The Finance Ministry announced Wednesday that a new municipal police unit of 50 inspectors and 50 police officers will be established to focus on illegal migrant crime in south Tel Aviv.

llegal migrants in south Tel Aviv, where a new police unit will fight crime – Photo: Yehoshua Yosef

The unit will be established as part of a new security budget allotment by the Finance Ministry. The 200 million shekel ($57.3 million) allowance will see the establishment of a total of 520 new positions for municipal police authorities.

Finance Minister Yair Lapid, Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch and Police Commissioner Yohanan Danino announced the establishment of 36 new municipal police authorities, bringing the total to 61.

The municipal police force was established by the Public Security Ministry in 2010 to allow the Israel Police to focus on widespread crime, while city police units deal with local issues including vandalism, car and home break-ins, noise complaints, drugs and youth violence and crime.

On Wednesday, Lapid visited Ramle, where Mayor Yoel Lavi told him of the local municipal police’s activities.

“There has been a significant decrease of dozens of percentage points in crime that interferes with quality of life,” Lavi said. According to Ramle’s police commander Shlomi Sagi, “There has been a decrease in property crimes of 377 [incidents] as compared with last year because of the activities of the municipal police in the city.”

Aharonovitch said there would be no private police in Israel. “Here, there will be a national police force that will work in cooperation with [municipal] authorities. The addition of police officers will create a revolution in the security of citizens,” he said.

Lapid said, “Today is a day to celebrate. In the coming years we will expand the municipal police force because it is effective. We need to fight crime without hesitation and without giving up. The municipal police adds to the number of policemen in the streets. Citizens deserve personal security.”

Danino added to Lapid’s words, saying, “This is a another big step toward improving service for the law-abiding citizen.”

Data from the Public Security Ministry and the Israel Police indicates that the municipal police force has contributed to a decrease in crime and an increase in feelings of personal safety.

Each municipal police authority has a commander who lays out guidelines for his units, but the municipal police works under the Israel Police and in cooperation with it and the city’s mayor.

In some cities, a network of security cameras has been set up in public areas to assist police in crime detection.

View original Israel Hayom publication at: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=14301