MONGABAY.COM
Mongabay.com seeks to raise interest in and appreciation of wild lands and wildlife, while examining the impact of emerging trends in climate, technology, economics, and finance on conservation and development (more)
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
|
|
Israel
Index
Law enforcement was entrusted to a single national police
force, called simply the Israel Police, which had a personnel
strength of 20,874 men and women in 1986. The Israel Police had
responsibility for preventing and detecting crime; apprehending
suspects, charging them, and bringing them to trial; keeping law
and order; and traffic control. Since 1974 the police had also
controlled internal security, especially the prevention of border
infiltration and terrorism. With the abolition of the Ministry of
Police in 1977, the Israel Police came under the jurisdiction of
the Ministry of Interior. The minister of interior appointed the
police commanding officer, the inspector general. Since 1967
Israeli police have functioned in the occupied territories under
the authority of the military governors. In March 1988, after the
murder of one Arab policeman, at least half of the 1,000
Palestinian police in the occupied territories heeded leaflets and
radio broadcasts calling upon them to resign.
The country was divided into four police districts and a number
of subdistricts. The heavily populated metropolitan area of Tel
Aviv constituted one district that was divided into three
subdistricts. The Southern District, with six subdistricts,
comprised central and southern Israel down to the Negev Desert. The
Northern District, with five subdistricts, included Haifa, Galilee,
and the coastal area north of Tel Aviv. A fourth district was
formed in the Negev following the return to Egypt of the Sinai
Peninsula as part of the Camp David Accords in 1979. The occupied
territories were divided between the northern and southern
districts.
The subdistricts exercised authority over individual police
stations. Most operations, including the investigation of crimes,
were carried out at the police station level, subject to guidance
from the appropriate functional bureau of the national headquarters
in Jerusalem. The principal bureaus of national headquarters were
Operations (patrolling, traffic, and internal security);
Investigation (criminal investigation, intelligence, criminal
identification, fraud); and Administration (personnel, training,
communications, finance). These bureaus had counterparts at the
district level.
Data as of December 1988
|
|
