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Organized crime equals terror

Op-ed: Shin Bet's investigation methods should be used by police against criminal organizations

Terror is raging these days across Israel. Criminal organizations are intimidating innocent citizens who happen to run across mutual assassinations. The assassinations – executed in broad daylight without any fear of the police forces – are turning the lives of many of us into a nightmare.

 

According to reports, last Thursday there was an attempted targeted assassination of an attorney representing the State against Amir Mulner's criminal organization. Yet it is unlikely that in this case – which many see as an escalation and as the breaking of all rules and codes – the police will be able to get their hands on whoever tried to murder the attorney. The Shin Bet has greater freedom of action, including technological means which could further the investigation significantly.

 

Unfortunately, the steep escalation in the daring and sophistication levels of the criminal organizations obliges lawmakers and courts to take quick action, and instead of asking the Shin Bet to act, they must enact laws (like the Patriot Act signed into law in the United States after the 9/11 attacks) which will enable law enforcement authorities to do their job efficiently, swiftly and with maximum ingenuity against the terror organizations.

 

Our fragile democracy is increasingly turning into a defensive democracy. In such situations, we must not give every citizen the right to burn the house down while cynically using those same democratic means.

 

The understanding that we are living in a state of national emergency will allow the Shin Bet to help investigate such cases. The investigation methods used by the Shin Bet should be applied to offenses of nationalistically-motivated crimes and espionage, and should quickly be imported to the investigation of the current terrorist crimes (even if human rights are slightly violated).

 

Finally, and most importantly, the Israel Police must focus their efforts on the investigation of crimes which lead to casualties, instead of allotting huge resources to the investigation of corruption cases which fail to yield a conviction at the end of the day.

 

 


פרסום ראשון: 11.12.13, 11:15
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