The Israel Police continues the persistent fight against violent phenomena and crime in Arab society as part of Operation “Safe Route” and summarizes a year of the operation’s activity. Since it began, the Israel Police has acted against approximately 1,100 perpetrators of crime in Arab society and indictments have already been filed against 456 perpetrators who were prosecuted for their involvement in criminal incidents, of which 397 were arrested by judicial decisions until the end of the legal proceedings against them.
Below are data from the beginning of the promotion that began on October 21, 2021 (including the means of warfare and vehicles seized in connection with criminal targets defined as part of the operation):
Over 530 weapons were seized including:
206 guns
148 guns
114 different types of grenades
43 explosive charges
7 mortar bombs
3,224 were arrested.
2,360 searches were performed.
456 indictments were filed against perpetrators of crime, of which 397 were arrested until the end of the proceedings.
32 indictments were filed against targets defined as members of criminal organizations. Investigative activity continues against 49 targets from criminal organizationsthese are three criminal organizations on Arab Street.
411 vehicles were confiscated in cooperation with the tax network.
15,016 traffic reports against perpetrators of crime were registered. The value of the reports is over NIS 5,885,000.
An activity was carried out against 47 financial service providers scattered in 25 localities throughout the country, of which 19 are Arab and mixed localities. Tens of millions of shekels in money and checks were seized in this activity.
During the year of the operation, through the police prosecution and the prosecutor’s office, 456 indictments were filed out of 1,422 human targets defined during the year as major perpetrators of crime among Arab society. Of these, 397 defendants were arrested until the end of the legal proceedings against them. 32 indictments have been filed against targets belonging to criminal organizations and investigative activity is being carried out against 49 additional suspects of involvement in crimes whose investigation has not yet been completed.
Since the operation began, more than 15,000 traffic reports have been registered for various offenses committed by criminals in a total amount of over NIS 5,880,000. including life-threatening offenses and road bullying offenses and vehicles were stopped for the purpose of enforcing compliance with traffic laws. The activity is carried out by combining different means, overt and covert, with the aim of creating deterrence and increasing the chances of the perpetrators of the offenses being caught. The Traffic Division of the Israel Police operates every day against major perpetrators of crime on Arab Street.
During the operational activity within the framework of ‘Safe Route’, 3,224 suspects were arrested and over 2,300 searches were carried out, including, among other things, weapons and drugs. Also, as part of the economic attack in cooperation with the Capital Market Authority and the Tax Authority and the Prosecutor’s Office, activities were carried out against 47 businesses defined as financial service providers, scattered in 25 different localities throughout the country, including 19 located in the Arab Society and mixed localities.
The enforcement operation ‘Safe Route’ is part of a strategy led by the Commissioner of the Police, Chief Superintendent Yaakov Shabtai, according to which the Israel Police relentlessly fights the phenomenon of violence and crime on the Arab street. During the first year of Operation Safe Route, all the police districts, Lahav 433, the Border Guard, the Claims Division, the units of the Investigations, Operations and Traffic Divisions, the Civil Defense Division and the Ombudsman took part in it. As part of the operation, more than 300 fan activities were carried out, which include a joint operational activity of the Israel Police with other enforcement bodies in order to fight the crime phenomenon on the Arab street.
Police Commissioner R.N. Yaacov Shabtai: “When I took office, I announced an uncompromising fight against the phenomenon of violence and crime in Arab Street, and one of the first goals I set was to strengthen the sense of personal security in Arab Street and increase policing. The results of Operation ‘Safe Route’ show that most of the resources and manpower in the Israel Police are directed to dealing with crime on the Arab street.
Data such as the filing of indictments against more than 450 perpetrators of crime, while almost 400 of them are in custody until the end of the proceedings thanks to the determined activity of the Israel Police, show a consistency and determination that signals to criminals that they will never be resilient. We have established economic units that join hands with other government ministries in this operation, based on a national decision that together with all law enforcement agencies and led by the Israel Police we will defeat crime and violence on the Arab street, while we have already impounded hundreds of vehicles and seized hundreds of millions of shekels obtained through crime. The Israel Police will continue the ‘Safe Route’ operation which has proven itself in the field and also strengthens the trust of the Arab street in the Israel Police.”