Photo: AFP
Photo: AFP
Jerusalem police get pay raise
Finance Minister Kahlon raises wages for police units facing riots and increasing tensions in Jerusalem.
After weeks of escalating tensions in East Jerusalem between local Palestinians and Israeli security forces, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon decided Thursday to raise the wages of police officers serving in the city by NIS 10,000 per year.
The Finance Ministry said that the increase in payment was aimed at maintaining moral within a police force facing long hours of challenging work recently, and also at encouraging new recruits to join their ranks.
Police in Jerusalem (צילום: חטיבת דובר המשטרה)
The pay rise amounts to an extra NIS 800 per month for each police officer.
The Finance Ministry also said that the decision served as a "thank you" from the government for their work.
Kahlon's 'thank you' to Jerusalem's police. (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky, AFP)
Jerusalem's police have suffered through several difficult controversies over the last year in addition to handling tensions and rioting.
Over the past year, Jerusalem's police were promised hundreds of additional recruits, but the recruiting office was unable to fill the spots. Of 450 new positions, only 110 were filled.
The majority of recruits refuse to take positions in Jerusalem, considering the increased danger level and more difficult work when they could be posted in a quieter area and make the same money.
Some 30 police officers have been wounded since Rosh Hashanah, joining hundreds who were hurt on the job over the last year.
