'I've been kidnapped': Police release recording of Gil-Ad Shaer's emergency call
Officers face dismissal and possible firing after release of police call from one of the kidnapped teens shortly after his abduction.
Israel Police on Tuesday released a recording of the emergency call made by Gil-Ad Shaer shortly after his abduction in the West Bank on June 12, whose bodies were found Monday near Hebron.
These are the most dramatic moments in the kidnapping of the three Israeli teens - Naftali Frenkel, Gil-Ad Shaer, Eyal Yifrach.
At 10:25pm on Thursday, June 12, Gil-Ad Shaer make a chilling call to the police's 100 call center, saying "I've been kidnapped." Then, yelling and gunfire, and a sigh of pain in the background.
Even though policemen don't hear a call like that every day, they didn't realize on time what was happening on the other side of the line. The young soldier who received the call was unsure whether the call was real, and deferred the call to a veteran policewoman, who decided to disregard it as a prank. As a result, valuable time was lost and it was not until several hours later that the IDF was notified of the abduction. This gave the kidnappers time to hide the bodies of the slain teens and escape.
On Monday, the inquiry committee, appointed by Police Commissioner Yohanan Danino led by police Brigadier General Moshe Barkat, found a string of serious failures in the way the Judea and Samaria District Police handled the abduction.
Police officers on various levels of command were dismissed from their positions and some of them may be fired as well, following what many have decried as the police's failure to adequately respond to the emergency call placed by one of the boys at the time of the kidnapping.
Chief of Police Danino stressed in his decision that: "This is a very serious failure, relating to incorrect handling of a distress call from a man who turned to the police hotline, and a failure of this kind must not happen."
According the committee's conclusions, the operation officer at Judea and Samaria district police and the command and control officer will be dismissed from their positions, as well as the person in charge of the 100 call center and the shift manager. They will, however, remain in the police force.
The chief of the operation branch will be given a negative citation in his personal record, and he will not be able to serve in a position of authority for the next three years. The committee has also found that the soldier who received the initial call acted as required.
The inquiry committee found that the conduct of the police call center was seriously faulty. Policemen at all levels were found to have conducted themselves unprofessionally. Subsequently the Committee's findings include personal conclusions and systemic conclusions, regarding the conduct of the police.
The families of the abducted boys were updated personally by the chairman of the review committee on the findings.
Commissioner Danino, after reviewing the report by the committee, has decided to adopt the major recommendations and even worsen some of the personal recommendations made by the committee.
Parts of this article were contributed by Aryeh Savir for the Tazpit News Agency.
