68,000 Negev Residents Live Without Police Stations Despite 2016 Plan
Approximately 68,000 residents in three Bedouin towns in the Negev desert are living without a police station, a decade after the Israeli government approved a plan to establish them. The plan, greenlit in April 2016, aimed to bolster police presence in Arab and Bedouin communities, including the establishment of stations in five southern towns: Ar'ara BaNegev, Segev Shalom, Hura, Kseife, and Lakiya. However, stations were only built in Ar'ara BaNegev and Segev Shalom. Hura, Kseife, and Lakiya, with populations of roughly 24,400, 23,000, and 20,450 respectively, still lack any police presence.
This absence means residents facing incidents like robbery, car theft, or violence must travel to stations in other towns, negating the original purpose of the 2016 plan. A state comptroller's report from April highlighted this "unremedied deficiency," stating it hinders the plan's implementation, reduces police service accessibility, and could negatively impact security.
Despite subsequent government decisions in 2021 and 2022 to strengthen police presence in Arab communities, the issue remains unresolved. The report suggests that the current crime statistics for the Southern District, which are higher than the national average, may not fully reflect the reality in these underserved towns, as unreported crimes likely go uncounted. The Southern District Commander noted that establishing stations increases reported complaints, implying that the lack of stations masks the true extent of crime.
The Ministry of National Security, headed by Itamar Ben-Gvir, and the Israel Police are responsible for establishing these stations. While the police stated they view strengthening security as important and will examine station construction in future work plans, the Ministry indicated the matter would be reviewed "accordingly." Local authorities in Hura have already allocated land for a station, indicating that land availability is not the obstacle.
This situation persists despite the fact that the three towns lacking stations are larger than at least one of the towns that did receive a station. The reasons for this disparity remain unclear, raising questions about why these specific communities have been left behind.
