Police officer charged after touching colleague during 2025 patrol shift

Roni Oved, a police officer assigned to the Beit She’an station, faces criminal charges for indecent acts and sexual harassment against two female colleagues. The Police Investigation Department, a unit within the Justice Ministry responsible for policing misconduct, filed the indictment in the Nof Hagalil Magistrate’s Court on Monday. Prosecutors allege Oved used patrol duties to drive the officers to isolated locations and subject them to unwanted sexual contact and comments.

The first count details an overnight joint patrol in April 2025. Oved was serving as shift leader at the time. According to the indictment, he stopped their vehicle in a grove near Beit She’an to make sexual remarks about the other officer’s body. He then drove to a lookout point, claimed to have studied massage, and began massaging her back without consent. The indictment states she froze and later refused his request to remove her uniform belt.

Prosecutors say Oved continued to touch her hands, legs, and genital area over her clothing. He subsequently drove to another lookout point to ask about her sex life and describe sexual acts. After leaving the vehicle, he pressed against her from behind, embraced her, and kissed her neck. The officer moved his hands away and asked him to return to the station. This incident resulted in charges for an indecent act without consent and sexual harassment.

The second count covers repeated incidents between August and October 2023. During shared patrols with a different officer, Oved allegedly drove her to isolated areas. He asked detailed questions about her sexual preferences and habits while describing his own. The officer asked him to stop or declined to engage. Prosecutors charged him with repeated acts of sexual harassment for this period.

The investigation was conducted by Mahash, the Hebrew acronym for the Police Investigation Department. The unit’s structure is currently at the center of a legislative dispute. The Knesset passed a law in June to remove the department from the State Attorney’s Office. The new structure would place the unit directly within the Justice Ministry, granting it independent investigative and prosecutorial powers along with a new appointments mechanism.

Likud MK Moshe Saada, the law’s sponsor, argued that the previous arrangement created a conflict of interest because the prosecution works closely with police on criminal cases while overseeing the investigation of officers. He stated that separation would strengthen police accountability. Opponents, including State Attorney Amit Aisman, warned that tying appointments more closely to political officials could undermine independence in sensitive cases. In September, the High Court of Justice issued an interim order freezing specific provisions of the law, including the appointments arrangements, while petitions proceed. The court did not strike down the law or rule on its constitutionality.