Gaza police back on the beat amid Israeli attacks

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Wearing civilian garb to avoid detection by warplanes, the officers are busy arresting merchants suspected of price gouging during the crisis.

Reporting from Gaza City and Jerusalem -- Gaza City police have redeployed in force, as Hamas works to maintain law and order in the Gaza Strip amid a prolonged Israeli air assault that has leveled dozens of police stations and left nearly 400 people dead.

But many officers on patrol are now wearing civilian clothing and carrying sticks rather than guns to avoid being targeted by Israeli warplanes.

"We are trying to cope with the situation," said Officer Abu Ahmed, 47. "It's not easy to work under the current situation, but we have no other option but to keep working."

In addition to maintaining the peace among an increasingly desperate, heavily armed population, police are arresting merchants suspected of price gouging -- all while keeping a vigilant eye on the skies.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-gaza-scene1-2009jan01,0,5300518.story?track=rss

[EFerrari]

1. That's just amazing.

:(

[Idealism]

2. Arresting merchants for price gouging?

Shit that doesn't happen here, during crisis in Florida the worst gas gougers get is a slap on the wrist from the BBB.

Could use some of those policemen here

[GoesTo11]

3. Plus killing suspected collaborators?

Could use some of those policemen here!

[Violet_Crumble]

5. Where have you read anything to that affect?

There's an article in this forum about a gunman on a motorbike killing one person, and the family of someone the escaped prisoner had killed killing another. But I haven't read anything about police...

[Idealism]

7. He likes to embellish the truth a bit

He simply stumbles over it, gets up, then walks it off like nothing happened.

[Idealism]

6. I guess jailing them for life without a trial is ok, though

Two wrongs don't make a right

[azurnoir]

8. killing suspected collaborators?

That is not mentioned in the article the only mention of killing was this and it was not the police doing it

One immediate test to police authority came Monday when a blood feud erupted between two heavily armed families in Rafah. After two members of one clan were slain in a dispute, the victims' family set fire to several homes belonging to the clan of those blamed for the killings. Police intervened en masse, established order and brought in neighborhood elders, known locally as mukhtars, to host a reconciliation session and negotiate compensation for the victims' family.

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4. I hear things were different during WWII. nt

[azurnoir]

9. So what is the purpose of targeting police?

easy to spot creating even greater chaos or both?