Alsheikh: Police must stay out of political debate
The police don't want to be on the left or right side of the political map, but 'on the side of the law,' says the commissioner; 'Our main issue is to keep ourselves professional and out of the political discourse, because it's very important to our mission.'
Commissioner Roni Alsheikh stressed Tuesday morning the most important thing for the Israel Police is to remain professional and stay out of the political debate in the country.
Alsheikh was speaking at the Conference of Presidents in his first public appearance since the police recommended the indictment of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for bribery in two separate cases.
"The police touch on sensitive issues in society, all of the time and every day," he said. "It's not like the army that deals with things beyond the borders. It's internal. The police's influence on the ground is felt daily. When we interrogate a prime minister or a minister, it's very sensitive in terms of society."
"Our main issue is to keep ourselves professional and out of (the political) discourse, because it's very important to our mission," the police chief continued. "We don't want to be on the left side (of the political map) or the right side; we want to be on the side of the law. If we want to keep ourselves professional, that is the only way to behave."
The commissioner noted the police needed to have the public's trust "not just for public relations. When the public's trust is hurt, fewer crimes are reported to the police."
He also bemoaned the fact that the police's image "is easily undermined by the internet" when "any citizen can easily become a journalist. The phone he has is used for things that could hurt the public's trust in the police."
The internet, he said "is not just a tool for terrorists, but also for criminals. Why risk being shot to death if you could steal from afar? You could steal millions online, you could commit rape online. The internet has no geography. The dangers of crimes against Israel come from all over the world."
To combat these dangers, Alsheikh urged the government to allocate more resources to the police so they could cooperate with police forces around the world. Without it, he said, "it would be hard to deal with these challenges."
The police chief also noted that "social media sites are cooperating with us better than in the past" in combating incitement online.
Later, Alsheikh appeared in front of the Knesset's Internal Affairs Committee, where he came under fire by lawmakers for his claim that "powerful" elements hired private investigators against police officers investigating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
