Commander of the Gendarmerie General Command from 2017 to 2024
Arif Çetin (born 1959) is a retired Turkish general who served as the 48th commander of the Gendarmerie General Command from 2017 until his retirement in 2024. He served in this position for over seven years, making him the longest-serving commander in the modern history of the Gendarmerie Force.
Biography
Çetin was born in Kalecik, Ankara, Turkey in 1959.[1][2] As a lieutenant, he graduated from the Turkish Military Academy in 1980 and subsiqently he completed his training from the Infantry School in 1981. Between 1981 and 1989, he held various positions including platoon, company commander, and district gendarmerie commander at various military units. As a staff captain, he graduated from the Military Academy in 1991.[1]
Çetin held various staff officer roles throughout his career. From 1991 to 1995, he was responsible for operations and public order as the branch manager at the Diyarbakır Gendarmerie Public Order Command. Between 1995 and 1996, he worked at the Gendarmerie General Command, overseeing the general plan principles and coordination as well as managing internal security research and evaluation. From 1996 to 1998, he served as head of the Plan Management Coordination Department at the Personnel Presidency and later as courses branch manager from 1998 to 2000.[3]
He continued his career by serving as chief of staff of the Şırnak 23rd Gendarmerie Border Division from 2000 until he was appointed as the commander of the Bursa Provincial Gendarmerie in 2002. He served in this capacity until 2004. Çetin was then appointed as the head of the Planning and Coordination Department in the Logistics Department of the Gendarmerie General Command from 2004 to 2005, followed by his role as chief of Operations and Public Security Department (2005–2006). He also served as the commander of the Kastamonu Gendarmerie Regional Command from 2006 until he was promoted to brigadier general in 2007.[4]
As a brigadier general, Çetin commanded the Şırnak 22nd Tactical Gendarmerie Border Brigade from 2007 to 2009 and served as the Aydın Gendarmerie Regional commander from 2009 unit he was promoted to the rank of major general in 2011. As a major general, he held the position of Istanbul Gendarmerie Regional commander from 2011 to 2013, before becoming the chief of Operations at the Gendarmerie General Command, where he served from 2013 to 2016. In 2016, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general.[1]
As a lieutenant general, Çetin was appointed as the commander of the Gendarmerie Special Public Security Command from 2016 until he was promoted to the rank of general in 2017. Following his promotion, he commanded the Gendarmerie General from 2017 to 2024, making him the longest-serving commander of the Gendarmerie Command.[1]
Controversies
Çetin, who served as the commander of the Turkish Gendarmerie from 2017 until his retirement in 2024, has been the subject of allegations linking him to organized crime. Various reports suggested that Çetin may have had associations with criminal figures, with claims that he facilitated illegal activities, such as drug trafficking and smuggling, in exchange for bribes. Reports emerged of a large photo album featuring images of him posing alongside notorious criminal figures, including Galip Öztürk, a fugitive millionaire Turkish businessman.[5][6]
Throughout his time as Gendarmerie commander, Çetin oversaw one of Turkey's largest law enforcement agencies, with jurisdiction over extensive rural and border regions, areas often targeted by criminal groups for smuggling and trafficking. The allegations have attracted media attention and the potential influence of such groups within Turkish law enforcement, though the full extent of these claims remains unproven.[5]
In 2023, Çetin filed a complaint with the Ankara 3rd Criminal Court of Peace, arguing that the tweets harmed his reputation and violated his personal rights. The court later ordered the removal of access to 17 tweets that criticized Çetin for his meetings with criminal figures.[7]
References
