Turkish Gendarmerie The Turkish Gendarmerie ( : " Gendarmerie General Command " ) is a branch of the Turkish Armed Forces and it is responsible for the maintenance of the public order in areas that fall outside the jurisdiction of police forces ( generally in rural areas ) , as well as assuring internal security and general border control along with carrying out other specific duties assigned to it by certain laws and regulations . It also operates the Askeri İnzibat provost service , policing the armed forces and a special forces brigade called Jandarma Özel Harekat . The Gendarmerie is an armed security and law enforcement force of military nature . As a part of the Turkish Armed Forces , the General Command of the Gendarmerie is subordinate to the Turkish General Staff in matters relating to training and education in connection with the Armed Forces , and to the Ministry of Interior in matters relating to the performance of the safety and public order duties . The Commander of the Gendarmerie is responsible to the Ministry of Interior . The military law enforcement organization which carried out security and safety services was called “ Şurta ” in Seljuks , “ Subaşı ” under the reign of Ottoman Empire , was later called “ Zaptiye ” and subsequently in recent history “ Gendarmerie ” . History . Ottoman era . After the abolition of Janissary corps in 1826 military organizations called " Asâkir - i Muntazâma - i Mansûre " , " Asâkir - i Muntazâma - i Hâssa " and , in 1834 , " Asâkir - i Redîfe " were established to deliver security and public order services in Anatolia and in some states of Rumeli . Since the term Gendarmerie was noticed in the Assignment Decrees published in the years following the Tanzimat Declaration , it is assumed that the Gendarmerie organization was founded after the Tanzimat Declaration of 1839 , but the exact date of foundation has not been determined yet . Therefore , taking the June 14 of “ June 14 , 1869 ” on which " Asâkir - i Zaptiye Nizâmnâmesi " was adopted ; June 14 , 1839 was accepted as the foundation date of the Turkish Gendarmerie . After 1877 – 1878 Ottoman – Russian War Prime Minister Sait Pasha decided to bring some officers from England and France to establish a modern law enforcement organization . After the Young Turk Revolution in 1908 Gendarmerie achieved great successes , particularly in Rumeli . In 1909 Gendarmerie was affiliated to the Ministry of War , and its name was changed to the Gendarmerie General Command ( " Umûm Jandarma Kumandanlığı " ) . Gendarmerie units both sustained their internal security duties and took part in the national defence at various fronts as a part of the Armed Forces during the World War I and the Turkish War of Independence . Republic of Turkey . The Gendarmerie organization achieved its current legal status after Law No . 1706 entered into force on June 10 , 1930 . In 1939 , the Gendarmerie organization was restructured , having three groups as Fixed Gendarmerie Units , Mobile Gendarmerie Units and Gendarmerie Training Units and Schools . Law No . 6815 which entering into force in 1956 assigned the Gendarmerie General Command such duties as protecting borders , coasts and territorial waters and fighting smuggling which had been previously carried out by " Gümrük Umum Kumandanlığı " that was a military organization at the level of division in affiliation to the Ministry of Customs and Monopoly . In 1957 , Gendarmerie Border Units were transformed into brigades and Gendarmerie Training Brigades were established . In 1961 , Gendarmerie Regional Commands were established . In 1968 , the first Gendarmerie Aviation Unit was established in Diyarbakır under the name of Light Helicopter Company Command . In 1974 , Gendarmerie Commando Units and Gendarmerie Aviation Units took part in the Turkish invasion of Cyprus . Law No . 2692 which entered into force in 1982 assigned the duty of protecting the coasts and territorial waters to the Coast Guard Command . Law No . 2803 on the Organization , Duties and Responsibilities of the Gendarmerie entered into force in 1983 . Law No . 3497 entering into force in 1988 assigned the duty of protecting the land borders and ensuring their security to the Land Forces Command , but Gendarmerie General Command still holds the responsibility for some parts of the Iranian and Syrian borders and the whole Iraqi border . Gendarmerie Criminal Department was founded in Ankara in 1993 and Gendarmerie Regional Criminal Laboratory Superiorities were founded respectively in 1994 in Van , in 1998 in Bursa and in 2005 in Aydın . Crime Scene Examination Teams , Explosive Material Disposal Units , Fingerprints and Palm Prints Branches and Crime Scene Examination Units were also established . Since 1984 up to now , Gendarmerie units have been the most important element of the fight against Kurdish separatists . Structure . The Turkish Gendarmerie comprises the following commands : The General Command is composed of :