The chief of police, Commissioner Roni Alsheikh, appeared before the Internal Affairs and Environment Committee of the Knesset to commemorate “Salute the Police” day. Among other issues, Alsheikh discussed crime in the Arab sector. 

“According to the statistics that the police have, 21 percent of the Israeli population is Arab, however their involvement in criminal activities stands at 59 percent, which is an unprecedented statistic,” he said.

One of the goals of the commissioner has been to increase the level of public trust in the police. “Our challenge is to erase the statement [that is often made by parents to frighten their children] ‘if you don’t eat this a police officer will come to get you’. Our hope is to get to the point where a father will be able to tell his daughter, ‘call the police’ and not where we currently are in which a father says, ‘don’t bother calling the police, it is a waste of time'”. 

The reasoning behind the day is to help build up the public’s trust of the police. Alsheikh explained, “The police cannot function without public trust. It is the job of the police to serve the public each and every day. If the public does not report to the police, then they will have to continually cross to the opposite side of the street.” 

Currently the Israeli police force boasts some 30,000 officers, and 36,000 volunteers, who Alsheikh describes as “vital in serving the public.”