The first Jerusalem District Police station to open in Shuafat ever is being called an “Integrated Service Center” and as such, is providing “police services.”
Attending the opening ceremony on Sunday was Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh, Jerusalem District Commander Yoram HaLevy and Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, in addition to local officials and others.
One has to be a brave cop indeed to work the Shuafat precinct, however; the Shuafat neighborhood in northern Jerusalem is the one where most of the stoning attacks are aimed at the city’s Light Rail train as it moves through the outskirts of the capital.
For the uninformed, “police services” include filing complaints about violence and theft. The building also serves as a venue in which the city can provide municipal services as well, saving local residents the trouble of shlepping to the center of the city – and possibly saving the Light Rail a few stoning attacks as well.
The idea for the new “service center” was advanced by the Jerusalem District Police Commander, who says the main goal is to present a different face, and a different concept of policing than the neighborhood residents are used to seeing.
The next neighborhood on the map that is set to receive a new “Integrated Service Center” is Sur Baher.