On January 1st, 2006, the Israeli Government approved the implementation of an extensive program for fighting severe crime, organized crime and their repercussions; as well as the witness protection program. These are central and progressive programs, which are the results of a professional cooperation between the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Public Security, the public prosecutor's office, and the Israel Police; and its aim is to improve the ability of the enforcement mechanisms to cope with severe crime.The State of Israel has named the fight against severe and organized crime and their repercussions, as a long term national goal. It has also been determined that the realization of the goal will be achieved by furthering the cooperation between all the enforcement authorities responsible for this issue, and by combining their abilities.
The Ministry of Public Security and all its establishments are currently working towards implementing the Minister of Public Security and the State of Israel's policy of annihilating the great threat that organized crime, severe crime and public corruption pose for the state and society; by conducting close and effective cooperation between the various enforcement authorities, and enhancing the level of personal and communal security among the residents and citizens of Israel. This can be done by substantially increasing the rates of crime, delinquency, anti-social behavior and violence; and by effectively deterring law breakers, while at the same time, maintaining close and effective cooperation between the various enforcement branches.
This section provides information about the establishments and programs dealing with the fight against severe crime.
The Authority for the Protection of Threatened Witnesses- The government decision, from January 1st, 2006, stated that the authority's three main duties are:
1. Protecting the witnesses as they are about to entire into the Witness Protection Program.
2. Development and instruction of methods and regulations for witness protection.
3. Furthering the public message and increasing the sense of duty among civilians to tell the truth when delivering a statement at the police station or a court house.
It has also been determined that a steering committee will be established. It would be headed by the State Attorney and responsible for observing the authority's activities.
The Israel Police's national crime fighting unit, the La'hav 433 unit, is operating as the leading force in the fight against national crime organizations and other severe national crime phenomena.