Gendarmerie General Command
The Gendarmerie General Command (Turkish: Jandarma Genel Komutanlığı) is the national gendarmerie force of the Republic of Turkey. It is a service branch of the Turkish Ministry of Interior responsible for the maintenance of the public order in areas that fall outside the jurisdiction of police forces (generally in rural areas), as well as assuring internal security along with carrying out other specific duties assigned to it by certain laws and regulations. In wartime, some of its elements can be subordinated to Turkish Land Forces by the President of Turkey.
| Gendarmerie General Command Jandarma Genel Komutanlığı | |
|---|---|
Emblem of the Gendarmerie General Command | |
Flag of the Gendarmerie General Commander | |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 1839 |
| Preceding agencies |
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| Employees | 182,000 active personnel |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction | Turkey |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Ankara |
| Elected officer responsible |
|
| Agency executives |
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| Parent agency | Ministry of the Interior, Turkish Armed Forces, (in wartime until 2016) |
| Notables | |
| Significant operations | |
| Website | |
| jandarma.gov.tr/ | |
The Commander of the Gendarmerie reports to the Minister of the Interior.
The Gendarmerie has its roots in the Ottoman Empire military law enforcement organization "Subaşı" (later known as the "Zaptiye"). A similar, earlier force called "Şurta" existed during the medieval Seljuq Empire.