Forty Turkish police officers have died by suicide in the first half of 2025, marking an increase that has raised fresh concerns about mental health in the country’s security forces, according to the Police Suicide Memorial (Emniyet İntihar Anıtı) platform.
The reported number is particularly striking when compared to previous years. In all of 2024, a total of 73 officers were reported to have taken their own life, according to the Voice of Police Platform, a group advocating for police rights and mental health oversight. With 40 suicides recorded in just the first six months of 2025, the current pace significantly exceeds that of the previous year, pointing to a rate of nearly one suicide every four days — compared to roughly one every five days in 2024.
The rise in police suicides comes amid a broader uptick in suicides nationwide. The Turkish Statistical Institute reported 4,460 suicides across the country in 2024, an increase from 4,089 in 2023. However, mental health experts say the rate of suicide within the police force is climbing disproportionately, driven by unique pressures associated with the job.
Analysts and former officers point to a range of contributing factors, including long working hours, low pay, intense psychological stress and mounting financial problems.
Faruk Sezer, a former officer and founder of the Voice of Police Platform, has urged the interior ministry to address what he describes as a deepening institutional crisis. He and other advocates are calling for better access to psychological support services, reforms in working conditions and financial safeguards for vulnerable officers.
The interior ministry has not released official statistics for 2025 and has not responded publicly to the reported figures. The lack of transparency has drawn criticism from advocates and families of officers, who argue that silence only deepens the stigma and prevents meaningful reform.
With more than half the year remaining and the number of deaths already exceeding two-thirds of last year’s total, experts warn that immediate action is needed to prevent a further loss of life.
