Danino reacts to criticism on police handling of kidnapping case

Insp.-General says that now is not the time for criticism and that all efforts are focused on finding the kidnapped boys and bringing them home.

Police Insp.-Gen.Yohanan Danino speaking in Modi'in, June 15, 2014. (photo credit: BEN HARTMAN)
Police Insp.-Gen.Yohanan Danino speaking in Modi'in, June 15, 2014.
(photo credit: BEN HARTMAN)
Police Insp.-Gen.Yohanan Danino answered questions from the media on Sunday night regarding police handling of the kidnapping case in which one of three abducted boys was reportedly able to place a call to police informing them of the kidnapping. Sources have claimed that the police department did not pass on the information to the army in time.
A call was made to police dispatch around 10:30 p.m. on Thursday night during which one of the young men told police, "We've been kidnapped," but it was only as much as five hours later before security services were notified.

For the past 24 hours there has been furious criticism of police amid reports that they were notified of the suspected kidnapping but did not notify security forces, giving the kidnappers hours to flee the scene with the boys.

Danino responded by saying that, "As you know me and the Israel Police, we will leave no stone unturned in investigating any mistakes or shortcomings. However, now is the time to focus completely on the mission at hand, to find these boys and bring them home healthy and safe."
He added that, "We extend our embrace to the families. From the very moment the police department became involved in this situation we have done everything we can to find these young men. Many different efforts and operations are currently ongoing."