After years of friction between the religious Zionist sector in Israel and the police over the evacuation of the Gush Katif settlements and the violent struggle over the Amona outpost, the relations between the two groups appear to be improving, according to a new poll. The poll, conducted among members of the religious Zionist or "national religious" public as part of the program Believing in the Police, which encourages religious Israelis to enlist in the Israel Police, indicates that the religious sector wants to influence the nation's police force from within. The poll asked respondents if young religious Israelis joining the police force was as important as serving in a combat role in the IDF, and 64.3% replied "yes." Over three quarters -- 76.7% -- of respondents said that integrating more religious Israelis in the Israeli Police would have many positive effects on the institution, and 68.5% said that they saw joining the police force as an move motivated by idealism and a sense of service. According to 67.2% of respondents, a [larger] presence of religiously observant police officers would directly and indirectly influence society for the better. But despite the generally positive perception of the police and the sector's ability to influence it, when asked if they themselves would join the Israel Police, respondents were less enthusiastic. When asked, "Assuming you are a young man who has completed college and not yet started working, and you are asked to enlist in the Israel Police on a path that accommodates the religious public," over 50% of those polled replied that there was little chance they would join the police force. Thus far, more than 50 graduates of the Believing in the Police project have enlisted. Project founder Nachi Eyal said that "the program has brought about a change in how religious Zionism sees police service. Today we can clearly say -- religious Zionism has faith in the police and believes in full ... participation in Israeli society." Israel Police Commissioner Insp. Gen. Roni Alsheikh, the first religiously observant commissioner in the history of the nation's police, said ahead of a new class starting the police academy that "the [Israel] Police is not made of wood and stone. It is made up of police officers, and when we understand that we should send our best sons [to the police], we will know how to build a better police force, together."
Religious public has faith in the police, poll finds
Religious Zionist Israelis believe religious police recruits can have a positive influence on the police and society, but relatively few are willing to enlist • Police Commissioner Insp. Gen. Roni Alsheikh: We can build a better police force, together.
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