The family of Arab police officers that does not apologize: "You cannot put a patrol car next to every house. A change of approach is needed"

83 years have passed since Salim Safia joined the Mandate police - whose son, grandson, and granddaughter followed in his footsteps and also joined the Israel Police. He was 20 years old then, and shortly after the establishment of the state, he joined the Israel Police. Salim Safia passed away at the age of 49, after instilling in his son Ahmad values of patriotism and loyalty to the state.

"I was born into a police home, my father, may he rest in peace, served as a police officer in the Haifa police," shared his son Ahmad Safia, a Chief Warrant Officer and himself a retiree of the Coastal District. Ahmad Safia, today 78 years old, was born in the village of Kafr Yasif in the Western Galilee. "I loved the police from a young age, I grew up on my father's stories about the British police, about the Mandate period, how to serve the public and how to help people," he recalls. "At the age of 25, I joined the police, at that time I was almost the only Muslim-Arab police officer, it was not accepted then. My father encouraged me to join and I felt that I was following in his footsteps, that I was fulfilling his goals."

After the police course, Ahmad was assigned to the Kfar Saba police, and after a few years as a patrol officer, he was transferred to the north. "I served for almost a year in the Kiryat Shmona police and after that I continued in Acre as a patrol officer. Later I went to a sergeant's course and was assigned as the commander of the Acre Marina station," he said. "As the station commander, I dealt with everything and in 2004 I retired, after 30 years of service in the police. In recent years I worked in investigations at the Acre station, it was the most interesting job. I will recommend to my grandchildren and great-grandchildren to serve in the police and contribute to the state." "For me, there is no life without the police."

Ahmad's son, Chief Warrant Officer Adham Safia, wanted to serve in the police from a young age. "From the moment I remember him, he wanted to be a police officer, when he was a child he would join me at work," said Ahmad. "I took him to the police in Acre, he once told me 'If I don't join the police, I will die'."

Chief Warrant Officer Adham Safia, 51, is, as mentioned, the third generation in the family to join the Israel Police. "I nursed the police just like mother's milk, I was born three years after my grandfather passed away, my parents told me that my father was on shift exactly when my mother started having contractions," he shared. "The family reported to the station that my mother was on her way to give birth and my father got into a patrol car, took my mother to the hospital in Nahariya and that's how I was born. When a baby is born in a patrol car, what else can he do in life besides being a police officer?".

Adham recalls how he accompanied his father to work as a child, and said: "I saw what respect they gave him and what respect he gave to the public, and I understood that this is exactly how I want to be when I grow up. I became addicted to my father's way of life, and from the youngest age it was clear to me that I wanted to be a police officer. My father returned every day with a wide smile, happy, and told me about the help he gives to people, my father was a public servant in the greatest sense of the word."

Adham even recalls how his father hosted Chuck Norris and the Von Erich brothers in Acre. "Everyone met my father. Acre was a huge tourist center and all the most important guests who arrived met my father who was the commander of the port point," he said. "When I saw my father respecting everyone and giving everyone the feeling that they are a citizen number one - I wanted to be exactly like him. For me, wearing a uniform every morning is fulfilling a childhood dream."

Adham's first role was as a patrol officer at the Acre station, which he filled for three years. Later he moved to serve as a police officer at the hospital in Nahariya for two years and then moved to the Haifa police. "From 2004 I was stationed as a police officer at the police point in Rambam Hospital in Haifa and since then I have been here for 22 years," he said. "At the same time, I had departures for reinforcement in Haifa patrol for a number of years and in the end I returned to Rambam, it is more than my home, every hospital director knows me, all the doctors and nurses in the hospital know me, my role is a community policing officer (commander of community policing) of the Rambam point."

Adham described that all the visits of important people to Rambam pass through him, and shared: "I accompany them and am responsible for their safety within the hospital grounds. I went through the recent wars here, every wounded soldier who arrives here is accompanied by me and I have a feeling that it is like my child, I pray for the recovery of all the wounded who arrive here from Lebanon, soldiers and civilians. As far as it depends on me, I am in the police until the grave, for me there is no life without the police."

Regarding the situation in the Arab society, Adham emphasized that "the police presence exists, but it is impossible to put a patrol car next to every house." According to him, "if the education at home starts incorrectly, then the police cannot replace everyone who did not function along the way." He believes that part of the Arab society "still does not cooperate enough with the police," but believes that "if the approach and thinking change - the results will come. We will succeed in eliminating crime in the Arab society only on the day they realize that we, the police officers, are coming to serve it and protect it, and that there is someone to rely on." Adham even added that in his opinion it is desirable to recruit more police officers from the Arab society: "Their presence in uniform conveys an important message to the community and our public, in integrating into Israeli society and in eradicating crime. In my dream, in every neighborhood of ours there will be someone in uniform, who will connect our public and community to society and the police."

"The police is my home." Adham's eldest daughter also decided to follow the path of the police and join the police, and so does his younger daughter intend to do. Staff Sergeant Karin Safia, 21, serves as a police officer at the Western Galilee station, which belongs to the Coastal District. "From a young age I wanted to be a police officer, I saw my father returning home in uniform and helping people and I knew I wanted to be like him," she shared. "The police were always part of the family, I am the fourth generation in the police, everyone knew in the village and at school that this was my dream. Already in kindergarten the teacher asked what you want to be, and it was clear to me and I said a police officer."

Immediately after high school, Karin submitted a request to do national service in the police, and after that she joined for permanent service. "I went to a police course, it was a good time. I was the only Arab girl in the course and I felt special. I connected immediately with everyone, from other areas, and I gained new friends from all over the country," she shared. At the same time, Karin started studying law - and is full of desire to continue in the police even after that. "I do not intend to leave the police. It is my home, I arrive every morning to work with a big smile on my face, I feel that I am doing a mission for the entire public," she said with pride.

Superintendent Yehiel Bohadana, commander of the Coastal District in the police, shared that "the Safia family is a symbol of values, dedication and service for the country." According to him, "four generations in one family chose to serve and contribute, and soon another family member will join for national service. This is a valuable and inspiring family, whose legacy of service continues from generation to generation."