For other uses, see Civil Guard

Civil Guard

The Civil Guard , often abbreviated in Hebrew to Mash'az is a volunteer organization of Israeli citizens which assists in daily police work. It is a subdivision of the Israel Police.-Organization:...

.

The Civil Guard , often abbreviated in Hebrew to Mash'az (משא"ז) is a volunteer organization of Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

i citizens which assists in daily police

Police

The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...

 work. It is a subdivision of the Israel Police

Israel Police

The Israel Police is the civilian police force of Israel. As with most other police forces in the world, its duties include crime fighting, traffic control, maintaining public safety, and counter-terrorism...

.

Organization

As of today, the Civil Guard is a division in the "Police and Community" branch of the Israel Police. The Civil Guard is managed and supported by the police which provide weapons, equipment, training and police officers who command local Civil Guard base

Military base

A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. In general, a military base provides accommodations for one or more units, but it may also be used as a...

s (each community has one or more Civil Guard bases). Although the Civil Guard is operated by the police, its manpower consists mainly of civilian volunteers. Members are trained to provide the initial response to a security situation until the police arrive. Most Civil Guard volunteers are armed with M1 Carbine

M1 Carbine

The M1 carbine is a lightweight, easy to use semi-automatic carbine that became a standard firearm for the U.S. military during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and was produced in several variants. It was widely used by U.S...

s and personal handguns (if the member has a civilian gun license). The Civil Guard is composed mainly of "classic" volunteers who do patrols (in car or on foot) once in a while. They go through basic training and have [sometimes limited] police powers while on duty. They may apprehend a suspected person or even make an arrest if necessary. Equipment generally consists of a fluorescent yellow police vest, flashlight, radio, firearm, handcuffs and whatever else may be required particular to the assignment. Equipment is returned at the end of the shift. Most volunteers manage about one shift a week (2 to 4+ hours), while the minimum requirement is 12 hours a month.

There are also Matmid (מתמי"ד) volunteers which operate far more intensively than "Classic"s in regular police work. Yatam (ית"מ) volunteers mainly operate in traffic control

Traffic

Traffic on roads may consist of pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, streetcars and other conveyances, either singly or together, while using the public way for purposes of travel...

. Both Matmid and Yatam are more like volunteer police officers. They have almost all the authorities of a regular police officer. They receive advanced training and wear regular police uniforms.

The Civil Guard also has special units (such as sniper

Sniper

A sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....

s, dune buggy

Dune buggy

A dune buggy is a recreational vehicle with large wheels, and wide tires, designed for use on sand dunes or beaches. The design is usually a modified vehicle and engine mounted on an open chassis. The modifications usually attempt to increase the power-to-weight ratio by either lightening the...

 riders, bicycle-riders, search-and-rescue teams, cavalry and divers), but their members have to go through additional training and have a higher level of commitment (they have to volunteer for more hours a month).

History

The Civil Guard was established on July 10, 1974 as a group of civilians volunteered to do night patrols in near-border neighborhoods, which were exposed to Palestinian terror attacks, and in particular following the Ma'alot massacre

Ma'alot massacre

The Ma'alot massacre was a terrorist attack which included a two-day hostage-taking of 115 people which ended in the deaths of over 25 hostages. It began when three armed Palestinian terrorists of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine entered Israel from Lebanon...

 of May 15, 1974.

Later, the focus was shifted from counter terror patrols to assist daily police work such as fighting crime and neighborhood violence.

Manpower

In 2004, the Civil Guard reportedly had some 70,000 volunteers, 28% of them women. Some 20,000 new volunteers joined that year and 17,000 left the service. The typical volunteer profile is a 40–55 years-old upper-middle-class male, married with children. Due to the high level of required commitment, some 20% of all volunteers quit during their first year of service.

Between 1974-2004, over half a million citizens volunteered for the Civil Guard.

See also

• Israel Police
  Israel Police
  The Israel Police is the civilian police force of Israel. As with most other police forces in the world, its duties include crime fighting, traffic control, maintaining public safety, and counter-terrorism...
  
  
• Town Watch
  Town watch
  The Town watch program is similar to that of the Neighborhood watch, the major difference is that the Town Watch tend to actively patrol in pseudo-uniforms, i.e. marked vests or jackets and caps, and is equipped with two way radios to directly contact the local police. The Town Watch serves as an...
  
  
• Neighborhood Watch
  Neighborhood Watch
  A neighborhood watch or neighbourhood watch , also called a crime watch or neighborhood crime watch, is an organized group of citizens devoted to crime and vandalism prevention within a neighborhood...
  
  
• Nightwatch
• Israeli Security Forces
  Israeli Security Forces
  Security forces in Israel include a variety of organizations, including law enforcement, military, paramilitary, governmental, and intelligence agencies.-Military:...
  
  

External links

• Civil Guard website (as part of the Israel Police website)