Palestinian Civil Police Force

Palestinian Civil Police
الشرطة المدنية الفلسطينية
Palestinian Civil Police; الشرطة المدنية الفلسطينية
Abbreviation	PCP
Agency overview
Formed	May 4, 1994
Jurisdictional structure
National agency	State of Palestine
Operations jurisdiction	Palestinian Authority, State of Palestine
Governing body	Palestinian Security Services
General nature	Civilian police;
Operational structure
Police Officers	9,213
Elected officer responsible	Ziad Hab al-Rih, Minister of the Interior;
Agency executives	Major General Allam Saqa, Chief of Police (West Bank); Major General Mahmoud Salah, Chief of Police (Gaza Strip);
Parent agency	Palestinian Security Services
Facilities
Stations	68
Website
	https://www.palpolice.ps/en

The Palestinian Civil Police Force (PCP; Arabic: الشرطة المدنية الفلسطينية, al-Shurtah al-Madaniyah al-Filistiniyah) is the Civil Police organization tasked with traditional law enforcement duties in the autonomous territory governed by the Palestinian National Authority. The Civil Police is a part of the Palestinian Security Services. Since the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip the control of the Civil Police in Gaza was placed under the jurisdiction of Hamas.^[1]^[2]

History

Patrol Unit in Bethlehem

The Civil Police was formally established with the May 1994 signing of the Gaza–Jericho Agreement, a chapter in the Oslo Accords process, under the umbrella of the General Security Service. Founded with over 10,000 officers, it was the largest substituent of the Palestinian National Security Forces.^[3] The agreement called for the civil police maintaining public order from 25 stations throughout the Palestinian-administered parts of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.^[4]

Long-time Police head Ghazi al-Jabali was criticised for corruption and curbing press and civil rights freedoms. In 2004, he was kidnapped by the Jenin Martyrs Brigades, part of the Popular Resistance Committees, and only released after Palestinian President Yasser Arafat agreed to fire him. Al-Jabali was replaced with Arafat's cousin, Musa Arafat, a move which did little to restore public confidence in Police.^[3]^[5]

According to the International Crisis Group, Palestinian police and security forces succeeded in effectively "preventing, prosecuting and reducing crime" in the late 1990s.

During the course of the Second Intifada and its armed conflict, Palestinian police were unable to patrol armed or in uniform, lest they be engaged by Israeli security forces as combatants. As the armed conflict petered out after three years, Palestinian police forces returned to regular operations in 2003–2004.^[6]

During the Israel–Hamas war, members of the civilian police force in the Gaza Strip were systemically targeted and killed by the Israeli military.^[7] The attacks impacted the ability for humanitarian aid to be delivered, as well as the rise of armed gangs which would frequently raid humanitarian aid trucks in absence of security forces.^[8]

Development

In order to aid the Palestinian government in "establishing sustainable and effective civil policing arrangements", the European Union Co-ordinating Office for Palestinian Police Support, EUPOLCOPPS, was established beginning 2006.

The Palestinian Civil Police development includes creation of a Jericho Police Training School,^[9] and strengthening of investigative sectors like Crime Investigation Department, Anti-Narcotics General Administration, and Investigation Section.^[10]

The EUCOPPS mission has facilitated the training of Civil Police personnel as well as the donation of equipment including vehicles from European donor-states.^[11]^[12]

A Palestinian Local Aid Coordination Secretariat strategic report on the Civil Police lists among the force's strengths its leadership's youth and academic credentials, high loyalty and commitment to regulations and motivation, while weaknesses included poorly or undefined legal frameworks and logistical shortages, especially communications equipment and transportation.^[13]

Since 2007, the Palestinian Civil Police and the Israel Police have increased cooperation as confidence-building measures and a part of Palestinian institution-building. Since their jurisdictions are intertwined, cooperative tactics include having Israel police issue traffic citations to Palestinian drivers and repatriating the proceeds to the Palestinian Civil Police.^[14]

Ranks

Rank group	General / flag officers										Senior officers						Junior officers
Palestinian Civil Police Force	No equivalent
Palestinian Civil Police Force	No equivalent								Brigadier General عميد ʿamīd		Colonel عقيد ʿaqīd		Lieutenant Colonel مقدم muqaddam		Major رائد rāʾid		Captain نقيب naqīb		1st Lieutenant ملازم أول mulāzim ʾawwil			Lieutenant ملازم mulāzim