By: Aryeh Savir
The police will be trained to identify and work with people with special needs, Minister of Internal Security Amit Ohana announced, after Iyad Halak, an Arab man with special needs, was shot by police stationed at the entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem earlier this month after he was erroneously suspected of attempting to carry out an attack.
Ohana held a meeting on Sunday with the Israeli police’s top brass to address incidents involving people with disabilities.
The meeting was attended by the Ministry’s Chief Executive Moshe Edri, a former police commander, Acting Police Commissioner Moti Cohen, senior officers and representatives from the Ministries of Health, Social Affairs, Justice, and the Equal Rights Commission for People with Disabilities.
During the hearing, the police reviewed relevant data, procedures and updates in the training of policemen that were put to use, with the understanding that the procedures should be adapted to people with disabilities.
At the end of the discussion, it was agreed that a special session should be added to all police training in all units on meeting with persons with disabilities.
Existing and future lesson plans will be submitted to health and social care professionals as part of an effort to strengthen the interface between the ministries and the police.
“Out of the thousands and perhaps tens of thousands of daily police-citizen interactions, an overwhelmingly positive majority fulfills the police’s goals,” Ohana stated.
“The purpose of this hearing was to address the minority of cases, and specifically the encounters between a police officer and a person with disabilities, to improve the identification and operation of the Israeli police, and to deepen the policeman’s understanding on this issue,” he explained.
The police are still investigating the incident in which Halak approached the policemen stationed at the Lion’s Gate in Jerusalem’ Old City while carrying an object in his hand that appeared to them to be a weapon. When the forces called on him to stop he fled the scene. He was subsequently shot.
Ohana stated after the incident that he “shared in the pain of the Al-Halak family” and expressed his “sorrow over the death of Iyad, a young person with special needs.”
“The incident is being investigated as required by law, and we will act according to the findings to prevent similar incidents,” he said.
“Until the examination is over, we will not render judgment over the policemen. They are required to make fateful decisions in seconds, in terrorist –attack infested territory at a frequent risk to their lives,” he added.
The shooting officer was placed under house arrest.
(TPS)
