Overview
Çarşı ve mahalle bekçileri (town and neighbourhood watchmen) are armed law-enforcement staff who assist the general police and gendarmerie. They are employed under the Ministry of Interior, within the police and gendarmerie organisations. Entry is by a recruitment exam, not a standing national test: the number of posts by province, the application and exam dates and other details are announced in an application guide, published in the Official Gazette and on the sites of the bodies the President designates.
This page is based on the regulation published on 17 March 2023, which sets the rules for entry, the exam, appointment and training. The regulation may have been amended since, and no application window is described here. Read the current application guide when a recruitment round is announced.
Who can apply
Under the regulation, candidates must:
be Turkish citizens;
hold at least a high school diploma or equivalent by the last application date;
for men, have completed military service by the last application date;
have completed 18 years of age and not have turned 31 as of 1 January of the exam year;
have been resident in the province they apply to for the last year, as of the start of applications;
meet the health requirements of the police health regulation, with no treatment for alcohol or drug use;
have no disqualifying criminal conviction, be free of bans on public rights and have no obstacle to carrying a weapon;
not be a member of a political party on the application date;
pass the security investigation and archive search;
not have been expelled from military, police or gendarmerie schools, or dismissed from those services for fault.
Spouses and children of martyrs or of those disabled in service may apply and are exempt from the exam fee.
Exam pattern
The entry exam has three parts. The order is set by the authority.
| Part | Format | Pass mark |
|---|---|---|
| Written exam | 100 multiple-choice questions with five options, on general culture and general ability | 50 out of 100 |
| Physical fitness exam | Practical test, scored out of 100 | 60 out of 100 |
| Interview | Five criteria, 20 points each, 100 in total | 70 out of 100 |
The authority may change the written-exam minimum to suit its needs. Before the exams, candidates go through a preliminary health check, and failing it ends the application. The written exam can be run by the national exam centre (ÖSYM) or the Ministry of National Education.
The interview works like this: the candidate draws a card with a topic, gets time to prepare, presents it and answers questions. The panel scores topic knowledge, understanding of what is asked, self-confidence, expression and body language.
Marking and results
From the written exam, only a limited group moves on: up to ten times the quota for each province or district, highest scores first and above the pass mark.
The final ranking score is 25% of the written score, 25% of the physical fitness score and 50% of the interview score.
Ties are broken by written score, then physical score, then interview score, then by age, with the younger candidate preferred.
Each province gets a ranked list of principal and reserve candidates, announced on the official site of the Police Academy (for police posts) or the gendarmerie academy (for gendarmerie posts).
Objections to written-exam results must be sent in writing within two working days of the announcement.
Fees
Candidates pay an exam fee, with the amount set jointly by the Police Academy and the Gendarmerie and Coast Guard Academy. The regulation gives no figure, so check the application guide for the round.
How to apply
Applications are made online. For police posts, the system is on the Police Academy site, and for gendarmerie posts it is the Personnel Procurement System on the gendarmerie site. Applications sent by post, with missing documents or after the deadline are not accepted. The application form asks for the national ID number, a declaration of criminal and archive record, graduation details, military status for men, any age correction, any political party membership, and a biometric photo.
After the exam
Principal candidates go through a security investigation, archive search and a full medical board report. Those found suitable are appointed as candidate watchmen, normally serving in the province of their first appointment. Reserve candidates are called if a principal candidate drops out.
Appointed candidates then take basic and preparatory training. The regulation requires at least 25 class hours a week, each lesson lasting 45 minutes. Candidates who fail a training stage lose their civil-service status.
FAQs
Is there a fixed yearly exam date?
No. The authority announces posts, provinces and dates in an application guide only when a recruitment round is opened.
Can I apply to any province?
You must have lived in the province you apply to for the last year as of the start of applications.