Turkey sees 7 percent rise in individual armed violence in 2016

Individual armed violence in Turkey rose by 7 percent in 2016 compared with the previous year, according to statistics from Umut Foundation.

The foundation was established with the sole purpose of battling individual armed violence in Turkey that kills thousands every year.  

Some 2,720 armed incidents, reported by national and local media, occurred in 2016, killing 2,056 people and leaving 1,961 people wounded, which some have suffered critical conditions, the report said. No data was found on how many of those left heavily wounded had succumbed to their injuries. 

The number of armed incidents that was reported by media was 2,175 in 2015, with 1,951 getting killed and 1,286 getting wounded. 

The use of firearms in violent incidents increased by 7 percent in 2016, the statistics showed. Firearms were used in 78 percent of the incidents. Long barreled weapons, such as Kalashnikovs, were used in 43 percent of attacks, weapons were used in 30 percent, and service weapons were used in 5 percent. Some 22 percent of violent incidents were carried out with sharp objects, most of them were knives. 

The foundation said that police examinations revealed that the majority of violent and murder cases in Turkey go unnoticed by media. However, individual violence rises year-by-year. The foundation also drew attention to the fact that people chose violence instead of applying to legal courts over issues of debts. Drug gangs also take a large share in the violent incidents, according to the police.

Umut Foundation has called on authorities to limit the access to weapons by individuals in order to halt the worrying increase in violence. 

A map illustrating the occurrence of individual murders and violence based on...