Police Minister Shlomo Hillel conceded last night that crimes of violence were increasing in Israel and predicted that the situation would become worse. But he warned citizens against trying to take the law into their own hands. The prevention of crime is the job of the police, he told the Knesset after some MKs suggested that citizens form their own guards to hit back at criminals.
Hillel appeared in the Knesset to reply to criticism of crime prevention measures voiced during a debate on the subject in the house several weeks ago. He said the problem of rising crime in general and criminal violence was not an unexpected phenomenon. But he insisted that the admitted increase of “violence and hooliganism” during the last few years has not changed the patterns of life in the country and said anyone claiming otherwise was exaggerating.
NEW IMMIGRANTS BLAMED
Hillel blamed the crime wave on certain elements among new Immigrants but mentioned no specific group or country of origin. He said there were small groups among the newcomers who used or dealt in drugs and specialized in crime. He mentioned as another factor in the increasing crime rate the proliferation of weapons in the hands of the public.
The Police Minister noted that weapons were in the possession of soldiers on leave, reserve soldiers, border settlement guards and guards of public buildings. Other factors contributing to crime he said were social tensions and the phenomenon of “people getting rich easily.” He said the police would use force equally against criminals and citizens who employ violence purportedly against crime.
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