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| NEWS > 20 February 2007 |
Other related articles:
Reid defends police in terror
Defence Secretary John Reid has denied Conservative claims that the police had been "politicised" in the run-up to a terror vote.
He said the calls were a "smokescreen" to cover Tory embarrassment at blocking a 90-day detention period for terror suspects - they backed 28 days instead.
The Tories want an inquiry into alleged lobbying of MPs by chief constables.
The home secretary has admitted writing to Acpo, requesting senior officers be available to provide advice for MPs.
But Charles Clarke, in a letter to The Telegraph on Saturday, denied Conservati... Read more
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Ha'aretz - Tel Aviv,Israel
20 February 2007
This article appeared in the above title/site.
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Integrity vs. effectiveness
The public security minister was not careless in choosing the new national police commissioner. Rather, for eight months he observed the police and the Prisons Service under his command and gradually formed an opinion. Even before the publication of the Zeiler report Avi Dichter realized that the police were in need of a shake-up and the person in charge was not the right man for the job.
One can object to the choice of Yaakov Ganot, but no one can deny Dichter the expertise he earned as head of the Shin Bet security service and his ability to comprehend the skills needed to run a security organization. It can be assumed that Dichter was impressed by Ganot's professional successes and decided to downplay questionable aspects of his behavior in the past. On the one hand, the appointment of Ganot fulfills the public desire for a police force that is more effective at fighting crime. On the other hand, his appointment ignores the necessity of appointing someone who radiates personal integrity.
The public is not unified in its views on fighting corruption. Some argue that the expectations from public figures have become so high that they are tantamount to persecution. The prime minister, and apparently the new justice minister as well, believes that there are too many investigations of public figures and too many convictions, and that even an acquittal is not necessarily considered final. The case of Ganot is an outstanding example of this because it begs the question of whether a police official whose original acquittal was upheld on appeal can be appointed police commissioner despite the judges' severe criticism of his behavior as Northern District commander. Does the time that has elaspsed erase the questions about Ganot's relationship with contractor Subhi Tanus, or his using a police officer as his family's chauffeur?
The more lenient school says that an acquittal is an acquittal. The stricter one holds that public figures in high positions must have a spotless past, not just one that is free of criminal convictions. Ganot was acquitted in a court of law, but was reprimanded for conduct unbecoming. He was barred from holding command positions for a period of years. It is doubtful that such a person can instill personal integrity into the country's police officers.
Public servants are supposed to avoid social interaction with the wealthy as a matter of principle, but unfortunately this is not the case. Ganot attended a party given by Tanus in honor of his appointment as district commander, and then police commissioner Rafi Peled did not resist when a Tiberias contractor offered to hold a bat mitzvah party for his daughter at his private beach on Lake Kinneret. Moshe Karadi, the outgoing commissioner, has also not been a role model for avoiding parties hosted by the rich and famous, although no one ever claimed that they were held in his honor. The need for a political culture that is less cozy with the glitterati is not taken for granted by office-holders, and whatever is not prohibited by the courts as criminal is mistakenly considered to be legitimate.
The appointment of Yaakov Ganot represents a decision to focus on professional effectiveness rather than moral integrity. The question that must be asked is whether it is possible to find a candidate who combines both qualities.
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