6 senior cops to get the boot over fatal pride parade attack
Police release final findings of probe into stabbing at Jerusalem event that killed Shira Banki, 16; minister accepts recommendations
A final version of an internal police probe into failings that enabled a fatal stabbing attack at the Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade on July 30 was released Sunday evening, calling for six senior officers to be removed from their posts and another four to be reprimanded.
The findings were submitted to acting Israel Police chief Bentzi Sau last week.
Among those to be removed over the attack are the heads of the Moriah police substation, the head of the Jerusalem intelligence branch of the police, the head of the operations branch for the area of the parade, the head of intelligence for the Moriah substation, the officer in charge of securing part of the heavily guarded parade route, and the head of the coordination division.
One more police officer, who was in charge of guarding the area of the route where the stabbing took place, will also be removed.
On July 30, religious zealot Yishai Schlissel was able to reprise a stabbing attack from 10 years earlier just weeks after being released from prison, killing 16-year-old Shira Banki and injuring six others, despite a heavy police presence at the parade.
The police report also calls for lighter reprimands to be handed to four more officials, including Jerusalem Police chief Chico Edrey, the head of the Zion substation, and two others.
Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said he accepted the report in full.
“The death of Shira Banki and the injuries to the marchers was a severe incident that could have been prevented, and so we need to probe and unfortunately there needs to be personal consequences, even if they are unprecedented in scope,” he said in a statement.
Sau praised the work of the police panel and said that the tragic events at the parade “should never have happened.”
He blamed the “specific failures” of several “good and dedicated” senior officers and lamented the high personal cost to them, but said the police command must be held to the highest standards, especially when lives were at stake.