Police chief to name Shin Bet, IDF commanders to the force

Alsheich expected to shake up the organization

By BEN HARTMAN
Israeli border police guards secure near the scene of a shooting incident in Tel Aviv (photo credit: REUTERS)
Israeli border police guards secure near the scene of a shooting incident in Tel Aviv
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Officers from the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and the IDF are among new commanders approved as part of Insp.- Gen. Roni Alsheich’s first round of appointments as the nation’s top cop.
Alsheich, a former Shin Bet deputy head, was expected to bring personnel from the security services into the police to shake up the organization and incorporate different leadership methods.
First among these will be a man named Wednesday as “B.” a senior commander in the operations branch of the Shin Bet.
B. will be drafted into the police with the rank of assistant chief – the highest rank below commissioner. He shall then take on his role as head of the logistics and support branch. B., 49, has held a number of Shin Bet command roles since 1996, the Israel Police said.
Brig.-Gen. (res.) Tzvi Tesler, 52, who retired in 2014 as head of the Home Front Command, will be drafted into the police with the rank of assistant chief to head the police planning branch.
The Border Police will be led by Deputy Chief Yaakov Shabtai, now head of the Sharon subdistrict and a former officer in the Border Police.
In the Northern District, former head of the Police Academic College Dep.-Ch.Alon Asor will take over as district commander, while the head of the community policing branch Deputy Chief Moshe Barkat will take over as head of the Judea and Samaria District.
Deputy Chief Alon Livni, deputy head of the Central District and former deputy head of the Southern District will be appointed head of the operations branch, police said.
Jerusalem District head Asst.-Ch. Moshe “Chico” Edri will head the Tel Aviv District, and be replaced in Jerusalem by Asst.-Ch.
Yoram Halevy. Halevy, a former commander of the YAMAM counterterrorism unit of the Border Police and the Southern District, had been considered a top candidate for national commissioner before Alsheich was named.
The new Coastal District head will be Asst.-Ch. Amos Yaakov, and Asst.-Ch. David Bitan will head the Southern District.