There is no doubt that the image of the police is at an unprecedented low in the face of the flood of demonstrations, more than 170 murder victims in Arab society, terror that raises its head, and an Israeli society that is divided and sometimes full of hatred. Cops are collapsing under the burden of frustrating ungrateful work, which elicits violent reactions that go viral on social media, and the phrase "police are weak" is no longer whispered in rooms.
Clashes with police near Yariv Levin's home // Photo: Brothers in Arms reservists protest
"I don't agree with the statement that the police are weak or that they are deliberately weakened," says Dror Asraf, head of the police intelligence division. "Over the past decade, there has been an erosion of the means required by the police, including the decision to include intelligence materials as investigative materials that are transferred to defendants and their defense attorneys. I don't want intelligence methods and means to be exposed, because I'm cutting off the branch I'm sitting on. I also don't want to put sources in mortal danger. This situation leads to the State Prosecutor's Office being forced to withdraw indictments. When I ask for confidentiality of intelligence materials, the defendant's defense is violated and then the court is forced to take into account and impose lighter sentences. Do you want high-ranking criminals to go home?"
In his remarks, Asraf was also referring to the decision to currently prohibit the police from using spyware embedded in criminals' phones, in the so-called Pegasus affair. The Marari Commission, which investigated the case, determined that in some cases information was withdrawn from the phones in violation of a court listening order, but noted that the information was not used. "We act as if they cut off one hand and sent us to play basketball," Asraf describes the impact of the affair on the police. "This is reflected in the rise in murders in Arab society and the difficulty in thwarting crime incidents. You can't take away technological capabilities from us and expect everything to be perfect."
"They cut off our hand and sent us to play basketball." NSO, developer of Pegasus spyware (illustration), photo: Oren Ben Hakon
Calm the conversation
What do you think about the processes that Israeli society is undergoing?
"I read the company, as reflected in the intelligence reports, and I am troubled. I am troubled by the radicalization that could lead to severe violence. Freedom of expression is a supreme value, but the Israeli public must step up and calm the discourse. I hope the situation and the dialogue won't get worse, but I'm not optimistic."
In a special interview to be published on Friday in the "Shabbat" supplement, Tantz Asraf also addresses the rumor that the police are monitoring the protest leaders, tells about the struggle against apprehending criminals abroad, recounts dramatic moments in the arrest of model agent Shai Avital, boasts about the high number of seizures of weapons and answers the question of whether there is a chance that Dubai will become a new haven for criminals.
Friday on Saturday
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