Why Palestinians Make Good Citizens
Police: Arab Towns 'Like the Wild West'by David Lev
Police on Tuesday admitted that they were out of ideas on how to stem the high level of crime in the cities of “the triangle,” the Arab towns and cities that extend from north of Kfar Sava to Um el-Faham and Wadi Ara. Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Shimon Shomroni, Israel Police Commander of the Sharon Region, said that police “were unsuccessful in meeting some of our goals in reducing crime. Some murders have not been solved,” he said, going on to describe the cities of the triangle as “the Wild West.”
Shomroni said he did not use that term loosely. “Residents of these cities have a tradition of gunfighting like in the old West,” he said. “If I were to fly a plane with a magnet attached to its bottom over Tira and Taibe, the plane would fall apart, and be dragged to the ground by all the metal weapons in these cities. That's how many weapons there are in the Triangle.
“The Arabs threaten us, while they educate their children that the police are inconsequential, all the while complaining that we don't do enough,” Shomroni continued. “I reject these charges.”
Police statistics showed that 71% of incidents of shootings and murders in the cities of the Triangle occurred on weekends, with at least half of them occurring between 9 PM and 3 AM. “We have increased patrols during these times and days, trying to keep track of the high-crime periods,” Shomroni said.
Shomroni told the reporters that police had allocated many resources to ensure safety in the Triangle, but that residents offered almost no cooperation. “We have taken off the gloves, and are operating with zero tolerance towards criminals. We recently began operating special units in the area, along with helicopters, mounted police, dog patrols, as well as Border Guard units, in our effort to bring down crime.” Some of these units ensure that orders to demolish buildings or close businesses issued by courts are enforced, as the private individuals and organizations the orders are issued on behalf of do not dare attempt to enforce the orders, fearing for their lives, Shomroni said.
“Crime cannot be stopped in one day,” Shomroni told the reporters. “There are numerous criminals in the triangle who commit crimes and then disappear for weeks at a time, taking refuge in Palestinian Authority controlled areas.” As a result, he said, police have increased their cooperation with the IDF, especially in peripheral areas. Joint IDF and police patrols now pursue these criminals into Arab towns and villages in order to make criminal arrests of these Israeli citizens, he said.
As published online at ArutzSheva, 22 June 2011
Labels: Conflict, Israel, Palestinian Authority
posted by Pieface @ Wednesday, June 22, 2011
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