The Central District Commander of the Israel Police, Superintendent Moshe Barkat, announced on Tuesday that he will retire from his position in the coming months.
Barkat has served in the police force for about 30 years, six of them in the rank of commissioner as district commander. Among his previous positions are assistant chief, commander of the David District in the Jerusalem District, head of the police division of the Operations Directorate, defense secretary to the public security minister and commander of the Judea and Samaria District.
Shabtai agreed with him that he would continue in office as long as necessary, and would retire only after "the locating of a district commander and completion of a meticulous transfer procedure to maintain the command sequence and stability of the district's routine of activity."
The Central District is one of the largest in the police force and very powerful. Quite a few of its past commanders have become police chiefs, including Shabtai himself and Moti Cohen, who served as deputy police chief until the end of 2020.