Public order and security data for the first 9 months of 2026 in Istanbul were announced

At the press conference held at the Istanbul Provincial Disaster and Emergency (AFAD) Directorate Meeting Hall, Gül shared the safety and security data for the 9 months of this year in the city with the public and said that it is their primary responsibility for citizens to live their lives in peace and security.

Stating that they presented the data of the past 9 months in comparison with the same period of the previous year, Gül said, "Our aim is not only to explain the figures, but also to see together what these figures say about the daily life of Istanbul." he said.

Gül pointed out that they have demonstrated an uncompromising, very clear will in the field and said, "Thanks to this determined stance, our operations against terrorist organizations increased by 20 percent in the first 9 months of 2026 compared to the same period of the previous year. 4 thousand 237 people were caught, 826 people were arrested, judicial control measures were applied to 639 people. Under the leadership of our President, under the leadership of our Minister, with the support and prayers of our nation, we are determined to eliminate terrorism not only from our city but from this geography." he said.

"THE PERSON WHO COMMITS A CRIME CANNOT GET AWAY WITH IT"

Stating that the social life, economy and trade of the city are directly fed by the climate of peace, and therefore they never look at public order data as statistics, Gül said, "With this understanding, we are constantly increasing our preventive measures and the number of operations. When we look at the first 9 months of 2026, we see that the crimes committed against people continue to decrease compared to the same period of 2025, and our rate of prosecution continues to increase. This table shows clearly that the perpetrator of the crime does not get away with it." he said.

Referring to crimes committed against property, Gül said, "Compared to the same period last year, auto theft decreased by 51 percent, purse snatching by 43 percent, auto theft by 36 percent, and pickpocketing by 25 percent. All these figures tell us this. The capture of people who have been wanted for years for various crimes and have criminal potential both prevents the repetition of crimes and serves as a lesson to malicious people. On this occasion, I would like to thank every member of our security forces who selflessly serve for the peace of Istanbul."

"IT IS A CRIME TO HAVE AND CARRY AN UNLICENSED WEAPON"

Stating that another issue they focus on with sensitivity is unlicensed weapons, Gül said, "Our attitude towards unlicensed weapons is very clear. We do not tolerate anything that creates fear on the streets and has the potential for crime. As a result of this determined stance, we see that the number of unlicensed weapons seized in the first 9 months of this year decreased by approximately 12 percent compared to the same period of the previous year. I would like to remind you again here. It is a crime to both possess and carry an unlicensed weapon." made his assessment. Governor Gül noted the following:

"Our basic understanding in this struggle is very clear. No criminal organization is bigger than the state. No one is above the law. Just as we do not give respite to criminal gangs on the streets, we follow the new generation criminal networks in the virtual world in the same way. In summary, 343 operations were carried out against organized crime organizations in the first 9 months of this year, 130 gangs were collapsed. 2,517 of the 3,998 people caught were arrested. Their financial resources were seized. Propaganda and The 1974 social media account used for recruitment was closed.

Pointing out that one of the important topics of the fight is smuggling, Gül emphasized that he does not see smuggling only as a tax loss or control issue.

Stating that this is directly a matter of protecting the economic order, the rights of the tradesmen and the health of the citizens, and cutting off the financial source, which is the lifeblood of all kinds of dark structures, Gül said:

"In our struggle that we carry out with this awareness, the number of our operations increased by 7 percent and the number of people arrested increased by 54 percent in the first 9 months of this year compared to the same period of 2025. More than 3 billion Turkish lira of tax loss was prevented with the seized smuggled products. "Again, our controls on fuel smuggling increased by 32 percent compared to the same period last year, and the amount of smuggled fuel put on the market decreased by almost half."

"WE TAKE ACTION BEFORE A CRIME IS COMMITTED"

Explaining that the primary goal in the fight against drug and substance addiction is to keep young people away from this swamp and to cut off the lifelines of dark networks that finance organized crime networks and terrorist structures through poison trade, Gül said, "We continue our field inspections, especially around schools, in coordination not only with patrols but also with our camera systems, cyber surveillance, and reports to Hayat 112. We take action before a crime is committed." he said.

Pointing out that criminals have changed their methods and cyber crimes have increased with the spread of the Internet, Gül said that they follow the criminals step by step in this field, do not give them a chance to breathe, and prevent citizens' grievances before they escalate.

Giving the information that the total number of vehicles has increased by approximately 6 percent and the number of motorcycles by 10 percent in the last year, Gül said, "However, when we look at the general picture, although our number of inspections has increased, we see that motorcycles, which constitute 15 percent of our total number of vehicles, are involved in two out of every three accidents. In order to change this picture, our Ministry of Internal Affairs is preparing to implement a new action plan for motorcycles, especially motorcycle couriers, from training to inspection, from the use of protective equipment to working conditions. On the other hand, we continue to carry out inspections for school buses, flashing vehicles and commercial taxis." "We continue."

"IRREGULAR MIGRATION IS NO LONGER A PROBLEM IN ISTANBUL"

Touching on the issue of irregular migration, Gül stated that the city hosts nearly 20 million tourists annually and has approximately 1 million resident foreign guests.

Gül said, "If they came to Türkiye registered, live registered, and stay as long as allowed, there is no problem. But one way or another, if they came illegally, we detect this with our mobile immigration points in every corner of Istanbul and do what is necessary. The data shows that this issue is no longer a problem in our Istanbul."

Reminding that entrance to forest areas, except for some picnic and recreation areas, was banned until October 15, and the sale and use of fireworks and similar entertainment devices until October 28, Gül said, "We see that these measures taken and the attention and sensitivity of our citizens are reflected in the figures, the number of fires has decreased and the forest areas have been damaged much less. On this occasion, I would like to thank each of our staff and our valuable citizens who served selflessly. As in previous years "I invite all our citizens to our sapling planting areas on November 11, National Afforestation Day, where we will reforest our burned forest areas."

Governor Gül was accompanied by Istanbul Deputy Governor Mustafa Asım Alkan, Istanbul Provincial Gendarmerie Commander Major General İdris Tataroğlu, Istanbul Provincial Police Chief Selami Yıldız and Coast Guard Marmara and Straits Regional Commander Rear Admiral Serkan Tezel.