Report: 37% of cops' complaints legitimate

Annual Police and IPS Ombudsman report shows most complaints concern wages, employment conditions; Border Guard officers file largest number of complaints in 2010

Omri Efraim|Published: 08.03.11 , 09:00

The annual Police and IPS Ombudsman report has deemed that 37% of the complaints filed in 2010 by police officers and wardens were legitimate.

The report, which will be presented Wednesday morning to Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch during a hearing at the Knesset's Internal Affairs committee, points to a decline in the number of justifiable complaints filed last year (1,256), compared with 2009 (1,287).

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The findings also show police officers serving with the Border Guard have filed the highest number of complaints, with the Police's northern district coming in second.

Most complaints revolved around employment conditions and wages, as well as work relations between commanders and their subordinates.

One such complaint detailed in the report was filed by a female police officer who claimed she was not promoted in rank despite fulfilling all the conditions and receiving recommendations. The complainant said she was told by the district commander that her promotion is not authorized because she is on bed rest and was soon going on maternity leave.

Police and IPS Ombudsman Hanna Keller Orenstein wrote in the report: "Many of the complainants expressed concern from the very act of filing a complaint, fearing it would have negative effects."

Orenstein added that such concerns were also voiced by "remarkable officers, which further highlights the need to engrain an organizational culture that respects the statutory rights of a police officers or warden, and enables them to directly approach the ombudsman on matters that require attention."

Minister Aharonovitch noted that the Police and IPS Ombudsman report is "an important tool that helps protect the rights of police officers and wardens by addressing their problems in a time-efficient and professional manner."