Israeli police chief Moshe Karadi has resigned after a government inquiry recommended he stand down over a scandal that linked his department to the underworld.
The government-appointed commission said Mr Karadi should quit over his failure to ensure that police thoroughly investigated a 1999 murder of a suspected crime lord by a uniformed policeman with criminal ties.
Mr Karadi, who was a department head at the time, had later promoted another officer suspected of trying to cover up the case, the commission added.
The rogue officer fled the country and was killed in Mexico in 2004. His murder case in Israel was closed due to lack of evidence.
Mr Karadi rejected the charges as unfounded but said he would step down to avoid a "witch hunt" against the police.
"This is a difficult hour for me. This is a very difficult hour for the organisation that I lead," Mr Karadi said, adding that he was aware that Israel's police were "in need of a reform to lead them forward".
The resignation follows several scandals that have increased public criticism of Israeli leaders, including investigations of suspected corruption involving Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and allegations of rape against President Moshe Katsav.