[5] Shabtai was appointed Commissioner of Israel Police on January 17, 2021, succeeding Motti Cohen.

[6] On 25 April 2021, Shabtai ordered the removal of barricades preventing access to the Damascus Gate in East Jerusalem after violent protests.

[10] On 25 June 2023, Ben-Gvir announced that Shabtai's position as the head of the Israel Police would not be extended after the end of his term in January 2024.

[citation needed] The outbreak of the Israel–Hamas war on October 7 2023 resulted in the opposition party National Unity joining the thirty-seventh government led by prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form a national unity government and the Israeli war cabinet .The new government decided that the tenures of outgoing Israeli officials would be extended in view of the prevailing situation in Israel.

However, in January 2024 Shabtai was ultimately asked to continue in his position as the commissioner of Israel Police until 17 July 2024.