Nearly 250 policemen from 11 provinces across Turkey have been accorded a special honorary status in recognition of their heroism during the defeated coup last July.
Police officers were granted the title of “gazi," meaning an honored veteran, for putting their lives at stake for the sake of their county, according to the analysis of Anadolu Agency.
The veteran police officers include 11 police commissioners, three police chiefs, one superintendent, two inspectors, 11 sub-inspectors, nine police commanders, and 210 police officers, the analysis found.
During efforts to fight the coup, five female security personnel were among the injured.
Ankara – the seat of Turkey's government and the center of the defeated coup – tops the list of coup veterans, with 183 police officers, followed by Istanbul with 46, and Muğla in southwestern Turkey with eight.
A violent coup bid was witnessed on July 15, mostly in Turkey's cities, when the terrorist group headed by FETÖ Leader Fetullah Gülen attempted to topple the democratically-elected government.
Turkey's government says the deadly plot, which martyred at least 246 people and injured more than 2,100 others, was organized by followers of U.S.- based Fetullah Gülen.
Turkey has been conducting an extensive investigation into FETÖ following the coup bid of July 15, which targeted the democratically-elected Turkish government.
Tens of thousands of people have been arrested in the investigation following the coup bid, which Turkey blames on the terrorist organization headed by Fetullah Gülen.
The investigation has also led to a sweeping purge of the military, civil service, police, and judiciary, with tens of thousands more removed from public duty in post-coup purges.
