“Let my Station Go”: Reforming Police Practices in Israel

• In Event: Contemporary Issues in Israeli Policing

Abstract

At present, the Israel National Police (INP) is in the midst of a reform program dubbed "Emun." The INP is a centralized agency of 30,000 officers serving the public through 70 police stations. The basic tenets of the reform stem from a global view of policing practices (Problem-Oriented- Policing and Situational Crime Prevention) and approaches developed at the Institute of Criminology, The Hebrew University in conjunction with the INP. The essence of the approach is "focusing on normative citizens and addressing problems in their local areas of residence" (low policing). Since the founding of the State of Israel, the INP has been dealing with the challenges of policing in a multicultural society. While the INP has developed world-leading skills in the field of counterterrorism, public order maintenance and intelligence-led policing, public trust in the police remained low, with many citizens feeling that the police are not concerned with the common problems they face. This study focuses on the impact of the reform on police performance (reducing crime) and public perceptions of the police.

Authors

• Lilach Laufman-Gavri, The Israel National Police

• Badi Hasisi, Hebrew University