Following a series of stabbings across the country, Northern District police
officers embarked on a large operation over the weekend against youth violence,
knives, and alcohol, arresting 75 minors for a variety of
offenses.
Israel Police Insp.-Gen. Yochanan Danino had ordered all
districts to crack down on street violence and to boost officers’ visibility in
entertainment districts.
Northern police seized 10 knives and two pairs
of brass knuckles from teenagers during searches, and arrested a further 16 for
possession of drugs.
Hundreds of police and volunteers confiscated 306
alcohol beverages from drinkers in public areas, where their consumption is
prohibited.
They were deployed in several cities including Afula, Safed,
Nazareth, Upper Nazareth, Migdal Ha’emek and Karmiel.
“We started this
operation on Friday, and worked around the clock into Saturday night. We found
offenses in 67 kiosks,” Ch.-Supt. Ido Klein, the youth officer for the Northern
District, told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.
In 37 kiosks, police
uncovered evidence that alcohol was being sold to minors, Klein said, noting
that 200 kiosks in the North have been found to be committing that offense since
the beginning of the year.
Klein said police were seeking to crack down
on two offenses that, when mixed, often result in potentially lethal violence,
underage drinking and knife possession. “When someone is intoxicated and is
armed with a knife, he is far more likely to brandish it,” he said. “Our
experience shows that drunken youths carrying knives are 10 times more likely to
use them.”
Klein said his biggest target was kiosk owners who sold beer
and hard spirits to youths, adding that 29 business owners had been invited to a
police hearing following the operation.
“They could see their businesses
shut for 30 days. That will cause huge economic damage,” he said. “They
see the money and it blinds them, but the fact is that they are risking
significant economic damage.”
Klein said he could not comment on whether
police sent in youngsters to try to buy alcohol while secretly recording
them.
“I go after those who sell the minors alcohol. I will use all the
tools at my disposal against them, including undercover and overt methods,” he
added.
Meanwhile, in Rishon Lezion, police detained two drivers over the
weekend after they were found to be over the legal alcohol limit. One of the
drivers had already had his license revoked, and so was driving
illegally.
Officers seized 30 alcoholic drinks being consumed in public
areas, and found 120 bags of the illegal “Mr. Nice Guy” synthetic drug during a
search of a kiosk; officers arrest an employee and shut down the business.