A meeting took place on Wednesday 13 Kislev between incoming Israel Police Commissioner Roni Alshich and Acting Commissioner Bentzi Sau to determine Sau’s future. Sau is expected to step down and announce his retirement after Alshich enters his post but it is reported that the new commissioner will try to persuade Sau to remain on as his deputy.

It has been over a half year since Sau agreed to serve as Acting Commissioner following the retirement of Yochanan Danino. He has been leading the department during a very difficult time, the current wave of Islamic terror attacks nationwide that began on erev Rosh Hashanah. It is believed that while Sau is unlikely to agree to serve as Alshich’s deputy, he will agree to remain on for a set period of time, a transition period to permit Alshich to acquaint himself with the department.

Both Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan will both seek to persuade Sau to remain on as well, at least for a number of months to assist Alshich. While Alshich comes as Deputy Director of the ISA (Israel Security Agency – Shin Bet), many feel that being an outsider and the fact that did not rise up through the ranks of the department make him less than qualified for the post, which demands a thorough familiarity with many aspects of law enforcement that are not terrorist or security related.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)