New Year's Eve this year will certainly look different from those of previous years, since most people don't really feel like going out and celebrating, but the police don't take risks and deploy large forces, especially throughout the Dan region. The focus on Gush Dan is also due to the fact that fewer entertainment venues will open in the south and north, due to the war.
Police scattered throughout the country on New Year's Eve (Archive) // Moshe Ben-Simhon, Yoni Rikner
The police will take to the roads on main arteries, in the areas of the main entertainment centers and in crowded places throughout the country, and in addition to securing the revellers, while taking enforcement and crime prevention actions, they will also focus on the security aspect for fear of terrorist attacks. Police said they would have zero tolerance for violence and bullying to allow citizens to spend time safely and return home safely. In view of the security situation, the police emphasize that the instructions of the Home Front Command must be obeyed and, in case of warning, enter a protected area and stay away from any weapon item found in the public space. In any case of suspicious person, the police should be notified immediately.
One of the topics that focuses most on New Year's Eve is drunk driving. There were 5,474 tickets for drunk drivers this year, a 32 percent increase compared to 2022, when 4,357 tickets were issued for drunk drivers, according to the Israel Police.According to the same data, Tel Aviv-Yafo tops the cities in the number of reports for drunk drivers - 624. Be'er Sheva is in second place with 550 reports for drunk drivers in 2022, and Jerusalem is in third place with 266 reports.
Police activity on New Year's Eve (archive), photo: Police Spokesperson's Office
Israel can learn from Europe, where drunk drivers have declared war following the death of a 4-year-old girl in an accident in Romania by a drunk driver. Romania's president also signed a change in the law, and the new law ("Anastasia's Law", named after the girl) states that drivers who cause deaths will be punished only with actual imprisonment and not suspended imprisonment.
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us