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OrdinanceCriminal Law

Police Ordinance [New Version], 5731-1971

פקודת המשטרה [נוסח חדש], תשל"א-1971

Published: 1971-03-11Consolidated Hebrew text as of 2026-08-11 · Last amended 2026-07-28✓ Amendment status checked against the Knesset legislation record on 2026-09-28
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Unofficial English translation — for reference only. It may contain errors or omissions and cannot be relied on as a legal text. Only the Hebrew text published in Reshumot is legally binding.More

This English text was translated from the official Hebrew using a range of translation tools, and it undergoes ongoing checks and updates. It is not a certified translation.

Despite these checks, it may contain errors, omissions, or imprecise renderings of legal terminology and cross-references, and it may not yet reflect the latest amendments. It cannot be relied upon as a legal text.

The Hebrew text as published in Reshumot (ספר החוקים) and on the Knesset website is the sole authoritative and legally binding version. In any discrepancy, the Hebrew text prevails.

This translation is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For use in legal proceedings, request a certified Expert Legal Opinion.

Chapter I: Interpretation

Definitions§

1.

In this Ordinance —

"Israel Police" — the police force established under this Ordinance;

"police officer" — a person who is a member of Israel Police;

"police" — a police officer or police officers;

"the Inspector General" — the senior police officer who at that time fulfils the functions of the Inspector General of Israel Police, including the Deputy Inspector General of Israel Police;

"senior police officer" — a police officer of the rank of Deputy Commissioner and above;

"Israel Police Orders" — the Police Instructions and the National Headquarters Orders issued under section 9a;

"adjudication officer" — (Repealed)

"senior adjudication officer" — (Repealed)

"single judge" — (Repealed)

"disciplinary offence" — (Repealed)

"district police commander" — the senior police officer commanding the police in the district, including a police officer or other person appointed to be commander of the police in a district or sub-district or to fulfil the functions of a district police commander, in whole or in part;

"inspector" — including a police officer in whose rank title the word "inspector" forms part, and including an officer's deputy;

"sergeant" — including a police officer in whose rank title the word "sergeant" forms part;

"constable" — a police officer below the rank of second sergeant;

"the superintendent" — the District Commissioner;

"judge" — a judge of a Magistrate's Court or a judge of a District Court;

"the Police Law" — the Police Law, 5766-2005;

"the Minister" — the Minister of Police.

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Chapter II: Organisation, Functions and Powers

Composition of Israel Police§

2.

Israel Police shall consist of senior police officers, inspectors, sergeants and other police officers, all as the Minister shall direct.

Functions of the Police§

3.

Israel Police shall be engaged in the prevention and detection of offences, in the apprehension of offenders and their prosecution, in the secure custody of prisoners, and in the maintenance of public order and the safety of persons and property.

General Powers of Police Officers§

4.

Every police officer shall have all the powers, privileges and immunities attaching to the office of police officer under any law, and shall assume all the functions and responsibilities attaching thereto.

Genuine apprehension of serious harm — power and liability§

4a.
(a)Where a police officer finds that there is a genuine apprehension of serious harm to life or property, he may —
(1)give any person present in the area or at the place where such apprehension exists any reasonable instruction that is vitally necessary for the saving of life or property or for the prevention of the harm, including an instruction prohibiting access to or exit from the area or place;
(2)instruct a rescue body, as defined in section 90a, to act within the framework of its functions and powers under any law;
(3)for the purpose of saving life or property —
(a)enter any place entry to which is vitally necessary and use reasonable force against a person or property for the purpose of exercising the power of entry as aforesaid, provided that the police officer has identified himself to any person present at the place and has informed that person of the purpose for which entry is required, has requested that person's consent to entry and has warned that person that he intends to use force for the purpose of entry; the duty of identification, notification and warning as aforesaid shall not apply if the police officer ascertains that no person is present at the place;
(b)carry out any action that is vitally necessary and use reasonable force against a person or property for the purpose of carrying out such action.
(b)The exercise of powers as referred to in subsection (a) shall be carried out, to the extent that circumstances permit, with the approval of a commissioned police officer.
(c)
(1)No civil claim shall be brought against a person in respect of an act or omission carried out in good faith pursuant to an instruction received under subsection (a)(1) or (2) (in this subsection — an instruction executor) that gives rise to liability in torts;
(2)In a civil claim against the State in respect of an act or omission of an instruction executor, the provisions of sections 25 and 28 of the Civil Wrongs Ordinance [New Version] shall not apply.
(d)Where a person has acted, without remuneration, in accordance with an instruction given to him under subsection (a) or under section 90d — that person shall be regarded as a volunteer as defined in section 287 of the National Insurance Law [Consolidated Version], 5755-1995, and the provisions of Chapter X of that Law shall apply to him.
(e)Nothing in subsection (a) shall derogate from the powers of a police officer under any law.
4b.§

(Repealed)

Duties of Police Officers§

5.

In particular, and without derogating from the provisions of sections 4 and 4a, it shall be the duty of every police officer —

(1)to maintain order on public roads, public streets, passages, quays, landing places, railway platforms, ports, rivers, canals, lakes and any place to which the public has access;
(2)to prevent disturbances during an assembly or procession on public roads and public streets, or in the vicinity of a house of worship during public worship, and also whenever a road, street, passage, quay or landing place is likely to be congested or blocked;
(3)to attend to offences committed on a road, highway, street, passage or in a public place and also to traffic violations as defined in the Administrative Traffic Violations Law, 5784-2024;
(4)to take into custody lost property or property that has no claimants, and to deal with it in the prescribed manner;
(5)to arrest any person whom the officer has reasonable grounds to suspect of holding or conveying, in any manner whatsoever, stolen property or any thing whose possession is unlawful, and to search the belongings and body of such a person.

Identification of a Police Officer§

5a.
(a)A police officer who is in uniform shall wear a visible identification tag bearing his or her first name and surname.
(b)A police officer who is not in uniform and who is exercising police powers against a person shall identify himself or herself to that person by stating his or her name or official designation and the fact of being a police officer, and by presenting his or her appointment certificate.
(c)A police officer who is in uniform and who is exercising police powers against a person shall present his or her appointment certificate immediately upon demand by that person.
(d)A police officer shall provide his or her identifying particulars and personal number, upon request by any person in any matter connected with being a police officer, whether or not the officer is in uniform.
(e)The duty of identification under subsections (b), (c) or (d) shall not apply if —
(1)its fulfilment is likely to frustrate the exercise of the power;
(2)its fulfilment is likely to cause harm to the security of the police officer or of another person.
(f)Once the circumstances that prevented the fulfilment of the duties under this section have passed, the police officer shall comply with the said provisions as soon as possible.

Protection of a Police Officer Who Acted Under a Warrant§

6.
(a)Where civil or criminal proceedings, or other proceedings, are brought against a police officer for an act done in the capacity of a police officer, that officer may plead that the act was done pursuant to an Order issued by a judge or by the head of the Execution Office.
(b)The plea shall be established by production of the Order purporting to be signed by a judge or by the head of the Execution Office, and on that basis the defendant shall be entitled to judgment in his or her favour, even if there was a defect in the jurisdiction of the judge or the head of the Execution Office.
(c)It is not necessary to prove the signature of the judge or of the head of the Execution Office unless the court sees reason to doubt its authenticity.
(d)Nothing in this section shall derogate from any remedy to which the plaintiff is entitled against the authority that issued the Order.

Appointment to the Function of Senior Police Officer§

7.

The Minister may appoint a police officer or other person to fulfil any of the functions of a senior police officer or to exercise any of that officer's powers, all subject to such conditions as may be prescribed.

Exercise of Powers of a Lower Rank§

8.

A police officer may exercise any power vested in a police officer of a lower rank than his or her own.

Appointment of the Inspector General of Israel Police§

8a.

The Inspector General of Israel Police shall be appointed by the Government upon the recommendation of the Minister.

Subordination of Israel Police§

8b.
(a)Israel Police is subject to the authority of the Government.
(b)The Minister is responsible for Israel Police on behalf of the Government.

Formulation of Policy and Principles§

8c.
(a)The Minister shall formulate the policy of the police and the general principles for its operation, including with regard to priorities, work plans, general directives, the general instructions referred to in section 9a(a) and the exercise of all of the Minister's powers in connection with the police budget, in accordance with the Budgetary Foundations Law, 5745-1985, and the provisions made thereunder, and shall also exercise supervision and control over the operations of the police and over its state of readiness.
(b)The Minister shall report to the National Security Committee of the Knesset, once per session, on the policy that has been formulated; the Minister shall publish the formulated policy on the website of the Ministry of Internal Security.

Formulation of Policy in Investigations§

8d.
(a)The Minister may formulate general policy in the field of investigations, including the setting of overarching priorities, after having heard the position of the Attorney General and after consulting with the Inspector General and those responsible in the police for the subject of investigations.
(b)Nothing in the provisions of this section shall derogate from the duty of Israel Police under any law with regard to an investigation or a file, including with regard to the opening, conduct or closure thereof, and nothing therein shall derogate from its duty to open an investigation if it becomes aware of the commission of an offence as referred to in section 59 of the Criminal Procedure Law [Consolidated Version], 5742-1982.

Preservation of Powers§

8e.

Nothing in the provisions of sections 8a to 8d and 9 shall derogate from the powers of the Minister under any law.

Function of the Inspector General§

9.

The Inspector General shall supervise Israel Police, its management arrangements and its operation, and shall be responsible for the oversight of all expenditure connected therewith and for the ordnance in its possession, all in accordance with the policy formulation and general principles of the Minister as detailed in sections 8c and 8d.

Issuance of Israel Police Orders§

9a.
(a)The Inspector General shall issue, with the approval of the Minister, general instructions that shall set out principles regarding the organisation of the police, its administrative procedures, discipline and order therein, and the ensuring of its proper operation (hereinafter — the Police Instructions).
(b)The Inspector General shall issue general orders setting out particulars on the matters referred to in subsection (a) (hereinafter — the National Headquarters Orders).

Publication of Israel Police Orders§

9b.

Israel Police Orders shall be published in Reshumot (Official Gazette) and on the website of Israel Police, and they shall take effect from the date of their publication on the website; however, a particular order shall not be published if the Inspector General, with the approval of the Attorney General or a person authorised by the Attorney General for that purpose, is of the opinion that it should not be published.

Legal Status of Israel Police Orders§

9c.
(a)For the purposes of this Ordinance, Israel Police Orders shall be regarded as laws.
(b)Where there is a contradiction between the Police Instructions and the National Headquarters Orders — the Police Instructions shall prevail; where there is a contradiction between the National Headquarters Orders and another order — the National Headquarters Orders shall prevail.

Powers of the Inspector General§

10.

The Inspector General may —

(1)recruit at any time suitable persons to serve as police officers to fill vacancies in the approved establishment of Israel Police, including by means of entering into a special contract, in cases and on conditions to be prescribed by the Minister for National Security, with the consent of the Minister of Finance, after consultation with the Inspector General and with the approval of the National Security Committee of the Knesset; the provisions of this Ordinance shall apply to a police officer on such a special contract; the Inspector General may enter into such a special contract also with a police officer who commenced service otherwise than on a special contract, all in accordance with the conditions to be prescribed as aforesaid;
(2)suspend a police officer who is not a senior police officer, reduce that officer in rank, release that officer from service or dismiss that officer, if it is proved to the Inspector General's satisfaction that the police officer is negligent or generally inefficient in the performance of his or her duties or is otherwise unsuitable to perform his or her duties; however, an inspector shall not be dismissed or released without the approval of the Minister;
(3)fill, by promotion in rank or otherwise, any position at a rank below that of senior police officer that has become vacant by reason of death, dismissal or any other cause.

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Chapter II-A: Special Photography Systems

Section A: General

Definitions — Chapter II-A§
10a.

In this Chapter —

"public body" — one of the following:

(1)a prosecution authority having jurisdiction in respect of offences as referred to in section 10g(a) or 10l(a);
(2)the Department for Investigation of Police Officers in the Ministry of Justice, for the purpose of discharging its functions under Chapter IV 2;
(3)the following bodies within the Israel Defence Forces: the Military Police, the Internal Investigations Unit and the intelligence apparatus operating under the Central Command;
(4)the General Security Service;
(5)the Witness Protection Authority;
(6)the supervisory unit within the meaning of section 11 of the Protection of the Public from Sex Offenders Law, 5766-2006;
(7)the Central Intervention and Escort Unit or the Special Unit for Taking Control of Prisoners, whose warders have been authorised under section 95b(b) of the Prison Ordinance [New Version], 5732-1971 — in respect of the discharge of security functions for Israel Prison Service employees and their family members;
(8)another public body designated by Order by the Minister of Justice, with the approval of the National Security Committee of the Knesset;

"authorising officer" — a police officer from the investigations and intelligence branch of Israel Police, of the rank of Chief Superintendent and above;

"inclusion of a real-time alert" — issuing an instruction to a special photography system for the purpose of receiving a real-time alert upon identification of a particular object at the location being photographed by it;

"operation" — photography by means of a special photography system;

"special photography system" — a system comprising one or more cameras, in respect of which both of the following conditions are met:

(1)the system includes a computerised processor enabling the storage and processing of data or of an image;
(2)the system has the technological capability for unequivocal real-time identification of an object and thereby enables the tracking or surveillance of a person;

"camera" — an optical apparatus for visual documentation by means of photography;

"mobile special camera" — a camera that is part of a special photography system mounted on a body moving through space and whose operation is carried out while in motion;

"fixed special camera" — a camera that is part of a special photography system permanently affixed to a particular location and not mobile;

"serious felony" — a felony whose punishment is imprisonment for seven years or more, and a felony listed in the Fourth Schedule;

"authorised officer" — a police officer from the investigations and intelligence branch of Israel Police, of the rank of Assistant Commissioner and above;

"technological use" — retrieval of information, processing of information, examination of an image and unequivocal identification of an object, in real time or retrospectively, all by means of the technological capability of a special photography system.

Placement and Operation of Special Photography Systems and Use Thereof§
10b.

Israel Police shall not place or operate a special photography system and shall not make technological use thereof, except in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter, and after Regulations under section 10w(a) have been prescribed in respect of a particular type of special photography system.

Photography of a Person in Private Domain§
10c.
(a)A stationary special camera shall be operated in a manner that does not photograph a person when that person is in a private domain.
(b)A mobile special camera shall be operated in a manner intended to photograph a public place or public road as defined in section 34x of the Penal Law, 5737-1977, and shall, to the extent possible, not photograph a person when that person is in a private domain.
Appointment of Responsible Officer§
10d.
(a)The Inspector General of Israel Police shall appoint a police officer of the rank of Assistant Commissioner and above, who shall be responsible for the implementation of the provisions of this Chapter, including the setting of performance indicators for the various special photography systems, monitoring and supervision of their performance, their integrity, the proper functioning of their operation, and the documentation of their activity.
(b)For the purpose of supervision as referred to in subsection (a), the responsible officer referred to in that subsection may use information stored in the special photography systems for periodic checks of compliance with the performance indicators set for them.
Procedure Regarding Inclusion of Real-Time Alerts§
10e.

Israel Police shall establish a procedure regarding the inclusion of real-time alerts, including the determination of types of such inclusions, the manner of their authorisation, and their validity.

Confidentiality and Restriction of Use§
10f.
(a)Information stored in a special photography system shall be confidential, shall not be disclosed, and shall not be used except in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter.
(b)A person who has received information under this Chapter in the course of fulfilling his functions shall keep it confidential, shall not disclose it to another, and shall not make any use thereof, except in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter; a person who contravenes these provisions is liable to three years' imprisonment.

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OrdinanceCriminal Law

פקודת המשטרה [נוסח חדש], תשל"א-1971

Police Ordinance

Police Ordinance 1971

Pekudat HaMishtara

Israeli Police Law

Police authority Israel

Police powers Israel

Law enforcement Israel

Police regulations Israel

Israeli police ordinance