Crime against individuals and property in Istanbul has declined sharply over the past three years, Governor Davut Gül announced Tuesday, citing expanded police operations, tougher penalties and data-driven enforcement that reshape public safety across the city of more than 16 million residents.
Major crimes committed against individuals fall 16% from 103,410 cases in 2023 to 86,524 in 2025, according to official data released at a security briefing. Clearance rates rise to 99.6%, meaning nearly all such cases are now solved, a level authorities describe as a benchmark for metropolitan policing.
Homicides dropped 20%, while intentional injury cases fell 14%. Sexual crimes decreased 23%, offenses disturbing public peace declined 26%, unlawful deprivation of liberty dropped 20% and violations of residential inviolability plunged 37%, Gül said.
The announcement comes as law enforcement agencies intensify citywide operations targeting terrorism, organized crime, narcotics and illegal firearms, pillars of a broader strategy aimed at deterrence, rapid response and stronger judicial outcomes.
In counterterrorism operations alone, police carried out 3,186 operations in 2025, detaining 5,883 suspects and arresting 1,249. Prevented terrorist plots fell from nine in 2023 to two in 2025, while seizures tied to terrorist financing rose nearly tenfold, signaling expanded detection capacity.
Property crime shows an even steeper decline. The number of major property offenses fell almost by half, from 46,858 in 2023 to 26,941 in 2025.
Theft from vehicles dropped 80%, residential burglaries 60%, vehicle theft 65%, motorcycle theft 66%, snatch theft 83% and pickpocketing 65%. Clearance rates improved to 93.6% from 75.9%.
Authorities have also tightened controls on illegal firearms. Seizures increased slightly to 17,070 in 2025, while arrests for carrying unlicensed weapons nearly tripled to 2,682 following tougher penalties that officials say curb street-level gun carrying.
Organized crime operations nearly doubled over three years, reaching 416 in 2025. Arrests rose to 3,119 and the number of dismantled criminal groups grew to 162. Seized criminal assets surged from TL 9.5 billion in 2023 to TL 318 billion in 2025.
Narcotics enforcement expanded sharply, with operations up 44% and arrests up 63% in 2025. While heroin seizures declined 10%, seizures of synthetic pills rose 310% and cannabis 240%, pushing overall seized narcotics volumes more than 280% higher. Inspections around schools also increased.
Traffic fatalities dropped to 134 in 2025 as patrol deployment and inspections expanded, while cybercrime units nearly doubled the number of suspects identified, reinforcing the city’s preventive digital policing capacity.
