Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan fired a former top police officer on Tuesday, nearly two years after he was first reprimanded for failing to report a sexual harassment complaint against former Jerusalem Police Chief Nisso Shaham and for lying about the complaint during question by Justice Ministry investigators.
The officer, Dep.-Ch Nissim Edri, was convicted in December 2013 of failing to report a sexual harassment complaint Shaham which was submitted by a female officer who served under Shaham.
Later, when a Justice Ministry investigation was launched against Shaham on a series of sex crimes allegations, including sexual assault, Edri lied repeatedly to investigators over the course of four hours of questioning, saying that he was not notified of any complaint against Shaham.
At the time, Edri was sentenced to a NIS 2,000 fine and given a stern reprimand, but no further actions were taken and he was not demoted.
“I lament the termination of Dep.-Ch Edri, who served many years in the police and made great accomplishments fighting crime and terror, but his actions, which the court described, are not consistent with the morals that must be instilled in the Israel Police,” Erdan said Wednesday.
In October 2013, Shaham was indicted for a series of sex crimes against eight female police officers, including women who were in economic distress. All of them were subordinates and investigators found that some of them were given perks following the abuse.
In the past couple years several of the most senior officers of the Israel Police have resigned or been terminated after allegations – and in the case of Shaham – convictions for sexual misconduct.
Though he’s only been in the ministry for a couple months, Erdan said one of the main priorities of his time in office and for the next Chief of Police will be to improve discipline and the internal culture of the organization and work on redeeming the image of police following the scandals.