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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

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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.

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Chapter IV-B: Investigation of Offences by Police Officers and Employees of the General Security Service

Head of the Department§

49h3.
(a)The Head of the Department shall be appointed by the Committee for the Selection of the Head of the Department for the Investigation of Police Officers, which shall be appointed under section 49h4 (in this Chapter — the Committee).
(b)A person who is qualified to be appointed a judge of the Supreme Court and who has experience in the criminal field is qualified to be appointed Head of the Department.
(c)The Head of the Department shall serve a single term of office of six years; his term of office shall end upon the expiry of his term as aforesaid, upon his resignation, upon his retirement on pension, or upon a decision of the Committee.

Committee for the Selection of the Head of the Department§

49h4.
(a)The members of the Committee are as follows:
(1)the Director General of the Ministry of Justice or his representative, who shall be the chairperson;
(2)a judge of the Supreme Court or a retired judge of a District Court, to be appointed by the chairperson of the Knesset State Control Committee;
(3)a lawyer engaged in the representation of accused persons in criminal proceedings, to be appointed by the Minister of Justice in consultation with the National Public Defender;
(4)a person with experience in criminal investigations or prosecutions, to be appointed by the Civil Service Commissioner in consultation with the Director General of the Ministry of Justice;
(5)the Civil Service Commissioner or his representative.
(b)The members of the Committee listed in subsection (a)(3) and (4) shall be appointed for a period of six years.
(c)The Committee may act even if its number of members has decreased, provided that it has not fallen below three.

Coordinator for Police Officer Investigation Matters§

49h5.
(a)The Committee shall appoint a retired judge of the Supreme Court or of a District Court, who shall be the Coordinator for Police Officer Investigation Matters (in this Chapter — the Coordinator); the Coordinator shall be appointed for a single term of six years; his term of office shall end upon the expiry of his term as aforesaid, upon his resignation, upon his retirement on pension, or upon a decision of the Committee.
(b)The Coordinator shall be a State employee who is not an employee of the Department and is not an employee of any other investigating body or prosecuting body.

Power of Investigation§

49i.
(a)Notwithstanding any law, the investigation of an offence within the meaning of the First Schedule, in the commission of which a police officer is suspected, shall not be conducted by Israel Police, but by the Department for the Investigation of Police Officers within the Ministry of Justice (hereinafter — the Department).
(b)The provisions of subsection (a) shall apply also where a police officer is suspected of committing an offence together with another person, and the Department is empowered to investigate any person who is involved in the commission of the offence and is not a police officer, all subject to the provisions of the First Schedule.
(c)Nothing in this section shall prevent the police from investigating an offence before it became known to them that a police officer is involved in its commission.
(d)The Minister of Police and the Minister of Justice, with the approval of the National Security Committee of the Knesset, may amend the First Schedule.

Investigation of Employees of the General Security Service§

49i1.
(a)An offence in the commission of which an employee of the General Security Service is suspected within the framework of or in connection with the performance of his duties shall be investigated by the Department, if the Attorney General has so decided; the provisions of section 49i(b) and (c) shall apply for this purpose, with the necessary modifications; in this subsection, "offence" — any offence except a traffic offence as defined in section 1 of the Traffic Ordinance, and an offence that another authority, other than the police or the General Security Service, is empowered to investigate under law.
(b)The Attorney General may delegate to the State Attorney and to the Deputy State Attorney — generally, for categories of matters or for a particular matter — his power under subsection (a).

Powers of the Department§

49j.
(a)For the purpose of performing their functions under this Chapter, the Department and any person counted among its members shall have the powers and immunities of the police and of a police officer, as the case may be.
(b)In any action which the Department is empowered to take, it may avail itself of the assistance of the police in accordance with rules to be determined by the State Attorney and the Inspector General.
(c)Where a power has been conferred by legislation on a police officer by virtue of the definition of his rank or function, the State Attorney shall determine which office holders among those counted among the members of the Department shall be conferred with that power.

Legislative Co-ordination§

49k.
(a)For the purposes of section 1 of the Wiretapping Law, 5739-1979, the Head of the Department and, in his absence, his deputy shall be regarded as an authorised police officer.
(b)For the purposes of section 19(c) of the Privacy Protection Law, 5741-1981, the Department shall be regarded as a security authority.
(c)(Repealed)

Budget of the Department§

49m.

The budget of the Department shall be prepared by the Minister of Justice in coordination with the Head of the Department and shall be determined in an annual budget law, in a separate programme under the budget head of the Ministry of Justice; in this section —

"annual budget law" — as defined in the Budget Foundations Law, 5745-1985;

"budget head" and "programme" — as defined in the annual budget law.

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Chapter V: Disciplinary Law

Section A: General Provisions

50.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

51.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

51a.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

51b.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

51c.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

51d.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

51e.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

51f.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

51g.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

52.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

53.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

54.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

55.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

55a.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

55b.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

55c.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

55d.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

55e.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

56.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

57.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

58.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

59.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

60.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

61.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

62.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

63a.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

64.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

64a.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

64b.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

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Section B: Single Judge

65.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

66.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

67.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

68.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

69.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

70.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

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Section C: Disciplinary Court

71.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

72.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

73.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

74.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

75.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

76.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

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Section D: Appeals Tribunal

77.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

77a.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

77b.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

77c.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

77d.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

77e.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

77f.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

77g.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

77h.§

(Repealed — תשס״ו)

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Section D-1: Arrest and Detention of Conscript Police Officers

Definitions§
77h1.

In this Section —

"arrest warrant" — including a copy thereof made by means of photography, facsimile, or any other means;

"police station" — a police station designated under section 8 of the Criminal Procedure Ordinance (Arrest and Search) [New Version], 5729-1969;

"the officer in charge" — the commander of a police station, and in his absence — the officer in charge of the station;

"the authorised officer" — a senior police officer serving in the Border Guard, whom the commander of the Border Guard has appointed to be responsible for matters of arrest and detention of conscript police officers;

"senior adjudication officer" — as defined in the Police Law;

"conscript police officer" — a police officer fulfilling his duty under the Defence Service Law [Consolidated Version], 5746-1986, in the Border Guard of Israel Police.

Arrest and Detention§
77h2.

The arrest and detention of a conscript police officer shall be carried out in a manner that ensures maximum protection of human dignity and his rights.

Arrest of a Conscript Police Officer§
77h3.

A senior adjudication officer serving in the Border Guard, who has been authorised to do so by the commander of the Border Guard (in this Section — senior adjudication officer), may, after examining the material on which the request for the issuance of an arrest warrant is based, direct by warrant the arrest of a conscript police officer (in this Section — arrest warrant), if he finds that one of the following has been fulfilled:

(1)a conscript police officer who has been sentenced to actual confinement has absconded from serving the sentence;
(2)there is reasonable cause for concern that the conscript police officer has committed a disciplinary offence under items 5 or 6 of the First Schedule of the Police Law, provided that 48 hours have elapsed from the commencement of the absence, and there is a need for his arrest due to the existence of reasonable cause for concern that the police officer will abscond from the disciplinary proceedings or will not appear for a proceeding connected with the clarification of the circumstances of the absence.
Application for Issuance of an Arrest Warrant§
77h4.
(a)An application for the issuance of an arrest warrant under section 77h3 shall be submitted in writing to a senior adjudication officer, by the commander of the unit in which the conscript police officer serves, and in his absence by his deputy, provided that his rank is not lower than the rank of corporal; the application shall set out a summary of the facts or the information on which the applicant bases his application.
(b)The hearing of an application under subsection (a) shall be recorded in minutes.
Content and Validity of an Arrest Warrant§
77h5.
(a)An arrest warrant shall be in writing and shall specify —
(1)the name of the issuer of the warrant, his function and his rank;
(2)the full name of the conscript police officer, his personal number and his rank;
(3)a description of the offence in the commission of which the conscript police officer is suspected;
(4)the ground on the basis of which the warrant was issued;
(5)the date of the issuance of the warrant, the time of its issuance and the time of its expiry.
(b)The arrest warrant shall be signed by its issuer.
(c)The validity of an arrest warrant shall not exceed 90 days from the date of its issuance; however, a senior adjudication officer may extend, from time to time, the period of the arrest warrant, by a reasoned decision in writing, for additional periods each of which shall not exceed 90 days, provided that the total of all periods from the date of issuance of the first arrest warrant shall not exceed one year.
Execution of an Arrest Warrant§
77h6.
(a)An arrest warrant shall be executed by a police officer whose rank is higher than the rank of the conscript police officer against whom the warrant was issued.
(b)A police officer executing an arrest warrant shall first identify himself to the conscript police officer (hereinafter — the detainee) in accordance with the provisions of section 5a(a) to (c), shall immediately inform him that he is under arrest, shall provide him with a copy of the arrest warrant and shall explain to him the reason for the arrest as soon as possible; the provisions of section 5a(d) shall apply to the police officer executing an arrest warrant under this section.
(c)The duty to identify oneself in accordance with the provisions of section 5a(a) to (c) and to explain the reason for the arrest shall not apply to a police officer executing an arrest warrant if one of the following has been fulfilled:
(1)it is clear from the circumstances of the matter that the identity of the police officer and the reason for the arrest are known to the conscript police officer;
(2)it is specified in the arrest warrant that the executing police officer is exempt from these duties;
(3)the performance of these duties is likely to frustrate the execution of the arrest;
(4)the performance of these duties is likely to cause harm to the safety of the police officer executing the arrest, at the time of the execution of the arrest.

Once the circumstances that prevented the performance of the provisions of subsection (a) have passed, the police officer executing the arrest shall comply with the said provisions as early as possible.

Ancillary Powers for the Execution of an Arrest Warrant§
77h7.
(a)A police officer executing a lawful arrest may, for the purpose of executing the arrest, enter any house or place, including entrance halls and stairwells or any part of the rooms held jointly by a number of tenants, if he has reasonable cause to believe that the conscript police officer against whom the arrest warrant was issued is present therein; the police officer shall identify himself to the person appearing to be the occupier of the house or place and shall notify him of the purpose for which entry is requested.
(b)The occupier of the house or place shall permit free entry to the person executing the arrest upon his demand.
(c)The duty to identify oneself or to give notice as referred to in subsection (a) shall not apply to the police officer executing the arrest if one of the following has been fulfilled:
(1)it is specified in the arrest warrant that the person executing the arrest is exempt from these duties;
(2)the performance of these duties is likely to endanger the safety of the person executing the arrest or of another person;
(3)the performance of these duties is likely to frustrate the arrest.
(d)If the person appearing to be the occupier of the house or place has not permitted entry, after having been required to do so, the police officer executing the arrest may, after having warned the person appearing to be the occupier of the house or place, use force against a person or against property in order to enable entry, provided that the use of force under this subsection shall be reasonable for the purpose of effecting entry.
(e)
(1)A police officer executing a lawful arrest may use force against a person or property in order to overcome resistance to or interference with the execution of the arrest, or an attempt to flee from arrest, provided that the use of force under this subsection shall be reasonable and shall not be such as to endanger human life;
(2)Before force is used as referred to in this subsection, the person executing the arrest must warn the person who is resisting or interfering that he is about to do so, unless giving such a warning would frustrate the ability to exercise the said powers, or would endanger the life or bodily integrity of the police officer or of another person.
Period of Arrest§
77h8.

The period of arrest shall commence upon delivery of the notice referred to in section 77h6(b) and shall not exceed 24 hours.

Bringing an Arrestee to the Police Station§
77h9.

A police officer executing an arrest order shall bring the arrestee, without delay, to the nearest police station (hereinafter — the station), and shall transfer him into the custody of the commanding officer.

Arrest Report§
77h10.

Once an arrestee has been brought to the station and transferred into the custody of the commanding officer, the police officer who effected the arrest shall prepare, as soon as practicable after bringing the arrestee to the station, a written report in which he shall detail the circumstances of the arrest and shall state the time of delivery of the notice of arrest (hereinafter — the time of arrest); the report shall be delivered to the commanding officer.

Right to Notification of Arrest§
77h11.
(a)Once an arrestee has been transferred into the custody of the commanding officer, the officer shall inform him that he is entitled to notify a person close to him of his arrest.
(b)Notice of the arrest and of the whereabouts of the arrestee shall be given, as soon as possible, to the person named by the arrestee and who can be located by reasonable means, unless the arrestee has requested that no such notice be given.
Commanding Officer's Report on Arrest§
77h12.

The commanding officer shall report, as soon as possible, on the arrest to the competent officer.

Transfer of Arrestee to a Detention Facility or to His Unit§
77h13.
(a)A conscript police officer arrested on the ground set out in section 77h3(1) shall be transferred, as soon as possible and no later than 24 hours from the time of arrest, to the facility designated for serving the sentence.
(b)A conscript police officer arrested on the ground set out in section 77h3(2) shall be transferred to his unit, as soon as possible and no later than 24 hours from the time of arrest, for the purpose of investigating the circumstances of the absence and bringing him to trial in disciplinary proceedings within the period of arrest.
(c)If the investigation reveals that there are no grounds for bringing the arrestee to disciplinary trial, the arrestee shall be released forthwith.
Extension of Arrest before a Senior Adjudication Officer§
77h14.

If the disciplinary proceedings in the matter of an arrestee have not been concluded within 24 hours from the time of his arrest, and the competent officer has found that the ground set out in section 77h3(2) continues to subsist, he may apply for an extension of the arrest.

Application for Extension of Arrest§
77h15.
(a)An application for an extension of arrest shall be submitted to a senior adjudication officer within 24 hours from the time of arrest, and shall set out in detail the grounds underlying it.
(b)The hearing on an application for an extension of arrest shall be held in the presence of the arrestee and shall be documented in minutes.
Authority of Adjudication Officer to Extend Arrest by Order§
77h16.
(a)If a senior adjudication officer hearing an application for an extension of arrest is of the opinion that it will not be possible to conclude the disciplinary proceedings against the arrestee within the period of arrest, he may extend the arrest for an additional period not exceeding 48 hours.
(b)An order extending the arrest shall be drawn up in writing and shall include the particulars enumerated in section 77h5.
Appeal against an Arrest Order§
77h17.
(a)A conscript police officer who has been arrested pursuant to an order under this Section may submit an appeal.
(b)The appeal shall be submitted in writing in the manner prescribed in Israel Police Orders.
(c)The appeal shall be heard before a Border Guard officer authorised for that purpose by the Border Guard commander, provided that his rank is higher than the rank of the senior adjudication officer who directed the arrest by the order.
(d)Where an appeal has been submitted, the hearing shall be held in the presence of the appellant, without delay, and no later than 24 hours from the time of its submission.
(e)The appeal hearing shall be documented in minutes.
Authority of the Officer Hearing the Appeal§
77h18.

The officer hearing the appeal may do one of the following:

(1)allow the appeal;
(2)dismiss the appeal;
(3)shorten the period of arrest.
Detention for the Purpose of Effecting Arrest§
77h19.
(a)Where a police officer has reasonable grounds to suspect that an arrest order has been issued against a conscript police officer, he may detain him in order to ascertain his identity and address and to require him to accompany him to a police station for the purpose of receiving the order and executing the arrest pursuant thereto.
(b)For the purposes of this Section, "detention" means the restriction of the freedom of a conscript police officer to move freely, as referred to in this Section.
Manner of Effecting Detention§
77h20.
(a)A police officer effecting a detention shall first identify himself to the detained conscript police officer in accordance with the provisions of section 5a, and the provisions of section 5a(d), (e) and (f) shall apply to a police officer effecting a detention under this section.
(b)If the detainee refuses to comply with the instructions of a police officer to identify himself or to accompany him to the police station, or obstructs the police officer in exercising the power of detention, the police officer may use force to effect the detention, provided that the use of force is reasonable and does not endanger human life.
(c)The police officer shall bring the detainee without delay to the nearest police station and shall transfer him into the custody of the commanding officer.
Duration of Detention§
77h21.

Where a conscript police officer has been detained, the duration of the detention shall not exceed the reasonable time required, in the circumstances of the case, to carry out the actions for which this power was conferred, provided that the duration of the detention shall not exceed three hours.

Detention Report§
77h22.

Upon conclusion of the detention, the police officer shall prepare a written report in which he shall detail the name and rank of the detainee, the reason for the detention, and the duration of the detention.

Arrest of the Detained Person§
77h23.

If the supervising officer finds that an arrest warrant has been issued against the detained person, he shall carry out the arrest in the manner set out in section 77h6.

Deduction of Days of Arrest from the Period of Confinement§
77h24.

Where a conscript police officer has been arrested under this Section and a sentence of confinement has been imposed on him, the period of his arrest shall be deducted from the actual period of confinement.

Place and Conditions of Arrest§
77h25.
(a)A person arrested under this Section shall be held at a police station in a place to be determined by the commanding officer, or at the unit in which he serves in a place to be determined by the unit commander whose rank is not lower than the rank of sergeant.
(b)An arrestee as aforesaid shall be held separately from persons suspected of criminal offences and under appropriate conditions that shall not prejudice his health or dignity.
(c)The conditions of arrest of an arrestee shall be as provided in section 9(b) of the Criminal Procedure Law (Enforcement Powers — Arrests), 5756-1996, with the following modifications:
(1)the conditions and times for the daily walk referred to in paragraph (5) shall be prescribed in Israel Police Orders;
(2)for the purposes of paragraph (6), the arrestee shall be entitled only to telephone contact, as shall be prescribed in Israel Police Orders.
(d)The administrative arrangements, the regime and discipline at the place of arrest, as well as the measures that may be taken against arrestees for the purpose of maintaining discipline during the period of arrest, shall be prescribed in Israel Police Orders.

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