LawCriminal Law
Police Law, 5766-2006
חוק המשטרה, תשס"ו-2006
Published: 2006-01-01Last amended 2026-06-15✓ Amendment status checked against the Knesset legislation record on 2026-09-29
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Section E: Modes of Punishment
Suspended Punishment§
64.
(a)Where a tribunal or a single adjudicator has imposed a punishment of confinement, a fine, demotion in rank, or restriction, it may direct in the sentence that the punishment, in whole or in part, shall be suspended (in this Section – a suspended punishment).
(b)A person sentenced to a suspended punishment shall not serve his punishment unless he commits, within the period set in his sentence, which shall not be less than one year and not more than three years (in this Chapter – the suspension period), one of the disciplinary offences specified in the sentence and is convicted of such an offence (in this Chapter – an additional disciplinary offence), within the suspension period or thereafter.
(c)The suspension period shall commence on the date of the giving of the sentence.
(d)The specification of offences pursuant to subsection (b) may be by designation of a category of offences or by particularisation of specific offences, whether by way of their description or by way of citation of statutory provisions; where the offence referred to is an offence specified in item 1 or item 3 of the First Schedule, the criminal conduct constituting it shall be described; where a statutory provision was cited and was subsequently repealed and another provision came in its place, the sentence shall be regarded as citing the other provision.
(e)Where a defendant who has been sentenced to a suspended punishment is convicted of an additional disciplinary offence, the tribunal or single adjudicator shall order the activation of the suspended punishment.
(f)Where a defendant has had a punishment of actual confinement imposed on him for an additional disciplinary offence and the suspended confinement punishment has been activated against him, he shall, notwithstanding the provisions of section 66, serve both periods of confinement consecutively, unless the tribunal or single adjudicator that convicted him of the additional disciplinary offence directed, for reasons to be recorded, that the two periods, in whole or in part, shall be concurrent; however, the consecutive period of confinement that the convicted person must serve shall not exceed 70 days.
(g)Where a defendant has had a punishment of actual restriction imposed on him for an additional disciplinary offence and the suspended restriction punishment has been activated against him, he shall, notwithstanding the provisions of section 66, serve both periods of restriction consecutively, unless the tribunal or single adjudicator that convicted him of the additional disciplinary offence directed, for reasons to be recorded, that the two periods, in whole or in part, shall be concurrent; however, the consecutive period of restriction that the convicted person must serve shall not exceed 70 days.
(h)Where a defendant has had an actual demotion in rank imposed on him for an additional disciplinary offence and the suspended demotion in rank punishment has been activated against him, he shall, notwithstanding the provisions of section 66, serve both periods of demotion in rank consecutively, unless the tribunal that convicted him of the additional disciplinary offence directed, for reasons to be recorded, that the two periods, in whole or in part, shall be concurrent.
(i)Where a defendant has had an actual fine imposed on him for an additional disciplinary offence and the suspended fine punishment has been activated against him, he shall pay both fines, however the total amount of the fine shall not exceed double the maximum fine that the tribunal or single adjudicator, as the case may be, is empowered to impose.
Extension of the Suspension Period§
65.
(a)A tribunal or single adjudicator that has convicted a defendant of an additional disciplinary offence and has not imposed on him for that offence a punishment of confinement, fine or restriction, and in the case of a tribunal – also demotion in rank, may, notwithstanding the provisions of section 64(e) and in lieu of ordering the activation of the suspended punishment imposed on him, direct the extension or renewal of the suspension period for an additional period not exceeding one year, if it is satisfied, for special reasons to be recorded, that in the circumstances of the matter it would not be just to activate the suspended punishment.
(b)A tribunal or single adjudicator shall not exercise its power under subsection (a) except in respect of the first conviction of a defendant for an additional disciplinary offence.
(c)Where a tribunal or single adjudicator extended the suspension period for an additional period before the expiry of the suspension period, the additional suspension period shall commence upon the expiry of the suspension period; where a tribunal or single adjudicator renewed the suspension period after the suspension period had expired, the additional suspension period shall commence on the date of the giving of the judgment or award.
Serving Multiple Punishments§
66.
(a)A defendant who has been sentenced in disciplinary proceedings to a punishment of confinement or restriction, and before he has served his entire punishment is again sentenced in disciplinary proceedings to a punishment of confinement or restriction, shall serve a single punishment of confinement or restriction of the longest period; however, the tribunal or single adjudicator imposing the later punishment may direct that the convicted person shall serve both punishments of confinement or restriction, in whole or in part, consecutively, provided that the consecutive period of confinement or restriction that the convicted person must serve does not exceed 70 days.
(b)A defendant who has been sentenced in disciplinary proceedings to a punishment of demotion in rank, and before he has served his entire punishment is again sentenced in disciplinary proceedings to a punishment of demotion in rank, shall serve a single punishment of demotion in rank of the longest period; however, the tribunal imposing the later punishment may direct that the convicted person shall serve both punishments of demotion in rank, in whole or in part, consecutively.
Place of Serving a Confinement Punishment§
67.
(a)A police officer on whom a confinement punishment has been imposed shall serve his punishment in a police installation designated by the Inspector General; where a confinement punishment has been imposed on a military serviceperson on regular service or a military serviceperson on reserve service, he shall serve his punishment in a police installation as aforesaid, or in a military installation designated by the Inspector General with the consent of the Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defence Forces.
(b)The Inspector General shall prescribe the administrative, guard, disciplinary and conduct arrangements at a police installation designated for the serving of a confinement punishment.
Conditions of Confinement§
68.
(a)A police officer serving a confinement punishment shall be held in appropriate conditions that are not such as to harm his health or dignity.
(b)A police officer referred to in subsection (a) shall be entitled, inter alia, to all of the following:
(1)appropriate sanitary conditions, conditions enabling him to maintain his personal hygiene, medical care required for the preservation of his health and appropriate supervision conditions at the direction of a physician;
(2)a bed, mattress and blankets for his personal use and the keeping of personal items as shall be prescribed in Israel Police orders;
(3)food in the quantity and composition appropriate for the preservation of his health;
(4)reasonable lighting and ventilation conditions in the cell;
(5)a daily walk in the open air, if the conditions of the place permit, at the times and under the conditions to be prescribed in Israel Police orders; this right may be restricted for reasons of safeguarding the welfare of the police officer;
(6)the receiving of visitors, sending and receiving of letters, and the maintaining of telephone contact, as shall be prescribed in Israel Police orders.
(c)A police officer serving a confinement punishment shall maintain order and property at the place of confinement, maintain cleanliness in his cell, and comply with the instructions concerning the discipline and conduct arrangements at the place of confinement.
Restraint and Discipline Measures§
69.
(a)Reasonable measures may be taken, including the use of force, against a police officer held in confinement, where there is an apprehension that he is about to escape or cause harm to persons or property, in order to prevent the escape or the harm as aforesaid and in order to maintain order and discipline at the place of confinement.
(b)Against a police officer held in confinement who has not fulfilled duties incumbent upon him at the place of confinement, disciplinary measures may be taken after he has been given an opportunity to state his case before the officer in charge of the place of confinement; in this subsection, "disciplinary measures" – one or more of the following: deprivation of the police officer's right to keep personal items, deprivation of his right to receive visitors, deprivation of his right to send and receive letters and to maintain telephone contact, or holding him in solitary confinement at the place of confinement for a period not exceeding seven consecutive days.
Liability to Pay Compensation§
70.
(a)A tribunal or single adjudicator that has convicted a police officer of a disciplinary offence may order him to pay, in addition to any punishment, compensation for damage to property caused directly as a result of the offence, and a tribunal – also compensation for bodily harm caused as aforesaid.
(a1)Without derogating from the provisions of subsection (a), the tribunal that has convicted a police officer of a disciplinary offence under item 8, 19(a) or 27 of the First Schedule may order him to pay, in addition to any punishment, compensation for mental anguish without proof of damage.
(a2)A tribunal or single adjudicator shall not order a defendant to pay compensation under this section in an amount exceeding his last monthly salary paid to him before the imposition of the liability; however:
(1)in respect of a defendant who is a military serviceperson on reserve service, the said amount shall not exceed the monthly basic salary that would have been paid to him had he been a police officer not on regular service of his rank in the Border Guard of the Israel Police;
(2)in respect of a defendant who has ceased to be a police officer and who is not a military serviceperson on regular service or a military serviceperson on reserve service, the said amount shall not exceed the average wage as defined in the National Insurance Law [Consolidated Version], 5755-1995.
(b)Liability to pay compensation under this section does not exempt from liability for damages under any law.
Collection of Fines and Compensation§
71.
(a)Where a police officer has been ordered in disciplinary proceedings to pay a fine or compensation, the fine or compensation shall be collected by deduction from amounts owing to him by reason of his service in the police, in the manner to be prescribed in Israel Police orders, provided that the rate of deduction from his monthly salary shall not in any one month exceed the rates prescribed in section 8 of the Wage Protection Law, 5718-1958; where the fine or compensation cannot be collected by deduction as aforesaid, it shall be collected in the manner in which a fine imposed by a court in criminal proceedings is collected.
(b)Fines and compensation collected as provided in subsection (a) shall be paid to the general fund of the police.
(c)Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (b), where a police officer has been ordered in disciplinary proceedings to pay compensation pursuant to the provisions of section 70 to a person harmed as a result of the offence, the compensation shall be paid to that person.
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Contact Us →Section F: Miscellaneous Provisions
Representation of a Police Officer in Disciplinary Proceedings§
72.
(a)A police officer who is a defendant, appellant or respondent in proceedings before a tribunal may be represented by a lawyer.
(b)A police officer who is a defendant, respondent or appellant before a single adjudicator may not be represented.
Presence at Trial§
73.
(a)Subject to the provisions of this section, a police officer shall not be tried in disciplinary proceedings in his absence.
(b)A tribunal may try a police officer in his absence if the police officer so requested or expressed his consent thereto, and the tribunal considers, for special reasons to be recorded, that there would be no miscarriage of justice thereby, provided that the police officer shall be present at the time of the reading of the charge sheet and the giving of the judgment, and he is represented by a lawyer.
(c)A tribunal may try a police officer and sentence him in his absence if he was duly summoned and it was explained to him in the summons that if he fails to appear it will be possible to try him and sentence him in his absence, and the tribunal considers, for special reasons to be recorded, that there would be no miscarriage of justice thereby; however, a tribunal shall not impose a confinement punishment on a police officer in his absence.
(d)Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (b) and (c), a tribunal may, at any stage of the proceedings, order the appearance of the police officer.
(e)Where a police officer has been sentenced in his absence, the tribunal may, upon the application of the police officer, set aside the proceedings, including the verdict and the sentence where given in his absence, if it is satisfied that there was a justified reason for his failure to appear, or if it considers that it is necessary to do so in order to prevent a miscarriage of justice; an application under this subsection shall be submitted within 15 days of the date on which the judgment was served on the police officer, however the tribunal may, for special reasons to be recorded, hear such an application even if it was submitted after the expiry of the said period.
(f)Nothing in the provisions of this section shall derogate from the power of a tribunal to order the removal of the police officer, pursuant to the provisions of section 20.
Dismissal Consequent upon Disciplinary or Criminal Proceedings§
74.
The Inspector General may dismiss a police officer who has been tried in disciplinary or criminal proceedings even if acquitted, if he considers, by reason of the disciplinary or criminal proceedings, that the police officer is not fit to continue to serve in the police, provided that a senior police officer shall not be dismissed except with the approval of the Minister.
Cancellation of Punishment or Reduction Thereof§
75.
(a)The Inspector General may, in special circumstances to be recorded, cancel a punishment imposed in disciplinary proceedings by a final judgment or a final award, reduce it, or replace it with a lighter punishment.
(b)Where a police officer has been ordered in disciplinary proceedings by a final judgment or a final award to pay compensation pursuant to section 70 in respect of damage caused to police property, the Inspector General may, in special circumstances to be recorded, cancel the compensation liability or reduce its amount.
Setting Aside an Award or Final Award and Ordering a Retrial§
75a.
(a)The Head of the Discipline Department of the Human Resources Division of the Israel Police may set aside, in whole or in part, an award or a final award and may also direct a retrial of an award or a final award before a single adjudicator designated by him for that purpose, even if the defendant has ceased to be a police officer, in any of the following circumstances:
(1)lack of jurisdiction of the single adjudicator or of the adjudicator on appeal to hear the charge sheet;
(2)a substantial defect or disqualification in the conduct of the proceedings;
(3)the conduct of the proceedings was in substantial contradiction to the principles of justice and legal fairness;
(4)a real concern arose that the conviction caused a miscarriage of justice to the defendant.
(b)In a retrial, the single adjudicator shall have all the powers vested in him or in the adjudicator on appeal under this Chapter, except the power to impose a more severe punishment.
(c)Where the defendant served a punishment pursuant to an award or a final award that was set aside and was convicted in the retrial, the punishment served by the defendant shall be taken into account in accordance with the following rules:
(1)punishments of confinement and restriction, including confinement or restriction punishments on suspended sentence that were activated, shall be counted day for day;
(2)a sum of money collected from the defendant as a fine or compensation shall be refunded to him, however if one of these was imposed on him in the retrial, the sum already collected shall be taken into account.
(d)The Head of the Human Resources Division of the Israel Police may direct that a defendant who served his punishment or part thereof and whose conviction was set aside as a result of the retrial be compensated, or grant any other relief.
(e)In a final award pursuant to section 40, the powers under subsections (a) and (d) shall be vested in the Inspector General.
(f)Nothing in this section shall derogate from the power of the Inspector General referred to in section 75.
Retrial§
76.
(a)The President of the Appeals Tribunal may order that the Appeals Tribunal, or a disciplinary tribunal designated by it for that purpose, hold a retrial of a final judgment, even if the accused has ceased to be a police officer, if the President considers that one of the following has occurred:
(1)a court or tribunal has ruled that evidence adduced in that matter was based on falsehood or forgery, and there are grounds to presume that but for that evidence there would have been cause to alter the outcome of the trial in favour of the convicted person;
(2)facts or evidence have been presented that, alone or together with the material that was before the tribunal at first instance, may alter the outcome of the trial in favour of the convicted person;
(3)another person has in the meantime been convicted of committing the same act constituting the offence, and from the circumstances revealed at the trial of that other person it appears that the person first convicted of the offence did not commit it;
(4)a substantial suspicion has arisen that the conviction caused a miscarriage of justice to the convicted person.
(b)The right to apply for a retrial is vested in the convicted person, as well as in the Inspector General or in a person authorised by the Inspector General for that purpose.
(c)In a retrial, the tribunal shall have all the powers vested in it under this Chapter, except the power to increase the sentence; the tribunal may make any order it sees fit in order to compensate a convicted person who has served all or part of his sentence and whose conviction has been quashed as a result of the retrial, or grant any other relief.
(d)An order under subsection (c) requires the approval of a District Court, and once approved it has the same effect as a judgment of a court given in a civil matter.
77.§
(a)No person is obliged to produce, and a tribunal or single adjudicator shall not admit, evidence if the Minister has expressed the opinion, in a certificate signed by the Minister, that its production is likely to harm a person's well-being, the methods of operation of the Police or an important public interest, or if the Minister, with the consent of the Minister of Defence, has expressed the opinion, in a certificate signed by the Minister, that its production is likely to harm State security, unless a judge of the Appeals Tribunal has found, on a petition by a party seeking disclosure of the evidence, that the need to disclose it for the sake of doing justice outweighs the interest in not disclosing it.
(b)Where a certificate as referred to in subsection (a) has been submitted to a tribunal or a single adjudicator, the tribunal or the single adjudicator, as the case may be, may, on the application of the party seeking disclosure of the evidence, adjourn the proceedings for a period to be determined, in order to enable the submission of the petition for disclosure of the evidence, and if it sees fit – also until a decision on the petition has been given.
(c)The provisions of section 46(a) of the Evidence Ordinance shall apply, with the necessary modifications, to proceedings on a petition for disclosure of evidence under this section.
Periods Not to Count towards Security Service Period§
78.
A period of imprisonment or detention served by a police officer who is a military serviceperson on regular service or a military serviceperson on reserve service, or a period during which the officer was absent from service unlawfully and for which the officer was sentenced, shall not count towards the service period the officer is required to complete under the Security Service Law, unless a different direction has been given by a single adjudicator, a tribunal or a court.
Non-Entitlement to Pay for Days of Absence§
79.
(a)A police officer convicted of a disciplinary offence under items 5 or 6 of the First Schedule, or who was absent from service in one of the circumstances set out below, shall not be entitled to pay for any day or part of a day of absence:
(1)the officer was in detention or was released on bail subject to restrictive conditions preventing the officer from reporting for service;
(2)the officer was in imprisonment or detention.
(b)The Inspector General or a person authorised by the Inspector General for that purpose may, notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a), direct, for special reasons to be recorded, that a police officer as referred to in subsection (a) be paid all or part of the pay that the officer would have received had the provisions of subsection (a) not applied to the officer.
Death of a Police Officer§
79a.
(a)If a police officer dies, all disciplinary proceedings against the officer shall be discontinued.
(b)If an appeal on behalf of the accused is pending and the accused dies, the Appeals Tribunal may permit the proceedings to continue, and may determine that a family member, heir, executor of the will or estate administrator of the accused shall continue the appeal in place of the accused.
Preservation of Powers of the Minister and the Inspector General§
80.
Nothing in the provisions of this Chapter shall derogate from the powers vested in the Minister or in the Inspector General with respect to a police officer under this Law or the Ordinance.
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