Aharonovitch with Lieberman
Photo: Dudi Vaaknin
_a.jpg "צילום: ירון ברנר")
'More officers needed'
Photo: Yaron Brener
Aharonovitch wants minorities in police
Lieberman-appointee adds 300 new posts to police force, to be manned mostly by Arab residents of northern Israel
Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch announced Thursday that he plans to allocate NIS 100 million ($24.2 million) for the manning of new police posts. "There will be a preference for minorities," the minister said.
Aharonovitch recently sidestepped a large budget cut to his ministry by insisting he would oppose the State Budget during a government vote. The ministry's budget was subsequently increased.
The minister said he would look to fill 300 new posts with minority members, especially from the north. "I have a feeling that there are not enough of them among us," he said. "In the north there is a lot of unemployment and we can enlist at least 400 new officers."
He added, "It is important to incorporate a population of minority members within the police force in order to strengthen it and move it forward, as well as decrease stress in sensitive areas."
Aharonovitch said 580 new officers had recently joined the force, but that a similar number had recently resigned. He said personnel was still lacking, and that the new recruits would bolster manpower in the field and the stations.
