New police chief makes sweeping changes

Insp.-Gen. Yohanan Danino, who took over command of the Israel Police on Sunday, has introduced a sweeping reshuffling of the force’s brass – and created a new police district in the North.The changes announced on Tuesday include dividing the police’s Northern District into two: one based around Haifa (the Coastal District), and the second covering the Galilee and the Golan Heights (the Northern District); there will now be seven districts.Several new district heads have been appointed, and will be sworn in at a ceremony on Wednesday morning at the Public Security Ministry in Jerusalem.The moves will significantly change the force. In addition, Danino has merged the police’s community branch, which oversees police volunteers, with the operations branch.“This is a quality, versatile team made up of young and veteran officers, from within the force and outside of it,” the police said in a statement.The new head of the Tel Aviv Police District will be Lt.-Cmdr. Aron Aksul. Aksul was previously deputy commander of the Border Police.The former head of Tel Aviv Police, Cmdr. Shahar Ayalon, was appointed head of the Israel Fire and Rescue Service.Lt.-Cmdr. Niso Shaham, former deputy head of the Jerusalem District Police, will become its commander.Cmdr. Israel Itzhak will become the force’s deputy inspector-general, it’s No. 2. He was previously head of the Border Police.The Judea and Samaria District Police will be headed by Lt.-Cmdr. Amos Yaakov, who formerly led the Jerusalem Border Police.Cmdr. Hagai Gotan, who was previously head of the Judea and Samaria District, will lead the new Coastal Police District.Lt.-Cmdr. Yosi Preinti, formerly head of the Negev sub-district, will command the Southern District.