Minister of Interior Öztürkler, in his message on October 8, World Guards Day, said, “Guardianship is an honorable profession with a high public responsibility.”
Minister of Interior Ziya Öztürkler published a message on the occasion of 8 October World Guardians Day.
Öztürkler celebrated the 8 October World Wardens Day of all guards.
Öztürkler stated the following in his message published through the Ministry of Interior Press Office:
“Since the establishment of the Central Prison on the Turkish side with 8-10 guards on October 8, 1968 during the years of the National Struggle, and the Deputy Director Recep Yusuf Çakın, who took charge in its execution, he has been working as a guard, which is a difficult task with a high public responsibility. We have many people who have done it with great self-sacrifice.
Today, we have highly educated guards working successfully in the Central Prison with the same responsibility and devotion, despite a very different prisoner profile and different difficulties than in the past.
Working in prisons is not an easy task. When we look at the duties of our guards in the prison, here we see that they not only maintain public order but also provide all kinds of support for the convicts and detainees to complete their sentences in a manner befitting human dignity.
With the special training they receive, the guards also fulfill a very valuable public duty in their efforts to reintegrate the prisoners into society. Being a guard is an honorable profession with high public responsibility.
From the first day I took office as the Minister of Interior, I took care to visit the Central Prison periodically. Here, I had the opportunity to listen to the problems of the convicts and detainees, and to see the troubles of our guards, who performed their duties devotedly despite all kinds of difficulties.
In addition to the difficulties created by the physical inadequacy of the existing prison, we have taken steps to eliminate the staff shortages, which has been one of the biggest problems for years. We have ensured that the Central Prison (Establishment, Duties and Working Principles) (Amendment) Law, which is one of the most important deficiencies in the transition process to the new prison, is passed unanimously by the parliament.
Recently, 99 new guards friends, who were successful in the exams held by the Public Commission, joined our family. We will continue to think, produce and struggle together with the prison administration and our unions in order to improve the working conditions of our guards, to complete our missing staff, and to continue the work to be done in the new prison in a healthy environment.
On this occasion, I sincerely congratulate all our guards, who have fulfilled this arduous task for years, retired today and are still on duty, on October 8, World Guards Day, and wish them health and well-being.”