It is expected that a number of police officers who are alleged to be involved with drugs and arms traffickers and other illegal groups will be transferred.

If the Ocalan case ends next week as expected, there will probably be a major "Tantan cleanup" in the police. It is speculated that the police chiefs in a number of cities, including Istanbul and Ankara, will change. Thus, the Tankus wind will continue to blow. 1999-02-06 00:00:00