what should the police do?

There was an unfortunate incident in RBS B yesterday evening in which the police, working to enforce the indoor mask rules, stopped a maskless woman in the store (based on the reports in the news). When she refused to cooperate and identify herself, the police decided to detain her, and take her to the station for questioning and for her to eventually identify herself. The situation quickly escalated with people form the neighborhood surrounding the police car and acting in a threatening way. Eventually the police just released the woman to calm the situation.

Partial video of the arrest was publicized and spread initially via Whatsapp:

My initial reaction upon seeing this video was mixed. 

On the one hand, it is sad that the situation has gotten to this. arrests over masks (though I know the arrest is really because she refused to identify herself and cooperate with the police, not because she wasn't wearing a mask).

On the other hand, the arrest was not violent. they seemed to treat her decently, only pushing her when she tried pulling away. they had female police officers handling her, obviously being sensitive to her religious sensibilities. the police didn't beat her up or anything like that. The violence was surrounding the arrest - the people around were screaming and eventually pushing ands threatening, but the arrest itself seems ok. 

Most people don't resist arrest. They commit a crime, fine, but once the police catch them they either take the fine or go with the police. People who resist arrest are either repeat criminals who are used to this, or people who are trained to do so. This is a community where resisting the national authority and the police is ingrained in them. She resisted the demands of the police (for identification) so she was arrested, and then she resisted going peacefully with the police, so she was pushed toward the car. She was not an innocent woman being beaten up by the police.

Many are shocked by the police actions in the video but I don't see anything so shocking. The situation was escalating quickly, the police wanted to get out of there quickly before it would get really bad. This is a neighborhood that regularly fights, physically, with the police and refuses to have the law apply to them. Sometimes we scream that the police need to go in and stop the lawlessness - so now that it is a woman we should tell the police to let lawlessness reign?

The police in Israel have a reputation of being overly violent and abusive. Maybe that is true and maybe police reform is needed. That is entirely possible. In this case I don't see them as having been abusive. I am not sure what they should have done in this situation beyond what they tried to do - detain the woman and get out of there quickly. they ultimately failed, but I think they tried to do the right thing. They can't just walk away when the citizen breaks the law right in front of them and they refuse to comply. Those who are shocked and angry over this - what would they have the police do? 

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