Israel Police 2.0

The National Police Academy constitutes a turning point with regard to the personal security of the citizens of Israel. Instead of intermittent, decentralized training, all of the training activities and courses will take place in one place. Exclusive on-site coverage

Israel Police 2.0

The Israel Police has established a new police academy in Beit-Shemesh, which incorporates all of the existing learning and training facilities of the Police within a single campus. The primary objective of this move was to ensure the uniformity of the training of all police personnel, all the way to deputy chief (brigadier-general) rank. In the context of the Academy’s activity, all police personnel is trained and qualified, with the exception of the Marine Police and specialized detective squads, which require that their members remain strictly anonymous.

One of the changes introduced in the new academy is the shifting of the emphasis to practical training. Alongside the classrooms where the trainees study theoretical contents, the new academy campus includes state-of-the-art training facilities that enable the trainees to practice an extensive range of scenarios. The facilities include a built-up area warfare installation that simulates a small town, another installation that simulates the interior of a typical entertainment venue, a facility that simulates a football stadium including the ticket booths and a fully-equipped firing range that features the latest technological aids, to improve the trainees’ firearm handling skills. All of the simulation installations were designed and built as scaled-down models of the originals, so that every trainee can drill practical scenarios that closely resemble real-life situations.

The academy also includes, for the first time ever, a museum of the history of the Israel Police. The cost of the establishment of the new academy is estimated at about 700 million ILS, and operating costs for the first 25 years are estimated at 2.2 billion ILS. The new academy was built in the BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) configuration where the state purchases services for 25 years from the building contractor and following that, the facility is transferred to the possession of the state). It was built by the PoliceCity Group, a joint venture made up of the Shikun & Binui Company and G4S. The new academy occupies a total area of about 230 donums and can accommodate about 3,000 trainees simultaneously, with dormitory-style facilities for more than 1,000 trainees.

A Hopeless Situation

“The idea for the establishment of the new academy had started rolling as far back as 1992,” explains Deputy Chief Alon Assur, academy commandant. “The Israel Police had more than twenty schools dispersed throughout the country, at the regional and nation-wide levels. We wanted one central location that would enable a uniform standard and training continuity for all functions and ranks. Prior to the transfer, we had numerous training organizations whose operations were not always fully synchronized, and no comprehensive, nation-wide overview. One should bear in mind the fact that the policing profession is different from the combat skills of the IDF. In the IDF, there is clear distinction between your territory and the enemy territory. There is a front line and a rear area. In police operations, your activity takes place in the territory of your own country under 100% friction with the civilians. Our job is to maintain the personal security of the citizens. It is a complex task that necessitates on-going training throughout the years of the police officer’s service and for all ranks.”

The recent sexual harassment scandals and the deposition of the senior police officers associated with them has undoubtedly led the Israel Police to a hopeless situation with regard to the moral aspect. “You cannot be a police officer without setting an example,” police sources say. “Admittedly, these scandals do not reflect on the entire police force, but only on a small percentage of the personnel, but as far as the general public is concerned, there is only one police force and yes, it is undergoing a crisis.”

It should be stated that the officers of the National Police Academy and the Police Training Division with whom I met maintain the right ideology. During my visit to the new academy, I heard admission of the situation, but also a strong desire to improve the police force and make it more professional. Even in internal security, everything begins with education. “The Police is undergoing a crisis. It did not start yesterday, and it does not pertain only to the sexual harassment scandals,” explains Deputy Chief Avi Newman, Head of the Israel Police Training Division. “If you read the papers, you will find reports of needless police brutality, of police officers talking rudely or parking illegally as well as of police officers ill-treating civilians. Admittedly, this does not reflect on the entire police force, but it is a crisis nonetheless, and regulating the training process is a part of the solution.”

Along with the establishment of the new academy, the Israel Police has also revised their training concept so that it will be suitable for a unified training body. Police sources explain that a part of the new concept includes special attention to democratic values. “Being a police officer in a democratic state is not a simple undertaking,” explains Deputy Chief Newman. “Policing should be carried out with determination, while at the same time social values must be preserved. In the past there were situations where the same police officer could have received contradicting messages at two different training centers. At the new academy, continuity is maintained and there is full control over the training process.

“A police officer in a democratic society has to deal with situations that are not always clear-cut. Operating within the civilian society presents you with unexpected challenges. Our objective at the new academy is to provide the trainees with the tools that would enable them to make the right decisions in the grey area of reality.”

Another element of the new training concepts works on the mental aspect. “The police officer must be familiar with the cultural framework of the population with which he/she works,” says Deputy Chief Assur. “Each segment of the public has different codes of conduct, and knowing them is the basis for good police work. Additionally, we also operate community programs for the trainees with the purpose of making them more familiar with the civilians. We have a major project with the El-Or organization, which cares for people with special needs. Another project involves Holocaust survivors. We communicate with the Municipality of Beit-Shemesh for the purpose of initiating local projects in the area where the academy is located. As police officers, we are a part of the community and want to contribute to it.”

Police Innovation Center

As part of the over-all concept of the new academy, the Israel Police Planning Division initiated an innovation program to be implemented at the academy. The program will enable every police officer in Israel to raise and incubate any technological or organizational idea. “In the context of this program, even a 23 year old trainee in the basic police training course may lead a technological project, a startup initiative that would eventually benefit the entire police force. This idea came from the Planning Division. The origin for it is work currently performed by the police around a project designated ‘Future Station’,” explains Deputy Chief Assur.

“The new academy will provide a solution that is better than anything we had before with regard to the technological aspect, too. This refers to the cyber field as well as to the SigInt field. In both of these fields, the Israel Police employs dedicated units, and we developed a training program in cooperation with the Training Division. In this way, trainees coming to study at the academy will receive advanced training in these subjects, too.”

It is evident that in the eyes of the Israel Police training specialists, the establishment of the new National Police Academy is a turning point with regard to organizational culture, the technological aspect and the continuity of the training activity. “One should bear in mind the fact that we are measured by the level of personal security we provide to the citizens of Israel. The public criticism of recent times notwithstanding, as far as this aspect is concerned, Israel is a fairly secure country, even in comparison to other western countries. Things must be put in the right context,” concludes Deputy Chief Assur. “Admittedly, there is room for improvement, and it begins with education. Looking ahead, the new academy should turn us into a better police force in all respects.”