Israel Police
| Israel Police משטרת ישראל | |
|---|---|
|
Israel Police logo | |
|
Israel Police flag | |
| Agency overview | |
| Employees | 35,000[1] |
| Volunteers | 70,000[2] |
| Annual budget | 8.383 billion NIS (2010)[3] |
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| National agency | Israel |
| Governing body | Israeli Ministry of Public Security |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Overviewed by | Police Internal Investigations Department[4] |
| Headquarters | National Headquarters of the Israel Police – Kiryat HaMemshala (East Jerusalem) |
| Agency executive | Roni Alsheikh, Police Commissioner |
| Website | |
| http://www.police.gov.il/ | |
The Israel Police (Hebrew: משטרת ישראל, Mishteret Yisra'el) is the civilian police force of Israel. As with most other police forces in the world, its duties include crime fighting, traffic control, maintaining public safety, and counter-terrorism. It is under the jurisdiction of the Minister of Public Security.[5]
The Israel Police operates throughout Israel, the Golan Heights and Area C of the West Bank, in all places in which Israel has civilian control.[6][7][8] There are no local or "municipal" police departments in Israel.
The National Headquarters of the Israel Police are located at the Government offices named after Begin in Jerusalem.[9]
In an emergency, the police can be reached by dialing 100 from any telephone in Israel.[10]
Roles
The Israel police is responsible for public security, maintaining public order, securing public events and rallies, dismantling suspicious objects and explosives (EOD), riot and crowd control, law enforcement, crime fighting, detective work, covert operations against drug networks, investigating suspects, road traffic control, operating the Civil Guard, handling civilian complaints, handling youth violence, educational campaigns.[11]
Organization
The Israel Police are a professional force, with some 35,000 persons on the payroll. There are also 70,000 Civil Guard volunteers who contribute time to assist officers in their own communities.[12]
The police are divided into the following main divisional groups:[13]
Headquarters units
- International Relations
- Legal Counsel
- Immigration Control
- Audit & Accounts
- Economic Crimes
- Public Complaints
- Disciplinary Court
- Service Administration
- Safety
- Appeals
- Controller
- Spokesperson
Departments
- Human Resources
- Investigation & Intelligence
- Logistic Support
- Organization & Planning
- Traffic – includes the National Traffic Police
- Patrol & Security
- Community & Civil Guard
Regional districts
- Central District
- Southern District
- Northern District
- Judea & Samaria District
- Tel Aviv District
- Jerusalem District
Operational units
- The Border Police ("MAGAV") is the combat arm of the police and mainly serves in unquiet areas – the borders, the West Bank, and the rural countryside. The Border Police has both professional officers on payroll and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conscripts who serve in the Border Police as their mandatory three-year service in the IDF.[14]
- The Yamam (acronym for Special Police Unit) is the police elite counter terror hostage rescue unit. It is known as one of the most experienced and specialized in the world. The unit has taken part in hundreds of operations in and outside the borders of Israel.[15]
- The Yasam is the on-call counter-terror unit in each district. The units, originally started as Riot Police, were called upon to assist with counter-terror operations, as well as dismantling settlements in accordance with the Israeli court decisions. It has gained a reputation of being the most elite force on call and ready at any time, although charged by both Israeli settlers and Palestinians of using excess brutality.[16] The Yassam has sub-units of Rapid Response Motorcycle Units.[17]
Weapons and equipment
Each policeman is armed with a pistol (handgun) which he or she usually also carries while off-duty. Also, each patrol car must have at least one long-arm (i.e. rifle). Police volunteers are usually armed with an M1 Carbine, which they return to the police's armory after they finish their duty (they do not take the rifle home, but may sign one out for escorting field trips, etc.). Volunteers who have a gun license may use their own personal handgun as personal defense weapon for their police duty, under the condition that the gun and ammunition type is authorized by the police (9 mm). Common pistols owned and carried by volunteers include Glock and CZ-75 designs.[18]
Heavy armaments such as assault rifles, sniper rifles and non-lethal weapons are assigned according to activity and not on personal basis.
Border Guard policemen, however, carry an M16 or M4 assault rifle as a standard personal weapon and can carry it home while off-duty (like regular infantry in the Israel Defense Forces).[19]
Issued weaponry
Standard-issue rifles (non-combat )
- Galil ACE-MAR, A 5.56 mm calibre carbine
- M1 Carbine, also a standard weapon, issued only for the civilian guard,
- M1A1 Carbine, modernized M1 Carbine with folding stock,
- M1 Carbine, modified in a new design as a bullpup rifle,
Standard-issue assault rifle (combat)
- M16 assault rifle, Colt Commando, CAR15, M4 Carbine
- Galil assault rifle
Sniper rifles
- Remington 700P
- Mauser SP66 and Mauser SR86
- Mauser K98 (mainly in the Civil Guard)
- M14 Rifle (mainly in Israel Border Police)
- Galatz – Galil Tzalafim (Galil Sniper version)
Handguns
- IMI Jericho 941
- Beretta 71 .22LR
- Browning Hi-Power
- Glock 17 (Yamam and other special units only)
Non-lethal weapons
Ranks
| English language equivalent | (Hebrew) | Rank | Insignia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enlisted | |||
| Constable | שוטר | Shoter |  |
| Corporal | רב שוטר | Rav Shoter |  |
| Sergeant | סמל שני | Samal Sheni |  |
| Staff Sergeant | סמל ראשון | Samal Rishon |  |
| Sergeant First Class | רב סמל | Rav Samal |  |
| Master Sergeant | רב סמל ראשון | Rav Samal Rishon |  |
| First Sergeant | רב סמל מתקדם | Rav Samal Mitkadem |  |
| Sergeant Major | רב סמל בכיר | Rav Samal Bakhir |  |
| Sergeant Major of Command | רב נגד | Rav Nagad |  |
| Officer | |||
| Sub-Inspector | מפקח משנה | Mefake'ah Mishneh |  |
| Inspector | מפקח | Mefake'ah |  |
| Chief Inspector | פקד | Pakad |  |
| Superintendent | רב פקד | Rav Pakad |  |
| Chief Superintendent | סגן ניצב | Sgan Nitzav |  |
| Commander | ניצב משנה | Nitzav Mishneh |  |
| Assistant Commissioner | תת ניצב | Tat Nitzav |  |
| Deputy Commissioner | ניצב | Nitzav |  |
| Commissioner | רב ניצב | Rav Nitzav |  |
- Source: Israel Police website (Hebrew version)
Honors and awards
- July 6, 2004: Received an award from the Anti-Defamation League for its counter terror efforts and for passing seminars of counter-terror measures to FBI and local USA police. ,
- In October 2010 the elite unit YAMAM of the Israeli Police won the "Urban Shield" SWAT competition held by the Alameda County Sheriff's Office setting a new record in the competition.[20]
- In October 2011 the elite unit YAMAM of the Israeli Police won the "Urban Shield" SWAT competition held by the Alameda County Sheriff's Office again.[21]
List of General Commissioners
| General Commissioner | Start year | End year |
|---|---|---|
| Yehezkel Sahar | 1948 | 1958 |
| Yosef Nachmias | 1958 | 1964 |
| Pinhas Kopel | 1964 | 1972 |
| Aaron Sela | 1972 | |
| Shaul Rosolio | 1972 | 1976 |
| Haim Tavori | 1976 | 1979 |
| Herzl Shapir | 1980 | |
| Arieh Ivtsan | 1981 | 1985 |
| David Kraus | 1985 | 1990 |
| Yaakov Turner | 1990 | 1993 |
| Rafi Peled | 1993 | 1994 |
| Asaf Hefetz | 1994 | 1997 |
| Yehuda Vilk | 1998 | 2000 |
| Shlomo Aharonishki | 2001 | 2004 |
| Moshe Karadi | 2004 | 2007 |
| Dudi Cohen | 2007 | 2011 |
| Yohanan Danino | 2011 | 2015 |
| Bentsi Sao | 2015 | |
| Gal Hirsch | 2015 | |
| Roni Alsheikh | 2015 |
Controversies
A 2014 analysis by Yesh Din questioned the professionalism of the police force of the Judea & Samaria District (also known as the West Bank) as only 7.4% of reported attacks by Israeli citizens on Palestinian persons and property had led to indictments.[22] As of January 27, 2015, the police force is considered to be in crisis mode, given that several senior officers have resigned in recent months due to criminal investigations or accusations of sexual harassment of employees. Five police at the rank of major general have resigned in the preceding 18 months amid scandal.[23] The February 2015 announcement that another senior Israel Police officer was under investigation for sexual harassment met with "severe backlash" by women’s and rape victim advocacy groups, who held protests at police headquarters in a number of municipalities throughout Israel.[24]
Haaretz also notes the lack of gender equality in the Israel Police, given that 30% of police are women, but not one of those at the rank of major general is a woman.[25]
See also
- Lahav 433
- Palestinian Civil Police Force
- Administration of Border Crossings, Population and Immigration
References
- ↑ "Israel Police". Israel Police. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
- ↑ "The Israel Police and the Community". Israel Police. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
- ↑ "Police Budget" (in Hebrew). Israel Police. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
- ↑ "המחלקה לחקירות שוטרים (מח"ש) – Police Investigations Department" (in Hebrew). Ministry of Justice (Israel). Retrieved May 11, 2011.
- ↑ Organizational Structure of Ministry of Public Security
- ↑ Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement
- ↑ Jack Khoury (July 11, 2010). "Druze protesters clash with police searching restaurant in Golan village". Haaretz.
- ↑ Article discussing Jerusalem police and the civilian attitude to them. The image in the article shows a policeman protecting an old man at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, a holy Jewish site captured by Israel in the Six-Day War
- ↑ Jerusalem Issue Briefs at the Wayback Machine (archived June 9, 2010)
- ↑ Emergency telephone number#Emergency numbers See Israel in the list
- ↑ Official definition of Mission and Functions at the official Israeli police website
- ↑ The Israeli Civil Guard volunteer police force
- ↑ all following information according to the official Israel police website cited above
- ↑ "Mishmar Hagvul" (Hebrew) at Israel Police website
- ↑ Police Delegation Head for Haiti at U.N. Request
- ↑ MK Arie Eldad talks of Yassam brutality at Amona settlement or Anarchists at Sheikh Jarach complain of Yassam brutality
- ↑ Yassam moped mounted policemen chase a pony
- ↑ Weapons and equipment at official Israel police website. All following lists of weaponry are from this source as well.
- ↑ According to Hebrew Wikipedia entries on M16 and the Galil rifles, which preceded the M16 and was used for 20 years as the main task gun.
- ↑ Everyone wins at Urban Shield 2010
- ↑ Israeli Police press release, 2.11.2011 (Hebrew)
- ↑ "Semblance of Law". Yesh Din. September 12, 2006. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
- ↑ Police in crisis as sixth top cop quits in disgrace Haaretz, 27 Jan 2015
- ↑ ‘Latest police sexual assault scandal just tip of the iceberg’ The Jerusalem Post, 6 Feb 2015
- ↑ On gender equality, Israel police get criminally low marks Haaretz, 6 Feb 2015
External links
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