Turkish Road Police At Front
Of Earthquake Relief Efforts
Traffic Police officers took active part in relief efforts. PHOTO: EGM.GOV.TR14 FEB – ROADPOL member Turkish Road Police has been actively involved in law enforcement and relief efforts in regions affected by the devastating earthquakes which hit the country on February 6th.
The two major earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.7 and 7.6 in the central province of Kahramanmaras in Türkiye brought destruction to thousands of buildings in a wide area covering 10 provinces. As a result of the earthquakes, approximately 30,000 citizens have lost their lives and 80,000 have been rescued so far.
Dispatch
In order to ensure traffic safety on urban and interurban roads between the provinces of the region, 370 traffic police officers and 174 traffic patrol cars from other provinces were sent to reinforce in the region. The assigned traffic police forces are controlling the traffic density in the region, ensure the safe road passages for aid convoys coming towards the region, and ensure the safe transportation of injured citizens to first medical centers. “Some roads and tunnels in the region were physically damaged due to the major earthquakes, but these deteriorations were repaired in a short time and the passage of aid vehicles arriving to the region was ensured”, informed ROADPOL Council Member Tolga Hakan of the Traffic Police at the General Directorate of Security in Türkiye.
Tolga HakanEscort
Traffic Police officers also perform escort duties in order to ensure safe transportation of foreign aid teams from Turkish local and international airports to disaster areas. “Also, to ensure the safe transportation of aid by heavy weight vehicles and of emergency rescue forces the highway officials were promptly informed by traffic police forces about deteriorated road sections to be repaired”, Hakan added. “Türkiye would like to thank all foreign countries and non-governmental organizations did not withhold their help actions that sent their emergency rescue units to the country for aid after the devastating earthquakes”, expressed Hakkan.
