Jerusalem: At least 54 Israeli police officers were injured today while scuffling with each other during a massive drill on crowd control procedures that went awry in the southern military base of Ze elim.
Israel Police said that the drill on crowd control procedures near the southern military base of Ze elim was meant to bolster police deterrence and enhance the officers ability to handle complex situations.
The injuries occurred after "rioters" apparently used excessive force on "peacekeeping" officers during a mock disturbance.
The drill involved 6,000 police and Border Guard officers.
A car crash was also reported by Ynet during the drill,in which five police officers were injured when the driver of one of the police vehicles lost control of his car.
One of the officers sustained severe injuries and was airlifted to a nearby hospital.
One of the goals of the exercise was to implement lessons learned during the riots in Akko recently and to examine cooperation between various police divisions.
Israel Police Commissioner, Dudi Cohen,called the drill a success despite the unfortunate events of the day.
"The police force was ready for any complex scenario, as well as for protecting law and order and maintaining public peace," Cohen said.
