Following a weekend that saw four Arab Israelis killed in criminal circumstances, the government and Israel Police came under harsh criticism by Arab officials for failing to contain the growing crime wave plaguing Israeli Arab communities.
However, a senior Israel Police official told Israel Hayom that some Arab leaders refused to cooperate with the police in its efforts to contain and reduce crime in Arab areas.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
The official said that soon, the police would be launching an operation to confiscate illegal weapons in Arab communities, but that despite Arab leaders' demands to rid their communities of illegal weapons, "some of them are unwilling to take part in the campaign."
According to the official, policing the Arab sector was a "challenge."
He said that the police were putting a huge effort into fighting crime, and that in the past few years six additional police stations had been opened in Arab communities, with two more slated to begin operations in Tamra and Tira, both in northern Israel.
"In places with police stations, the quality of police services rises, cooperation from the community grows stronger, and crime drops," the official said.
Still, he admitted that the murder rate in Arab communities was "disturbing."
"The results in the field this past weekend were not good. We have a responsibility [to prevent crime], but so do the leaders of Arab society," he noted.
