Public defender report laments increased arrests

A report from the Public Defender’s Office published on Sunday showed that there has been a steady increase in the number of arrests made by police and problems of false convictions that face a cumbersome retrial process.

The report, presented earlier to Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, highlighted the growing number of arrests since 1998 when new legislation was introduced to protect citizens’ rights with regard to police detention.

According to the report, 40,345 arrests were made in 1998 compared with 62,291 in 2012. In 2013, the number dropped to 61,049.

The report also said more people were being held behind bars while yet to be convicted. 1998, 6,080 people were detained until the end of proceedings by the police and in 2013 that figure had risen to 20,082.

The public defender attributed the rising numbers in part to policies introduced by Police Commissioner Yohanan Danino in 2011 that called for improving the public’s feeling of security by setting target figures for arrests to deter criminals from breaking the law.

“There is no dispute that Israeli police may set goals and metrics to assess the effectiveness of the fight against crime,” the report said. “However, keep in mind that the infringement on a person’s liberty at the stage when he is presumed innocent must be done as a last resort when there is no other option, and when the person poses a danger to the public or there is concern regarding the distortion of legal proceedings.”

The report also raised concerns over the problem of false convictions and noted the difficulties in requesting a retrial, in part because the state prosecution often refuses to transfer details of investigations to the public defender, or to enable the public defender to carry out its own DNA tests.