Former Israeli Police Chief Calls for Administrative Detentions to Combat Crime in Arab Society

Asaf Hefetz, former Israeli police commissioner, addressed rising crime in the Arab community during a Ynet interview, following a special meeting convened by current police chief Major General Danni Levi. Hefetz advocated for granting the police harsher tools, including administrative detentions similar to those used by the Shin Bet security service, arguing that democracy currently allows criminals too much freedom to operate. Regarding National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's handling of security issues, Hefetz criticized him as a poor minister whose actions have led to the loss of good personnel from the police and diminished public trust. However, Hefetz cautioned against blaming Ben-Gvir alone for the problems, calling such a view overly simplistic.