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Exchange to the Turkish National Police Academy

 

Exchange to the Turkish National Police Academy

2023 autumn

Jacob Skrogstad

 

During the autumn semester 2023, a delegation from the Turkish National Police Academy visited NMBU and the Norwegian Police Academy. Their visit was in part to establish collaboration with the Center for Community Orientated Policing (ICT4COP) led by Ingrid Nyborg at NMBU. I was working as an intern at the Center of the time and had the pleasure of guiding the delegation from Oslo to Oskarsborg. Fast forward, Ingrid made an agreement with the academy which resulted in the Erasmus+ opportunity.


 

With my background from ICT4COP and interest for the courses offered at TNPA ,it was a natural choice to experience the Police Academy in Turkey. My interest in Turkey’s role in the Middle-East and a growing power was also nurtured which is why I decided to write my thesis on Turkish Foreign policy with the example of the war between Russia and Ukraine. The staff at TNPA, in addition to the organic data I could collect form my stay in Ankara resulted in conducting interviews there.

 

The process of obtaining permits for interviews was a bit of a roller-coaster, however, I was a pioneer as the first exchange student to undergo the process. The staff at TNPA were helpful and allowed the process to take place. Due to some administrational issues the application was first not reviewed, but after the second try with help from one of the professors, everything was approved. If you are interested in writing your thesis or conducting any research in Turkey, they may provide you with an opportunity to do this. Not to mention their network of experts in a variety of fields which they can put you in contact with. If you are interested in working on your thesis in Turkey, make sure that you establish contact prior to ensure a smooth process and that you can obtain the right permits. In this way, you will have more time to conduct the research related activities as well.

 

 

Experience from courses, exam forms, reading and tests:

 

During my stay I took the following courses:

Introduction to Intelligence Studies

Energy, Security and Diplomacy

Psychological Operations and Propaganda

Human Rights and Intelligence

 

The courses differentiated a lot when it came down to workload. The course’s introduction to intelligence studies and psychological operations and propaganda were the most demanding in terms of exams, homework, and evaluations. Overall, all the elected courses were very interesting and complimented each other. I believe the courses are unique and gives first-hand experience from experts in the intelligence field which is not offered at NMBU. The professors were professionals and had a lot of knowledge. For instance, the course convenor in Psyops and propaganda is one of the top chiefs of Police in Turkey and brought in a NATO general as guest lecturer.




The exam format varied from course to course. However, in Turkey they often operate with mid-term exams. We only had a mid-term in introduction to intelligence studies. The other courses had a final exam and a presentation. Hearing from the other Erasmus students at different universities in Ankara most of them had mid-terms in their electives, so this may possible change depending on the course plans.









The syllabus is also very different from the one in Norway, where intro to intelligence had the one most familiar to the Norwegian type. Some courses as human rights, and intelligence and energy, security, and diplomacy we were given the readings or material for every class, but not a schedule for the whole semester. Overall, everything worked out fine and was just a bit different experience which is always nice.

 

The workload depends on what you make of it. Personally, I was eager to travel and learn as much as possible about the culture. The courses were interesting, so they came naturally and we of course had to work for our results. They have a bit different scoring system which I believe (I’m not fully sure) goes from 0-100 and where you need 60 points to pass a course. In the time of writing, I have not received any results, but the exams and evaluations are manageable if you put in the effort and will yield good results.

 

 

Personal development, why I choose an exchange semester and my goals.

 

I have previously been to the Netherlands for an Erasmus exchange which was a pleasant experience. I wanted to spend time abroad during my master’s as well because I believe in the field of International Relations, international experience is necessary. Due to my interest in Turkish foreign policy and my experience from ICT4COP TNPA became the natural choice. I did not have any particular excpecations for my exchange stay as what my perception about Turkey was rather negative due to the picture presented by media. This is another reason you should go to Turkey because you will experience a very hospitable and welcoming culture and may change any prejudices you have heard.

 

TNPA is a police academy and therefore different a lot from a typical university. The contacts at TNPA are very kind and helpful and we were given personal numbers and were welcomed to contact them any time if we ran into problems. With my decision to conudcuct interviews in Turkey I was helped a lot by the professors and they have a wide network both from private and public sectors from their past experiences. It was therefore very interesting to come in touch them and gave me great help for my thesis interviews. As mentioned previously, we had a guest lecture by a NATO general and were given insights into a world which few ever will. It also gave great insight into how both private and miliary organizations operate.

 

From the intelligence perspective I learned more than excpected and understood through the courses it can be applied to multiple organizations, in addition to your personal life. For instance many cooperations nowadays are in need of corporate intelligence. The intelligence courses at TNPA will give you a very thorough introduction of the field and you will it applicable not only in the “deep state”, but to corporations and every day decisions.

 

Overall, the I believe the unique courses offered at TNPA in addition to the networks and contacts you will gain are super helpful for your CV and of course knowledge.


 

Living Conditions and prices

 

You will live on TNPA premises central in Ankara, Anittepe. The place is close to Kilizay which is the Centrum of Ankara. It’s situated around a 15-minute walk the city centrum. In other words, you will have everything close to you.

I lived in a dormitory with Tim where we shared a room. This was a new experience and something I didn’t think would happened after military. However, the rooms were very modern and nice and I had no problem sharing a room with Tim. It was rather very nice as your always in good company. The room had two beds, a large working desk, TV, refrigerator and a bathroom with a big shower cabinet, sink and toilet. Soap and toilet paper was complimentary from the academy.

 

There is a cleaner lady there. She is very kind and helpful, we gained a good relationship, and it was very sad when we had to depart. She takes responsibility for cleaning the dorm, trash and kitchen. This was of course a luxury we never expected but we were very grateful and of course gave flowers and chocolate before our departure.

 

The dorms are free, yes your heard rights it’s free. You pay no expenses for the dorm which is like night and day compared to living in Oslo. Because of this you can save some money in addition to spending on what really matters such as food and travelling.

 

About the university; facts, students and facilities

 

Rumors have it Muammar Gaddafi slept in the same dormitory as us….  TNPA has two campuses: one “civil” which is where you will stay located centrally in Anakra and one in Golbaze where the “operative” police are working. All your courses will be at the one in Anittepe, literally 30 meters away from your dormitory. At the Golbze campus operative police are trained from all over the world. Turkey’s has a renowned police training and thus you will find many nationalities there, even people from Taliban.

There is a gym next to the academy with the equipment you need. It’s under renovation but we were able to use it after some negotiating. We could use it from 17.00 to 21.00 on weekdays. Beware that you may need to ask the Erasmus team at the university for permission.

 

In addition to me and Tim, we lived with two Hungarian lads. They are friends for life and we had a great stay with them. We went out together, to the gym and travelled. We even celebrated Christmas together and It was a pleasurable experience as you will live closely with them. They were coming from the police so they were in a different department, but nonetheless, we spent a lot of time together in the free time and the gym.

 

We were invited, and participated on an excursion to the Golbaze campus were they showed us laboratories and how the police operated. In addition, we had a roundtable discussion with one of the head chiefs of Turkey’s narcotics department. It was a fruitful conversation where we shared different thoughts on drug problems.

 


 

The language

I recommend you take a language course on the side. I was using Duolingo and learnt surprisingly a lot from my stay there. Well over my 3 years of Spanish in high school. Many do not speak English and therefore you will have to pick up some words here and there. But fear not, the people are very eager to speak to you as a foreigner and you will come far with body language, at least that was my experience.

They use a lot of phrases in daily life which you will quickly adapt to.

I couldn’t hold a conversation in Turkish but through simple words and phrases I managed ice-breakers, greetings and simple conversations.

 

 

Student Visa:

 

Obtaining a student visa was quite straight forward. You have to apply for a student visa at the Turkish embassy in Oslo. Make sure you do this as quickly as you are accepted into the academy. The visa will last you for 90 days, so if you plan on spending more time than 90 (I recommend) you have to apply for a residence permit.

The residence permit was nothing but a headache, but since you are with the police the process for actually doing the application was quick. Unfortunately, due to the current situation in Turkey the immigration offices are overloaded with applications which resulted in us never receiving the residence permit. Tim had some difficulties heading back home, however I was lucky and had no problems other than receiving a stamp from immigration.

So, make sure before you go there that you send a e-mail to the Erasmus office at TNPA and ask them for the procedure and things you need to add to your residence permit application so you will have more time to receive it. If you receive it early on you will have many rights such as a very cheap museum-card.

 

Me and Tim went 1st of September to travel, something we don’t regret. The history and scenic views you find in Turkey is never-ending. The semester starts in the beginning of October so you can travel a lot prior.

 

Am I happy with the exchange, and will I recommend?

 

I am very happy with my stay In Turkey. It’s a memorable experience and went far more quickly than expected. If you are interested in a “different” exchange and learning about security and intelligence I definitely recommend going. Immerse yourself with simit and chai. And of course all the other cuisines they offer.

 

Was it difficult to obtain preferred courses?

It was not a problem to enroll into the English program courses.

 

 

Was my courses approved?

I have not recieved any approval, however they were approved beforehand with the student coordinator.

 

 

Am I happy with the educational quality at the university?

The educational quality is very good and as you can interpret from my writings, they were helpful all throughout the process.

 

Did the Erasmus stipend hold?

Yes. The economic situation in Turkey coupled with Norway’s relatively strong currency gives you a lot of economic freedom. Keep in mind however, that this is not the same for Turkish students so make sure you are not flexing your money but rather give some extra for tips or treat your fellow Erasmus people with a round of beers.

 

Did I achieve what I wanted?

In the time of writing, I can with pleasure say my months at TNPA was an unforgettable experience which I cannot express in any other way than say I highly recommend you to go.

 

 

Stikkord: Turkey, Tyrkia, Ankara, Turkish National Police Academy, security and intelligence studies, master, International Relations

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