Palestinian Authority given more police jurisdiction in occupied West Bank
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[quote]Abu Dis, occupied West Bank - For the first time in more than a decade, the Palestinian Authority has been allowed to deploy police forces in Palestinian villages in areas controlled by Israel.
Years under occupation and a lack of proper law enforcement have transformed these once-thriving suburbs of Jerusalem into hubs for car thieves and drug and weapons dealers. Many residents are happy to see the police officers, even if their presence, so far, has been mainly symbolic.
On a recent afternoon, the sound of a police whistle in the centre of the Palestinian village of Abu Dis made people in the streets stop and turn, and store owners came out from their shops to see where the unusual sound came from. They were met with an unfamiliar sight: uniformed and armed Palestinian police officers directing the hectic midday traffic.
"Police are a good thing," 34-year-old Ashraf Mohtasseb told Al Jazeera while surveying the situation from his falafel shop. "We need security; there is no security in this area. Thieves go into people's houses at night to steal, drugs are rampant - even among boys as young as 15 - and most of the cars are illegal. People are scared. We just want to feel safe."[/quote]
[url]http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/04/pa-police-jurisdiction-occupied-west-bank-150426115846109.html[/url]
Always preferable to have locals policing their own communities.
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