British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine: Volume I - Page 119

CHAPTER IV.

33. The Moslem Religious Courts (Sharia Courts) have already been briefly mentioned under Judiciary. Provision is made in the Government budget for a Sharia Court of Appeal, with a president and two members, an inspectorate, twelve qadis and five muftis with subordinate staff.

34. The Palestine Police Force is an armed civil 'police force under the command of the Inspector-General. The force is governed by the Police Ordinance, 1926 * and, under section 51 of that Ordinances **, it, was proclaimed to be a military force and, for the duration of the war, liable to be employed on military duties in defence of Palestine or within the limits of the command of the General Officer Commanding the British Forces in Palestine. (Units were in fact employed in the Iraq and Syrian campaigns).

35. The force is officered by British and Palestinian officers (450). Its present establishment is as follows:-

British other ranks District police Police mobile forec

9,505 1,940

Palestinian other ranks

District police 2,940 (Arabs and Jews)

Jewish settlement police • 1,650 (Jews)

Temporary Additional Police

(general) 2,306 (Arabs and Jews)

Temporary Additional Police

(railways and ports) 1,337 (Arabs and Jews)

Special constables (Palestinians) Jewish settlements

Urban areas

12,800 (Jews)

1,G35 (Arabs and Jews)

The Jewish settlement police and special constables were formed primarily for the protection of the Jewish rural colonies; they have also certain "watch and ward:' duties. The Temporary Additional Police are employed almost entirely as a special security measure on guard duties, either on public properties, offices and residences, on detention areas for German nationals or on the railways and ports. There is, in addition, a substantial force of Supernumerary Police, varying in numbers according to requirements, employed in the guarding of Naval, Army and Royal Air Force installations.
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* Drayton, Vol. II, page 1145.
** Vol. I of 1940 legislation, page 115.

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