Murder cases: 15 out of 16 solved last year
DPM Teo gives kudos to police but stresses need to stay ahead of criminals
By Jalelah Abu Baker, The Straits Times, 4 May 2012
DEPUTY Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean yesterday praised the police for helping to make Singapore the safe country it is today.
He said they had done a particularly good job of dealing with serious offences - solving all but one of the 16 murders last year.
Singapore is recognised as one of the world's safest cities, he added, with a lower crime rate than many of them. But he said the police must constantly look for ways to meet the demands of the future, which include rising public expectations and the changing nature of crime as technology improves.
'These challenges cannot be overcome simply by hiring more policemen or doing more of the same things that the police have done well before,' he added.
Instead, he said they need to stay ahead of crime by forging deeper partnerships with the community and with other countries so they can operate across borders. This will help them tackle criminals such as unlicensed moneylending syndicates, and terrorists moving from state to state in order to train, seek shelter or conduct attacks.
Mr Teo, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security and Home Affairs Minister, pointed out that Singapore was named one of the safest cities in the world in the 2011 Quality of Living Survey by human resource and financial services consultancy firm Mercer and the World Economic Forum's latest Global Competitiveness Report.
'Singapore is one of the few cities in the world where it is safe for anyone to walk alone anywhere at any time of the day,' he said. 'This is an achievement we can be proud of, as a police force and as a nation.'
Last year, the police cracked 87 per cent of all housebreaking cases. They have also solved several serious crimes within a very short time, including the ATM skimming fraud that affected about 700 DBS Bank customers in January this year.
Officers responded to 89 per cent of urgent cases within 15 minutes last year, while for the non-urgent ones, they arrived within 30 minutes 92 per cent of the time.
Mr Teo said that even with the best officers and training, mistakes will sometimes be made. Although he did not mention any specific cases, he said the force does not tolerate wrongful behaviour and officers who deliberately misuse their powers or behave unethically will be disciplined appropriately.
He was speaking at this year's police workplan seminar at the Home Team Academy in Old Choa Chu Kang. He also announced that the Community Policing System (Cops), which will involve officers conducting foot and bicycle patrols, will begin operating in Bukit Merah East and Tampines at two Neighbourhood Police Centres (NPCs) by May 17. Bishan, Clementi, Sengkang, Woodlands, Punggol and Woodlands West NPCs will follow suit in the last quarter of this year.
As part of the new policing model, 700 more HDB blocks and multi-storey carparks will be fitted with security cameras, at entry and exit points. Choa Chu Kang and Tampines NPCs will launch Facebook pages later this month, to step up the police's online presence and engage the community.
The annual workplan seminar, which will be held over two days this year instead of the usual one day, is open to members of the police force, their corporate partners and grassroots groups. One highlight is an exhibition that showcases the latest tools, innovations and prototypes of new crime-fighting equipment that may be made available to the men and women in blue.
A new police uniform is in the works, and may be introduced by 2014. The material used is cotton, for improved ventilation, and it is meant to be more suitable for officers on the move. The uniform also allows equipment weight of 4kg to be supported on officers' shoulders instead of their hips.
National Crime Prevention Council chairman Tan Kian Hoon said he was excited to learn about the new initiatives unveiled.
'The thrust in deepening the involvement of the community is in tandem with what the NCPC has been doing in close partnership with SPF over the last 30 years,' he said.
DPM Teo gives kudos to police but stresses need to stay ahead of criminals
By Jalelah Abu Baker, The Straits Times, 4 May 2012
DEPUTY Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean yesterday praised the police for helping to make Singapore the safe country it is today.
He said they had done a particularly good job of dealing with serious offences - solving all but one of the 16 murders last year.
Singapore is recognised as one of the world's safest cities, he added, with a lower crime rate than many of them. But he said the police must constantly look for ways to meet the demands of the future, which include rising public expectations and the changing nature of crime as technology improves.
'These challenges cannot be overcome simply by hiring more policemen or doing more of the same things that the police have done well before,' he added.
Instead, he said they need to stay ahead of crime by forging deeper partnerships with the community and with other countries so they can operate across borders. This will help them tackle criminals such as unlicensed moneylending syndicates, and terrorists moving from state to state in order to train, seek shelter or conduct attacks.
Mr Teo, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security and Home Affairs Minister, pointed out that Singapore was named one of the safest cities in the world in the 2011 Quality of Living Survey by human resource and financial services consultancy firm Mercer and the World Economic Forum's latest Global Competitiveness Report.
'Singapore is one of the few cities in the world where it is safe for anyone to walk alone anywhere at any time of the day,' he said. 'This is an achievement we can be proud of, as a police force and as a nation.'
Last year, the police cracked 87 per cent of all housebreaking cases. They have also solved several serious crimes within a very short time, including the ATM skimming fraud that affected about 700 DBS Bank customers in January this year.
Officers responded to 89 per cent of urgent cases within 15 minutes last year, while for the non-urgent ones, they arrived within 30 minutes 92 per cent of the time.
Mr Teo said that even with the best officers and training, mistakes will sometimes be made. Although he did not mention any specific cases, he said the force does not tolerate wrongful behaviour and officers who deliberately misuse their powers or behave unethically will be disciplined appropriately.
He was speaking at this year's police workplan seminar at the Home Team Academy in Old Choa Chu Kang. He also announced that the Community Policing System (Cops), which will involve officers conducting foot and bicycle patrols, will begin operating in Bukit Merah East and Tampines at two Neighbourhood Police Centres (NPCs) by May 17. Bishan, Clementi, Sengkang, Woodlands, Punggol and Woodlands West NPCs will follow suit in the last quarter of this year.
As part of the new policing model, 700 more HDB blocks and multi-storey carparks will be fitted with security cameras, at entry and exit points. Choa Chu Kang and Tampines NPCs will launch Facebook pages later this month, to step up the police's online presence and engage the community.
The annual workplan seminar, which will be held over two days this year instead of the usual one day, is open to members of the police force, their corporate partners and grassroots groups. One highlight is an exhibition that showcases the latest tools, innovations and prototypes of new crime-fighting equipment that may be made available to the men and women in blue.
A new police uniform is in the works, and may be introduced by 2014. The material used is cotton, for improved ventilation, and it is meant to be more suitable for officers on the move. The uniform also allows equipment weight of 4kg to be supported on officers' shoulders instead of their hips.
National Crime Prevention Council chairman Tan Kian Hoon said he was excited to learn about the new initiatives unveiled.
'The thrust in deepening the involvement of the community is in tandem with what the NCPC has been doing in close partnership with SPF over the last 30 years,' he said.
Traffic police bikers get new, improved uniform
By Bryna Sim, The Straits Times, 4 May 2012
TRAFFIC Police officers who patrol on motorcycles will hit the roads and expressways with a new look today.
By Bryna Sim, The Straits Times, 4 May 2012
TRAFFIC Police officers who patrol on motorcycles will hit the roads and expressways with a new look today.
Gone are the white tunics they usually wear over their dark blue riding breeches.
In their place are a specially designed jacket and new water-repellent trousers with anti-abrasion padding, to offer them more comfort and protection.
The new get-up is designed by the Traffic Police and Police Logistics Department, with help from Hong Kong designer Alan Chu, who has worked with American fashion designer Marc Jacobs.
The jacket, made of a durable and lightweight material, comes with a removable spine, elbow-pads and shoulder-pads to help minimise injury in the event of a crash.
The new get-up is designed by the Traffic Police and Police Logistics Department, with help from Hong Kong designer Alan Chu, who has worked with American fashion designer Marc Jacobs.
The jacket, made of a durable and lightweight material, comes with a removable spine, elbow-pads and shoulder-pads to help minimise injury in the event of a crash.
Reflective material is also incorporated into its design to increase the visibility of the officers at night.
Traffic Police officer Elvin Chong, who has been injured on duty, welcomed the improvements.
'There are real dangers involved in this job, so I am glad the uniform has been reinforced to protect riders like me,' said the 32-year-old staff sergeant.
Enhanced police post keeps out attackers
By Bryna Sim, The Straits Times, 4 May 2012
A LOCK-DOWN feature in the new enhanced Neighbourhood Police Post (e-NPP) could provide a distressed member of the public with a safe place to seek refuge from an attacker.
By Bryna Sim, The Straits Times, 4 May 2012
A LOCK-DOWN feature in the new enhanced Neighbourhood Police Post (e-NPP) could provide a distressed member of the public with a safe place to seek refuge from an attacker.
Once secure inside the post, the person will be able to speak to a police officer via video-conferencing, while an alarm on the outside of the e-NPP goes off to alert others to the threat.
The prototype of the e-NPP, showcased by the police yesterday, was based on ideas proposed by students during a competition held in February.
The police have been studying ways to tap on technology to free up officers so that they can be deployed to fight crime elsewhere under the new Community Policing System.
An electronic kiosk in the e-NPP allows the public to perform police-related services, such as the lodging of reports 24 hours a day.
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