Police report reveals operational errors after Tel Aviv shooting

An internal police investigation following the January shooting attack in Tel Aviv that left three dead has revealed a series of errors made by police officers.

Still, according to police, the manhunt for terrorist Nashat Milhem was not affected by the failings.

The findings of the investigation have provided responses for much of the criticism that followed the week-long manhunt that ended with police killing Milhem in a shoot-out in northern Israel.

The report responded to criticism over the fact that a sighting of Milhem on a bus on his way to Wadi Ara by two women was reported to police, but seemed to slip between the cracks. According to police, the sighting report only reached officers via the young women's employer five hours after they were already active in Wadi Ara.

Police later tried to contact the employer from a blocked number and he didn't respond. When he tried to call police again, he didn't manage to reach them.

Addressing this issue, the investigation report concluded that there is a technological infrastructure gap between police stations and call centers, causing an interrupted flow of information, which can lead to "potential confusion."

Police also noted a 40% increase in calls to the Tel Aviv emergency call center on the day of the attack, reaching 2,199 calls; a 32% increase in the number incidents requiring assistance, reaching 718; and a 624% increase in reports of suspicious people.

Police insisted that the search for Milhem was not affected by the blunders, placing the burden of its criticism on the technological infrastructure at emergency call centers.

However, there was a thorough investigation led by a special committee dedicated to looking into police call center problems following the kidnapping and murder of three teenaged boys in June 2014, when an emergency call made by one of them was taken for a prank.

In September 2014, following the investigation led by former Deputy Police Commissioner Nissim Mor, the Israel Police announced that it had adopted the committee's recommendations, among them a national call center operating at international technological standards set to open this year.

The police report further addresses the delay in sharing Milhem's photo with the public, explaining that police were not immediately sure whether the man pictured was the terrorist or his brother.

The authorities also reported that they faced a lack of information when initially surveying whether the murder of a Tel Aviv taxi driver the same day was related to the terrorist attack, only making the connection later on.

Another issue found by police was in inefficient cooperation between police and the Shin Bet security agency. As a result, police are planning to establish a joint team with the Shin Bet that will allow for integrated intelligence and investigation efforts.

Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh said of the report: "In addition to the lessons learned, we must also pay attention to the concerning phenomenon of the criminal community's connection to terrorism via 'self-recruitment' to the Islamic State group and similar organizations. Increased police operations in the Arab community will serve as a good opportunity to minimize that threat."

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan announced Sunday that he plans to advance legislation that will allow police to immediately locate all callers to the emergency call center. He added that police call centers will undergo a digitization process that will connect them to media including the WhatsApp messaging application and Facebook.

Meanwhile, the families of attack victims Alon Bakal and Shimon Ruimi said the police report is not important to them as it won't bring back their sons.

Iris Ruimi, Shimon's mother, said: "The moment they killed the terrorist, the cycle ended. Whether there were mistakes or not doesn't really change things and won't bring back my darling. The most important thing is that they learn lessons from this."

Dudi Bakal, Alon's father, said, "Whether they made mistakes or not after the attack is not a crucial factor -- it wouldn't have saved Alon from the despicable murderer."

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