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The beginnings of the Military Police
Corps are to be found in the organization set up in 1936 for policing
and defense, in particular to protect Jewish settlements from Arab rioters during the disturbances of that year. The organization, called The Watchmen ("Hallotrim" in Hebrew), was set up with the assistance of the British authorities and operated legally.
The graduates of the first course for military policemen immediately joined the national struggle to liberate the country from the British Mandate and the defense against the Arab armies. During the War of Independence units of the Military Police assisted the fighting units in various operations as well as helping the Jewish settlements. At the end of 1949 the name "Military Police Service" was changed to the "Military Police Corps", and an emblem was selected for the Corps. After the War of Independence the "Canine Handlers Unit" was established. Its tasks were guard duty, patrols, locating the wounded and finding mines. The unit operated until 1954. The investigations unit of the Military Police initially operated with available personnel, who had not undergone special training, and was based on the Jurisdiction Law (1948) which did not always correspond with actual circumstances. The unit operated in the Tel-Aviv area, and most investigations dealt with robbery and smuggling.
In the 1950's the Corps dealt with accompanying convoys, patrols, the location and arrest of deserters, and investigations.
During the Six Day War platoons of Military Police were integrated into combat units, in addition to the Military Police activity controlled by the Corps command. The Corps presence was felt everywhere, from Military Police stations located at every main junction to guarding commercial centers in Gaza. A special force of military policemen was established to guard the prisoners captured during the conquest of the Sinai Peninsula. In the Yom Kippur War the Military Police mainly assisted by directing the reserve forces to reach the various fronts quickly and safely.
In 1982 the IDF entered Lebanon in order to protect the northern settlements, and remained in South Lebanon for almost two decades. During that time the Military Police participated in a range of activities, including investigations, running prisons and policing. The Corps set up a base in the city of Tyre which was blown up by terrorists. In this attack dozens of soldiers and members of the security service were killed, amongst them military policemen. Since its establishment 52 years ago, the Military Police Corps has assiduously developed professional skills, in order to fulfill its duties in peace and in war, in the fields of investigation, training, policing and maintaining prisons. The Military Police operates according to the ethical principles of conduct of the IDF and according to the vision of the Corps, giving effective service and developing an advanced organizational culture.
The memorial
The Memorial of the Military Police Corps was inaugurated in 1997 at the Corps' Training Base at Bet Lid. It is a memorial to military poiicemen who have fallen in the line of duty. The site includes a library and an Eternal Flame.
