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May 13, 2005
Bedouin sector embraces police
Innovative programs in Negev region have communities working together
in the interests of their security.
GAIL LICHTMAN ISRAEL PRESS SERVICE
The town of Hura lies about three kilometres northeast of Beersheba,
just off the main road to Arad and the Dead Sea. Home to some 8,000
Bedouins and a centre for some 3,000 more, Hura juts out of the
desert, a conglomeration of modern houses, tents, grazing goats
and camels.
Dudi Azoulai is commander of the Community Police Centre in Hura.
Sipping on a cup of steaming Turkish coffee, he reflected on his
four and a half years on the job.
"I held a number of jobs in the police before coming to Hura,"
he explained. "Although I speak Arabic, I didn't know very
much about the Bedouin customs or mentality. I had to learn from
experience, as the Bedouins operate according to Bedouin law –
their own independent code of justice – and this can be very
different from the laws of the state of Israel."
Ten community police centres in the Bedouin sector are part of a
larger effort to improve relations between police and minority communities.
It's always a particularly sensitive area and the events of October
2000, when riots in Arab communities in the north left 13 dead,
greatly increased this problem.
In order to help give police officers the knowledge and understanding
they need about Arab culture, the Israel police have formed a strategic
partnership with the Abraham Fund.
The fund, named for the revered common ancestor of both Jews and
Arabs, is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1989. It's dedicated
to promoting co-existence and equality between the Jewish and Arab
citizens of Israel through advocacy and awareness campaigns. The
organization has funded more than 600 projects.
"This is a special situation where an NGO (nongovernmental
organization) is helping a government body to improve services by
teaching police officers multiculturalism and pluralism," said
Tamar Bassewitz of the Abraham Fund. "We are the only external
body allowed to work with the police on this matter."
Programs and workshops have been established in 22 Arab communities
around Israel, mainly in the north, aimed at creating positive interaction
between the police and the community, said Bassewitz. "Every
police officer, no matter what his or her rank, is learning to be
sensitive to each citizen's needs."
An additional project has been set up for the 18 community police
officers working in the south with the Bedouin sector. The officers
attended seven meetings, facilitated by two community change experts
– one Jewish and one Bedouin – and learned about community
needs. The police officers then met with senior representatives
of the Bedouin community.
Another program is based on the "safe school" model. It
fosters pupils' sense of responsibility and commitment to their
physical and social environment and has been developed by the Abraham
Fund and the police, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education
and local authorities, to meet local needs. One of its components
is the "officer friendly" program, where police officers
go into high schools in order to locate problems and defuse potential
violence.
For Azoulai, the workshop was a godsend. "It made sense out
of the experience I had accumulated," he related, "and
gave me the tools to cope with all kinds of problems that I encounter
on the job and tips on how to intervene without stepping on the
toes of the community leaders. It was also an opportunity to meet
with my fellow community police officers in the Bedouin sector,
to brainstorm with them and to hear how they handle similar problems."
Azoulai recalled that when he first arrived in Hura, thefts, domestic
violence and commercial disputes were never reported to the police.
People went to the sheiks to settle things or the various clans
would take matters into their own hands.
"When I first came, there was large-scale fighting between
the different clans – including gunfire – at least once
a week," he said. "At first, I tried to solve the problem
by going to the top – the sheiks and the community council.
I went from house to house, tent to tent – but this didn't
make a difference. Finally, I decided to deal with the source of
the problem – school violence. I found that you have to analyze
events in order to solve them and sometimes you have to go not to
the top but to the bottom – to the root – to make a difference."
Azoulai went into the high school and became "officer friendly."
"This greatly influenced the way the kids relate to the police,"
he remarked. "A policeman to them was someone scary. Since
I started visiting the schools, the kids and their parents have
started coming to me with their problems, whether they be related
to violence, drug use or crime. This has changed the town's concept
and approach to the law."
In 2001, when Azoulai first arrived in Hura, there were 84 large-scale
fights in the town. In 2004, he proudly pointed out, there were
only two. In addition, there has been a significant increase in
crimes reported to the police and a drop in the implementation of
Bedouin law. This is true not only in Hura but in all the Negev's
Bedouin communities.
"Recently, there was a break-in at a kindergarten in the Bedouin
community of Rahat," related Liat Nidam, police spokesperson
for the Negev region. "The thieves stole a TV, video and DVD.
The teacher reported this to the police. Our community officers
in the town, due to their good contacts, were able to get the equipment
back within two days. This did a lot to boost Bedouin faith in the
legal system of the state."
"I feel that the community has embraced me," said Azoulai.
"I am constantly invited for coffee by residents and when my
father got sick, dozens of townspeople came to visit. As unbelievable
as it sounds, today, I can even make arrests by telephone and the
person will turn himself in. It shows real faith in the fairness
of the police."
Azoulai is now trying to set up a civil guard unit in Hura, which
is made up of civilian volunteers who patrol their neighborhoods
or communities to prevent crime and terrorism. This is no mean feat
in the Bedouin community, which does not have a history of volunteerism.
Azoulai is really pleased with how things are going. "I love
this job," he said. "It is one of the most interesting
and important things I have ever done. I am independent. I can be
as creative as I need to be. I love coming to work. I find myself
smiling all the time. And now, with my experience and what I have
learned in the workshop, I feel that the sky's the limit."
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