Ali Gaffar Okkan (1952 – January 24, 2001) was a Turkish police chief who was assassinated in an ambush in Diyarbakır, southeastern Turkey. Early life Ali Gaffar Okkan was born in Hendek, Sakarya Province in 1952. He graduated from Police College on September 30, 1970, and attended the Police Academy in Ankara. He completed his education on September 29, 1973. Career Okkan was commissioned in the rank of Assistant İnspector () to Izmir Police Directorate, where he served in many posts until he was then promoted to Superintendent () with his appointment to Şanlıurfa in 1983. He became Chief superintendent () in 1985. Later in 1986, Okkan was appointed to Eskişehir on the post of the General Directorate of Security. He was promoted to the rank of Assistant Commissioner ( or 2. Sınıf Emniyet Müdürü) in 1992. On December 6, 1993, Okkan finally became Commissioner (), the second-highest position in the hierarchy of the police organization in Turkey, and took office as Police Chief in Kars Province, eastern Turkey. Gaffar Okan's next assignment as police chief was to Diyarbakır, where there had been a prolonged insurgency by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and Kurdish Hezbollah, and which had seen considerable emigration. Serving in Diyarbakır Soon after his arrival in Diyarbakır, a center of conflict with Kurdish separatists and guerillas, he made an announcement on police radio: "From 3310 (Okkan's badge number) to HQ. Since two days, I have been on inspection in the city, and I realize that my colleagues have no sense of duty. This is my first and last warning." This announcement was a sign of what he was not, the sort of his predecessor police chiefs. One of his first official activities before assuming office was to unblock the street in front of the police headquarters, which was barred to civilians for security reasons. He soon also lifted the security roadblocks within the city and installed surveillance cameras covering critical locations in the city for crime prevention. Okkan used to observe the streets of Diyarbakır on the giant monitor in his office during the evening. In the chaotic atmosphere of Diyarbakır, police officers preferred to stay in the office for so-called "desk duties", since going out on the streets was seen as very risky. Okkan sent all police officers, male and female, out on the streets, asking them: "What are we afraid of?" He instructed his subordinates