Peres: Criminals treated with kid gloves
President claims judicial system treats violent offenders too leniently, 'ordinary citizens' feel abandoned by courts, he says
"It appears that the judicial system is sometimes too lenient on offenders," President Shimon Peres said Thursday, during the swearing-in ceremony of 14 new judges to courts across the country. The event was held at the president's official residence in Jerusalem.
"It is my duty to comment on one of the most severe phenomena in the State of Israel in recent years – the escalation in crime and in violent offenses," Peres said in his speech. "I refer particularly to the organized, murderous crime, the rise in break-ins and takeovers of land and property.
"Furthermore, violence against women, and an alarming number of juvenile offenders, not to mention reckless driving and highway deaths. The ordinary, law-abiding people are beginning to feel that there is no decent enforcement or a firm hand against serious criminals," he stated.
Peres added that the courts should not be the only authority held accountable for the growing violence, but that the education system, the welfare services, the Knesset and of course the police played an important part in dealing with the difficult situation.
However, the presidents stressed, the judicial system played a crucial role in curbing crime. "It sometimes appears that the system is too lenient on law breakers, and that it is too careful not to violate the offenders' rights, on the victims' expense."
