Israel Police

Israel Police משטרת ישראל
Israel Police logo
Israel Police flag
Agency overview
Employees	35,000
Volunteers	70,000
Annual budget	8.383 billion NIS (2010)
Legal personality	Governmental: Government agency
Jurisdictional structure
National agency	Israel
Governing body	Israeli Ministry of Public Security
General nature	Law enforcement Civilian police
Operational structure
Overviewed by	Police Internal Investigations Department
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.

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. 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.

In an emergency, the police can be reached by dialing 100 from any telephone in Israel.

Roles

Israeli police officers and a patrol car

National Police Headquarters, Jerusalem

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.

Organization

Diagram – organizational structure

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.

The police are divided into the following main divisional groups:

Headquarters units

• International Relations
• Legal Counsel
• Immigration Control
• Audit & Accounts
• Economic Crimes
• Public Complaints
• Disciplinary Court
• Service Administration
• Safety
• Appeals
• Controller
• Spokesperson

Departments

Israeli Riot police, Yasam

Latest Patrol Cars, Škoda Octavia II 2009

• 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.

• 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.

• 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. The Yassam has sub-units of Rapid Response Motorcycle Units.

Weapons and equipment

Israeli police boat on the Sea of Galilee

An Israeli Police Bell 206 helicopter

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.

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).

Issued weaponry

M1 Carbine of Mash'az

Remington 700PSS sniper rifle

Jericho 941 F handgun

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

• Police batons
• Tear gas
• Flash grenades
• Rubber bullets
• Pepper spray
• Water cannon
• Tasers

Ranks

British equivalent	(Hebrew)	Rank	Insignia
Enlisted
Constable	שוטר	Shoter	30px
Corporal	רב שוטר	Rav Shoter	30px
Sergeant	סמל שני	Samal Sheni	30px
Staff Sergeant	סמל ראשון	Samal Rishon	30px
Sergeant First Class	רב סמל	Rav Samal	30px
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. [1],[2]

• 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.

• 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.

List of General Commissioners

Police 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. 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. 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.

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.

See also

• Lahav 433
• Palestinian Civil Police Force
• Administration of Border Crossings, Population and Immigration

External links

• English website