Israel Police

File:ILPolice.png

Israel Police logo

The Israel Police (Hebrew: משטרת ישראל, Mishteret Yisrael) is a civilian force in the State of Israel. As with most other police forces in the world, its duties include crime fighting, traffic control and maintaining public safety. It is under the jurisdiction of the Internal Security ministry.

The current police commissioner is Rav-Nitzav Dudi Cohen, who succeeded Rav-Nitzav Moshe Karadi.

The headquarters of the Israel Police are located in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of Jerusalem.

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

Roles

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 30,000 officers 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

Latest Patrol Cars, Škoda Octavia II

• 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 IDF conscripts who serve in the Border Police as their mandatory three-year service in the Israel Defence Forces.

• 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 Yassam 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. It has gained a reputation of being the most elite force on call and ready at any time. The Yassam has sub-units of Rapid Response Motorcycle Units.

Weapons and Equipment

Israeli police officers are obliged to carry personal firearms while on duty. This is because the Israel Police duties include also counter terror and each police officer must be able to supply an emergency reaction in case of terrorist attack. Another reason is that there are threats of kidnapping officers by Palestinian terrorist groups such as Hamas or Fatah's Tanzim.

Each policeman is armed with a pistol (handgun) which he or she usually also carries at 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 defence 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 policemen, however, carry an M16 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 issued rifles (non-combat)

• M1 Carbine (also standard issued weapon of the Mash'az - Civil Guard)
• M1A1 Carbine (modernized M1 Carbine with folding stock)
• M1 Carbine bullpup
• Micro-Galil 5.56 mm submachine gun

Standard issued assault rifle (combat)

• M16 assault rifle, Colt Commando, CAR15, M4 Carbine
• Galil assault rifle

Sniper rifles

• Remington 700P
• Mauser SP66
• 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

English equivalent	(Hebrew)	Rank
Enlisted
Constable	שוטר	Shoter
Lance Corporal	רב שוטר	Rav Shoter
Corporal	סמל שני	Samal Sheni
Sergeant	סמל ראשון	Samal Rishon
Sergeant Major	רב סמל	Rav Samal
Staff Sergeant Major	רב סמל ראשון	Rav Samal Rishon
Advanced Staff Sergeant Major	רב סמל מתקדם	Rav Samal Mitkadem
Senior Staff Sergeant Major	רב סמל בכיר	Rav Samal Bakhir
Senior NCO	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
Brigadier General	תת ניצב	Tat Nitzav
Major General	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]

List of General Commissioners

• 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)
• Aryeh Ivtzen (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–date)

See also

• Lahav 433

External links

• English website
• Israeli Police Work Cast Under Discredit
• The First Israeli Police Logo and whistle

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