The Palestine Police Oral History Project: The Middle East Centre, St Antony's College, University of Oxford

worked together with British servicemen. At that time, some 18 British officers headed a police force commanded by 55 Palestinian officers and 1,144 Palestinian men from other ranks — in other words, a handful of British officers overseeing a largely indigenous police force. When the British used the word ‘Palestinian’ they referred to both Arabs and Jews who lived in the country. Both Arab and Jewish officers and ‘other ranks’ were active in the police from the very beginning.