November 1946 was a tragic month for the Palestine Police.

On November 9th, in Jerusalem at 4 a.m, the police received an anonymous phone call saying the Irgun had hidden illegal weapons in a ruined house in a development area soon to be renamed Moshe Street in the Bokharan Quarter of Jerusalem. Sergeants Kenneth Heldt of Grimsby and John Easton of Edinburgh accompanied by B/cs Alfred Cassidy of Glasgow and Owen Debenham of Norwich rushed to the site and entered the windowless house . Within minutes of their search there was a huge explosion. As the house walls collapsed four bodies came flying onto the street. Three British Palestine Police were killed instantly but Sergeant John Easton died in hospital the following day.

On the Sunday that Sergeant Easton died, an Arab supernumerary policeman, Mohammed Johar Farq, was helping three soldiers drag a suitcase bomb out of the Ras el Ain Railway Station near Peta Tikva. The bomb exploded while they were still in the station. Mohammed Johar Farq was killed and the two storey railway station completely destroyed. However,the three British soldiers with him survived although badly wounded.

Two days later B/cs Sydney Moore and Charles Pipes were killed by bombs and on the 17^th, in Tel Aviv, an electrically detonated mine exploded 15 cwt of PMF killing three British police.

On a more cheerful note, the next day on Mt Scopus 34 Palestinian Jews, trained for urban and patrol work in Tel Aviv in preparation for Palestinian Independence, were welcomed into the force by the acting Inspector General Mr A F Giles. He told them:
"You have been trained for a special job - the maintenance of law and order in Tel Aviv. The eyes of the population will be on you. Good luck and make the police force a success."

Mr Giles then presented a black police cane, its silver head engraved with the tribute 'Best Recruit' to Constable Y Eichenberg for excellence in law, drilling, shooting and general police duties.

After the review Mr Giles announced that rates of pay were under review by the Colonial Secretary so the lot of the Palestinian constable would soon become easier.

During the following month a brief period of comparative calm extended over Palestine for the duration of the Zionist Congress at Basle. However, the trial of Dov Gruener on New Year's Day 1947 was to change everything.