As C14 reported approximately two weeks ago, the Prime Minister’s Office, led by attorney Roi Kahlon, is currently developing a new five-year plan to combat the rampant organized crime in Israel’s Arab sector, such as gang shootings and extortion . A major element of the emerging plan for the first time: the use of artificial intelligence as a central tool in the fight against crime organizations,.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the approval of the plan, which includes bringing the Shin Bet into the fight against crime in Arab society, describing the phenomenon as a “national scourge” and stressing the goal of restoring Israelis’ personal security. Netanyahu said: “We will not accept a reality of violence, extortion and murder in our streets. The State of Israel will act with determination, strength and without compromise to eradicate the crime organizations and restore security to our streets.”
Under the plan, government databases would feed into a single information system capable of consolidating information on criminal activity and analyzing it to assist law enforcement agencies. The goal is to transform information currently scattered across different government systems into a more effective operational and intelligence tool.
Artificial intelligence would be used to process and clean the data, identify unusual financial activity and detect recurring patterns associated with criminals and organized crime groups. Another component of the plan involves identifying straw men and shell companies, which officials familiar with the details say are frequently used to conceal the financial activities of organized crime.
By exposing those networks, officials behind the plan hope to strike at the financial lifeline that allows crime organizations to continue operating. Ultimately, the system, which is still under development, is intended to help law enforcement stay ahead of organized crime groups, identify suspicious activity earlier and disrupt criminal operations before they expand.
The emerging five-year plan includes additional measures aimed at attacking the financial resources of organized crime organizations, which C14 will cover in future reports.