Police commissioner’s term to be extended by a year

Despite a history of disagreement between the two, Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch (Likud-Beytenu) is expected to extend the term of Police Commissioner Yohanan Danino by an additional year.

The extension, which is anticipated to be officially announced in the coming days, will bring Danino’s term to an end in May 2015, after four years.

The government is expected to approve the decision, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Friday.

As head of the Police Investigations Department from 2006-2008, Danino was involved in several high-profile investigations against senior politicians, including Avigdor Lieberman, Ehud Olmert, and Avraham Hirschson.

During his term as superintendent, Danino’s accomplishments include establishing a unit in Lahav 433 — the organized crime-fighting body also known as “the Israeli FBI” — to deal with the wave of mafia bomb attacks, and for splitting the Northern District in two.

Israeli media in the past has reported on tension between the two over Danino’s perceived self-promotion soon after Aharonovitch selected him. There had been speculation that Aharonovitch would instead pick his friend Aharon Franco, the chief of the prison service who had served in the Israel Police for 35 years, to replace Danino in 2014.

In addition to Franco, several other candidates are in the running for the top job in 2015, including Danino’s deputy Nissim Mor, Tel Aviv District Commander Bentzi Sau, Jerusalem District Commander Yossi Pariente, and Southern District Commander Yoram Halevi.