The Border Police commander ordered to immediately implement all the lessons learned in all the crossings under the responsibility in the vicinity of Jerusalem.
Operational failures contributed to the killing of Sgt. Noa Lazar at the Shuafat crossing in October, a Border Police investigation found.
The investigation identified failures in the command routine at the checkpoint, in the speed of the response to suspicious activity, in the quality of the response, and in the failure of the forces operating at the crossing to make contact with the terrorist.
The investigation, which was conducted by the commander of areas surrounding Jerusalem Brig. Gen. Ami Nidam, further found that the movement of security personnel at the crossing routinely did not keep to protocols of the checkpoint’s security procedures.
Although three of the border police officers at the crossing shot at the terrorist, security personnel who were there reacted neither as expected nor in accordance with the values of the outfit, according to the conclusions of the investigation.
The exit of the terrorist from the vehicle in the first place was possible as a result of these issues.
The results of the investigation were presented to IDF Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi, chief of Israel Police, Commissioner Kobi Shabtai, and to the Public Security Minister Omer Bar-Lev, by the Commander of the Border Police, Deputy Commissioner Amir Cohen.
Border Police to tighten training, supervision for crossing security personnel
Following the findings of the investigation, the Border Police commander ordered routine security exercises to be conducted at the crossing, unique professional training held for the crossing commanders, the installation of sufficient technological infrastructure for the needs of the mission at the crossing, as well as the establishment of a strict supervision mechanism.
“The operation of the crossings is a challenging task performed by the forces of four different security bodies, who together perform a complex task that requires a high level of supervision and control,” the report said.
The border police commander ordered to immediately implement all the lessons learned in all the crossings under the responsibility of the Border Police in the vicinity of Jerusalem.
He also instructed the commander of the Border Police training school to establish dedicated training for commanding the crossings surrounding Jerusalem. In addition, the commander recommended that all the crossings around Jerusalem be privatized in light of the nature of the task at hand.
Kohavi orders removal of IDF troops from Shuafat crossing
Kohavi ordered the removal of IDF troops from the Shuafat checkpoint within a month, due to the nature of the task at the checkpoint – the purpose of which is the transit of Israeli citizens and residents, an assignment that “isn’t fit for IDF soldiers.”
Following this, Kohavi ordered an increase in the allocation of officers to the Border Police, in favor of placing them at the Shuafat checkpoint. Until the new officers are trained, the Border Police commander ordered the transfer of a company of officers from the West Bank division to the checkpoint.
The terrorist attack on the Shuafat crossing
A terrorist opened fire in the direction of a security checkpoint at the entrance to the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Shuafat last month, killing 18-year-old female Military Police officer Noa Lazar, and severely wounding a 30-year-old security guard.
According to police, that day, a vehicle sped towards the Shuafat checkpoint, with the terrorist exiting the vehicle, shooting at security forces and fleeing from the scene on foot towards the Shuafat refugee camp as the vehicle drove in the opposite direction.
Lazar was originally from the northern town of Bat Hefer. She was a fighter in the IDF’s Military Police Erez battalion. She was promoted posthumously from the rank of corporal to sergeant.
As reported by The Jerusalem Post