Ministries of Finance and National Security Sign Agreement to Increase Police Officers’ Salaries
July 16, 2023
The Ministries of Finance and National Security have recently signed an agreement aimed at raising the salaries of police officers in Israel. This increase, amounting to NIS 1,000, will be added to the salaries for the coming month and is expected to benefit approximately 11,000 police officers and over 3,200 SHB servants.
Under this agreement, police officers holding the rank of inspector to sergeant will experience an increase in their salaries ranging from 7.15 percent to 12.36 percent of their current salary. This move comes as a response to the challenges faced by the Israel Police, which has experienced a significant wave of departures in recent years due to salary erosion and damage to service conditions.
Statistics presented to the Internal Security Committee last year revealed that the number of individuals leaving the police force exceeded the number of new recruits. While 1,121 people joined the police, a total of 1,266 people left the force. This trend has continued into 2023, with 944 police officers joining while 462 resigned and 342 retired.
The salary increase announced is the first of three planned increases from a budget of NIS 9 billion allocated to the Ministry of National Security. The aim is to address the recruitment needs of the police force and reverse the wave of departures witnessed in recent years.
Minister Ben Gvir expressed his enthusiasm for the salary increase, stating, “This is great news for the police officers and even greater news for the citizens of Israel. The salary increase for the police officers will lead to the recruitment of many more police officers to the police force who will fight crime, violence, and terrorism, and strengthen the national security and personal security of the citizens of Israel.”
This agreement signifies a significant step towards addressing the challenges faced by the Israel Police and ensuring the recruitment and retention of dedicated and skilled police officers. As the first of three planned salary increases, it is anticipated that it will contribute to stabilizing the police force and bolstering national security efforts.