Istanbul Governor Davut Gül announced on July 3 that inspections and controls have been intensified to ensure the safety of the city's beaches and coastal areas and to prevent drowning incidents. Yet, despite warnings and precautions, 42 drowning cases and 15 fatalities occurred in the past month.
Gül also shared updated security data for the first half of the year during the same meeting at the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) in Istanbul's Eyüpsultan district.
He emphasized that the foundation of national peace and order lies in unity, solidarity and safeguarding the nation’s core values. He stated: “We have never allowed those who insult our nation’s faith and values or seek to sow discord among us to have a chance, and we will not allow it in the future. Under the leadership of our president and with all our institutions, especially our ministry, our greatest effort is to maintain the unity, solidarity and peace of our country and nation.”
Gül highlighted ongoing efforts against all "centers of evil," including terrorism, public order crimes, organized crime and narcotics. He noted a 9% decrease in the eight most significant crimes against persons compared to the same period last year.
The crime clearance rate rose to 99.4%. For the nine major property crimes, there was a 26% decrease, and the clearance rate increased by 5.5% to 90.4%. Gül explained: “This means Istanbul is safer and more peaceful than before. The increased capture rates of suspects wanted for five, 10 or more years positively affect the decline in crime.”
In the first half of 2025, seized firearms rose by 23% to 8,323, with 8,557 arrests made, and the number of detainees increased by 123%.
He emphasized that over 90% of firearm-related crimes involved unlicensed weapons. Inspections of unauthorized daily rental residences increased 20-fold, and fines increased 59-fold, with TL 78 million ($1.96 million) in penalties imposed on 275 properties.
Gül stated that successful security operations led to a 32% increase in organized crime operations and a 30% rise in dismantled crime gangs compared to last year.
Operations against smuggling increased 53% to 2,269, and confiscated amounts of counterfeit and smuggled alcohol tripled. Due to these operations, prevented tax losses doubled, reaching TL 1.033 billion.
“In the first half of this year, our operations targeting production and trade increased 19.5% to 5,580. Thanks to the Narcotic Case Analysis System (NARVAS), which allows our teams to respond precisely in narcotic cases, the number of operations and arrests rose. The amount of seized narcotic pills doubled to 47 million, and cannabis plants increased sevenfold to 22,800. Inspections around schools, cafes, parks and gardens continue to intensify,” he added.
He praised the “Best Narcotics Police Are Mothers” project, which has nearly tripled the number of mothers educated on the issue compared to last year. He thanked the media, NGOs, universities and citizens for their support, expressing hope that with joint effort, they would overcome the challenge.
Gül also reported continuous operations against cybercrime, ranging from terrorism to online child exploitation, illegal gambling and payment fraud.
He noted that criminals are also tracked in the “cyber homeland,” emphasizing Istanbul as a city that never sleeps, with traffic flowing day and night.
Gül stressed that everyone has the right to travel safely and spend as little time as possible in traffic. “For this reason, we continue traffic inspections and measures with 5,245 personnel and 946 teams. Thankfully, these precautions have led to a continuing decline in fatal accidents and deaths. I want to call on drivers and pedestrians: please follow traffic rules. Let’s stay alert and cautious. Remember, traffic rules exist to save lives.”
He added that inspections of school buses increased 34% and commercial taxis 24% compared to the same period last year. Fines have helped sharply reduce unauthorized use of emergency lights (“çakar”). He stressed that no matter who breaks the rules, teams will continue to apply necessary penalties.
With warmer weather, Gül said forest area precautions have increased and are monitored 24/7. To minimize wildfire risks, entry to forest areas (except picnic and recreation areas) is banned from June 23 to Oct. 15, including the prohibition of fires.
Inspections and controls have also increased to ensure safety on beaches and coasts and prevent drownings. Despite warnings, 42 drowning cases and 15 deaths occurred in the last month.
Recently, complaints have risen about noise pollution from personal music devices in public spaces such as public transport, stops, beaches, shores and picnic areas where people gather.
Gül reiterated that public spaces are not places where anyone can play loud music and disturb others. He warned that those creating noise disturbances with music devices will face administrative fines under Article 5326 of the Misdemeanor Law.
