A major shakeup of power is rocking Turkey's police force.
The deputy police chief was sacked from his job, making him the most senior officer to be removed in a recent purge of the country's police force.
Hundreds of officers have been removed so far accused by the Turkish government of corruption and plotting to shake up the administration.
A government spokesman says the changes are routine.
SOUNDBITE: (Turkish) TURKISH GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON, HUSEYIN CELIK, SAYING:
"I am giving you the information that has been passed on to me by the interior minister. If you bring a local chief to a region, he brings, he establishes his own team. It is not a swap between cities. It is the change over of policemen between departments. And according to the interior minister, this is a routine event which has been conducted each year."
But the European Commission is concerned over the massive purge, calling on the government to be transparent and fair.
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