CRIME PREVENTION-THE SINGAPORE APPROACH
Jarmal Singh*
I. INTRODUCTION
Singapore, being a city state dependant
on trade and with business links to all parts
of the world, is a very open country.
Further, its strategic location makes it a
natural hub for airlines and ships. In view
of the very many varied cultures and
historical attractions in the region
surrounding it, large numbers of tourists
and business travelers pass through it. It
is hence open to varied influences, and is
also vulnerable to passing crooks who can
easily pass of as locals or tourists.
As most of its occupants are descendents
of immigration stock, mainly from the
Peninsula Malaysia, the Indonesia
archipelago, China, India and Europe, it
is heterogeneous. There are hence
sensitivities relating to race, religion,
language and nationality. These need to
be safeguarded against exploitation by
bigots and anti-national elements.
Nevertheless, their common destiny and
the need to work among and with each
other have led to the establishment of a
generally similar outlook relating to their
physical self and property. As all value
these rights, crime which attacks these
rights is obviously abhorred and is always
a highly topical subject of concern inspite
of Singapore having one of the lowest crime
rates in the world.
The low crime rate has been achieved
by the combination of deterrence,
enforcement and rehabilitation under a
very effective criminal justice system.
Deterrence is provided by tough laws,
* Deputy Director Operations, Police Headquarters,
Singapore Police Force, Republic of Singapore.
pushed by a strong executive and enacted
by a very responsive legislature; a very
robust and efficient world class court
system; a police force also aspiring to be
world class in its total policing capabilities,
which includes at its bedrock, community
policing in a strong, symbiotic partnership
with the community it polices, strong
enforcement by incorruptible officers and
an austere but humane correctional system
which aids rehabilitation whenever
possible.
The main thrust of the police-community
partnership is based on mutual help, with
the public being persuaded and encouraged
to take personal responsibility both
individually and in partnership with others
in safeguarding themselves, their property
and their neighbourhood with the advice
and assistance of the police. It is based on
the principle that prevention is a
community responsibility and crime
prevention measures taken by the
community can limit and reduce
opportunities for the commission of crime.
Further, the community has a role in
mitigating the impact of crime on
unintended victims, such as the
dependents of victims, offenders and others
who suffer collateral damage from these
crimes. The community also has a role in
reintegrating people into society.
Since 1988, Singapore has been enjoying
a decreasing crime rate for 9 consecutive
years. This would not have been possible
if not for cooperation from the public,
brought about by community-policing.
About 1/3 of all arrest cases are solved as a
result of public-spiritedness shown by
members of the public, assisting or giving
vital information leading to the
141
112TH INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSE
VISITING EXPERTS’ PAPERS
apprehension of the criminal.
In the last two decades, Singapore has
become highly industrialised and
urbanised. The SPF has become an
organisation fully committed to serving the
needs of and protecting the people living
in Singapore. In response to these changes,
the SPF has also undergone a period of
transformation in terms of its
organisational structure and policing
strategies.
The SPF has moved from reactive
policing to proactive policing based on the
concept of community policing and adapted
from the very successful Japanese Koban
model. This led to the establishment of 91
neighbourhood police posts (NPPs) under
the supervision of 7 land division
headquarters. The NPPs primary role is
creating a sense of security in the
neighbourhood through easily accessible
counter service, close liaison with the
public, high visibility patrols, house visits
and crime prevention education.
II. CRIME PREVENTION
CONCEPTS AND STRUCTURES
A. Concepts
Accompanying community policing, is
the development of a proactive approach
to crime prevention. The most strenuous
efforts by the police alone will not produce
the desired results if the community stands
by passively in the erroneous belief that
crime is purely a police responsibility. The
community must accept that the task of
crime prevention is as much a community
responsibility as it is a police responsibility,
and must join hands with the police to
make crime prevention effective. The
failure of public involvement in crime
prevention may be attributed to ignorance.
It is the police responsibility to overcome
this ignorance through a sustained
programme of education that brings about
crime prevention awareness throughout
the community. Crime prevention
education make people aware that:
(i) They are personally responsible
for the safety of their property
and themselves, and for the
safety of their neighbourhoods.
(ii) Many crimes are opportunistic in
nature and are committed
through the negligence and
carelessness of the victims.
Crime is prevented if the
opportunity is denied or delayed.
(iii) They can prevent crimes by
taking simple and effective
measures on their own or in cooperation
with their neighbours.
Crime prevention measures must
be commensurate with the threat.
Effective protection will not come
from any single measure but from
the sum total of all practical and
possible measures.
B. Formation of a Crime Prevention
Branch
The Crime Prevention Branch of the SPF
was formed in 1977 under the Criminal
Investigation Department (CID) to cater
for the needs of a specialised branch
devoted exclusively to crime prevention
activities. The main task of the branch was
to inform the public that they have a
significant role to play in safeguarding
themselves and their properties against
crime. For that purpose, the branch
embarked on an extensive programme of
crime prevention activities, which includes
talks, exhibitions and personal calls to
disseminate advice on measures that could
be adopted to prevent crime.
In view of the economic growth and
industrial development in Singapore, the
branch was expanded to that of a Crime
Prevention Division (CPD) in 1981, so as
to provide a more thorough and efficient
crime prevention programme for the public.
142
RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 56
The formation of the CPD signaled the
beginning of the community-oriented
policing strategy in Singapore. Since its
inception, the CPD has initiated several
projects in crime prevention, namely the
Neighbourhood Watch Scheme (NWS),
Crime Prevention Committees (CPCs),
Crime Risk Surveys, Operation
Identification, crime prevention
exhibitions, crime prevention campaigns;
and youth programmes like the Crime
Proficiency Badge Scheme for uniformed
groups like the National Police Cadet
Corps, Scouts and Girl Guides etc.
The Division was later to work closely
with the National Crime Prevention
Council (NCPC) which was formed on 4
July 1981. The formation of the Council
marked an extremely important event in
the history of crime prevention work and
development in Singapore.
C. National Crime Prevention
Council
The National Crime Prevention Council
(NCPC) was set up in 1981 to act as a
catalyst and partner to mobilise the
support of groups and individuals from the
community to work closely with the police
on crime prevention. It is a non-profit
making organisation which depends
entirely on donations to run their activities.
The NCPC objectives are:
(i) To raise the level of public
awareness and concern about
crime;
(ii) To encourage self-help in crime
prevention;
(iii) To study, develop and improve
crime prevention measures
suitable for adoption by the
public; and
(iv) To co-ordinate the efforts of
organisations interested in such
activities.
The NCPC comprises of persons from
both the private and public sector.
Members include business and social
leaders, professionals and police officers.
It is involved with other organisations and
government departments in promoting
crime prevention. It works closely with the
police and organises exhibitions,
workshops, courses, contests and talks to
involve and educate individuals and
organisations on crime prevention. It also
conducts research into various aspects of
crime prevention. Research is also
commissioned to measure the effectiveness
of crime prevention programmes. Various
subcommittees are also formed under the
NCPC to address problems related to crime
within various trades and concerns. They
include:
(i) Hotel Security Committee
(ii) Se cur i t y at Cons t ruc t i on
Worksites Committee
(iii) Children & Youth Committee
(iv) Security at Commercial Premises
Committee
(v) Security in Housing Committee
(vi) Focus Group Committee
III. CRIME PREVENTION
SCHEMES
A. Neighbourhood Watch Scheme
(NWS)
In 1981, the SPF introduced the
Neighbourhood Watch Scheme (NWS) to
tap on the resources of the community,
especially the residents of high-rise
apartments, in line with its community,
policing concept. The Scheme was
originally conceived to encourage mutual
care and help among neighbours, through
residents keeping an eye out for each
other’s premises, and it was hoped that
civic-mindedness, neighbourliness and
social responsibility in the context of crime
prevention would be enhanced. This would
contribute to keeping neighbourhoods safe
from crime.
143
112TH INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSE
VISITING EXPERTS’ PAPERS
By 1993, the NWS had 10,000 groups of
about 5 households located on the same
floor of a block of apartments, and led by a
group leader. Such a group is called a
Neighbourhood Watch Group (NWG). The
goals of the NWG are:
(i) To encourage residents to keep an
eye for their neighbours’
premises, so as to enhance the
physical security of their estate.
(ii) To disseminate, through the
NWG leader, awareness of
potential threats to resident’s
safety in their estate.
(iii) Instill, through the NWG leader,
an awareness of potential threats
to residents’ safety in that estate.
Despite the large number of NWGs
formed, the scheme met with limited
success. The activities of the NWGs have
been minimal or, in some cases, nonexistent.
This is due to the following
factors:
(i) Lack of leadership by NWG
leaders;
(ii) Lack of participation by NWG
members;
(iii) Limited scope of activity for
NWGs;
(iv) Existence of alternative channels
of communication.
In the light of the above factors, a review
of the NWS in 1996 was made with a view
to ensuring that it continues to remain
effective and to complement the work of the
Residents Committees (RCs), Residents
Associations (RAs) and the police. The RCs
and RAs are grassroots community-based
civic organisations that are all over
Singapore. The principal considerations on
the revised NWS form an integral part of
the police’s overall strategy of community
policing, working in conjunction with
attempts to reach out to the communityat-
large (through initiatives such as
problem-solving ), and to the individual
(through house visits ). In order to achieve
this, the following was addressed:
(i) The need for the aims, structure
and activities of the revised NWS
to be congruent with the priorities
of community agencies, thus
underscoring the relevance of
community-based cooperation at
the grassroots level.
(ii) The need to leverage on the
strengths of the existing
grassroots network such as
Residents Committees (RCs) /
Residents Associations (RAs).
(iii) The need for activities under the
revised NWS to cause individuals
to develop a greater sense of
belonging to and responsible for
the neighbourhood they live in.
B. Neighbourhood Watch Zone
(NWZ)
The new model for the Neighbourhood
Watch Scheme envisages a strategic
partnership between the SPF and
Residents’ Committee (RC) for Public
Housing and Resident’s Association (RA)
for Private Housing (the key community
agency at the grassroots level). The SPF
no longer attempts to build up a network
of community relationships in isolation.
Instead, it will work with and through the
RCs and RAs, in order to achieve the
objective of the Neighbourhood Watch
Scheme. This is done primarily through
the creation of “Neighbourhood Watch
Zones” in each of the 456 RC and 65 RA
Zones. NWZs will form an integral part of
the RC and RA structure, and will be led
by the Liaison Officer (LO) of the RC or RA
Zone, assisted by their Assistance Liaison
Officers (ALOs). They can be the vehicle
through which the RC’s and RA’s aim of
engendering a strong community spirit can
be achieved. Their focus, unlike the NWGs,
144
RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 56
is not on crime-related concerns alone, but
on all issues that interest or affect the
community.
RCs and RAs have been strengthened
as the pre-eminent community
organisations at the precinct level. They
have the mandate not only to discuss, but
also to deal with all aspects of concerns that
have crime or law and order implications.
Key areas of community concern will be
focused on the RCs and RAs. This gives
the community an identity to rally to. Since
the RCs and RAs have more substantial
areas of focus, the possibility of active and
meaningful participation in RC/RA
activities by residents will be raised.
The transformation from Neighbourhood
Watch Groups to Neighbourhood Watch
Zones (NWZ) is a move from quantity to
quality. With a more manageable number
of NWZs to work with, NPPs can
concentrate on working more closely with
each NWZ, thus strengthening its
leadership and administration. A total of
25 NWZs were launched at the pilot phase
in April 1997. To date the SPF has
established 191 NWZs. A typical NWZ is
made up of a Liaison Officer (LO) and is
assisted by Assistant Liaison Officers
(ALOs). The LOs and ALOs of the NWZ
work very closely with the NPP officers to
coordinate crime prevention activities and
programmes to foster community bonding.
They will also disseminate information to
the residents and channel feedback from
residents to Resident Committees (RCs)/
Resident Associations (RAs) and NPPs.
The role of our NPP officers in NWzs are
to work in close partnership with the
members of RCs/RAs in promoting
neighbourhood watch. Typically, they will:
(i) Actively support RC and RA
activities;
(ii) Disseminate crime prevention
information through house visits,
leaflets and posters;
(iii) Work jointly with RC and RA
members to discuss and propose
solutions to crime concerns;
(iv) Seek residents’ feedback on police
issues during house visits;
(v) Meet NWZ LOs for information
on RC/RA events;
(vi) Identify RC/RA activities as
platforms to promote crime
prevention awareness;
(vii) Organise activities at a ‘small
g r o u p ’ l e v e l t o p r o v i d e
opportunities for NWZ members
to meet and get to know each
other;
(viii)Customise police publications
with community level messages
for dissemination to residents;
and
(ix) Work with the community on
crime prevention publications.
The role of Liaison Officers (LOs) in
NWZs are as follows:
(i) Promote neighbourliness,
harmony and cohesiveness within
the NWZ;
(ii) Conduct NWZ programmes to
raise the crime prevention
awareness of the residents;
(iii) Acting through the ALOs,
disseminate information to and
channel feedback from the
residents to the neighbourhood
police post/RC/RA.
(iv) Coordinate and promote a wide
range of activities eg, social and
cultural, etc, to engender a strong
community spirit among
residents and to raise crime
prevention awareness;
(v) Attend to neighbourhood and
community crime prevention
matters;
(vi) Promote and encourage resident
participation in crime awareness
145
112TH INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSE
VISITING EXPERTS’ PAPERS
programmes;
(vii) Mobilise community resources to
address residents’ crime concerns
(viii)Resolve, with the support of
NPPs, disputes among residents;
and
(ix) Foster civic consciousness
amongst residents.
The SPF, in building a strong community
support, had created the Neighbourhood
Watch Zones in 25 RC Zones for its pilot
scheme launched in April 1997. A survey
was conducted a year later to find out the
level of awareness of the NWZ scheme and
and the crime prevention knowledge of the
residents. The findings were that more
than 90% of the respondents wanted the
scheme to continue or be implemented in
their estates. They also felt that the
scheme was effective in helping to prevent
crime. With the success of this scheme, the
SPF is embarking to expand it island-wide.
To date, the SPF has established 191
NWZs.
IV. CRIME PREVENTION
PROGRAMMES AND PROJECTS
With community policing firmly in place,
and strategic networks established with
public organisations such as grassroots
organisations, and private bodies such as
various trade associations, it becomes
possible to leverage on their cooperation
and expertise in crime prevention. The
reach of crime prevention programmes
initiated by the SPF is greatly enhanced
through these collaborations with leading
public and private organisations that aim
to enhance security-awareness and
security within their respective trades and
spheres of operation. The following are
some of the crime prevention programmes
being implemented by the police in
collaboration with the community.
V. CRIME PREVENTION FOR THE
GENERAL PUBLIC
A. Crime Prevention Exhibitions
and Talks
To stimulate greater public interest and
instill crime prevention awareness, crime
prevention exhibitions are held throughout
the year at shopping centres, community
centres and void decks of apartments to
reach out to the general public. The police
also conduct talks at grassroots and private
organisations. Crime prevention
phamplets, posters and handbooks are also
produced and distributed to the general
public during exhibitions or talks and are
easily available at the Neighbourhood
Police Centres/Posts.
B. Annual Crime Prevention
Campaign
To focus attention on crimes which affect
the public at large, the police, together with
the NCPC, jointly organise the Year-End
Festive Season Crime Prevention
Campaign. The mass media such as
television, cinema, posters etc, would also
be employed to communicate crime
prevention messages to the general public.
C. Crime Risk Surveys
To determine security weaknesses, the
police conduct Crime Risks Surveys for
both residential and commercial premises
upon request (by appointment or
registration at crime prevention
exhibitions). The police also visit scenes of
crime to advise the victims of means of
improving the structural security features
of their premises. The aims of the surveys
are:
(i) To provide specialised advisory
services on crime prevention to
the public at no cost;
(ii) To help improve the physical
security features of premises; and
146
RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 56
(iii) To encourage the use of various
crime prevention measures and
devices to enhance the security of
premises.
D. Crime Watch TV Progamme
To educate the general public through
the television, the police and the NCPC also
jointly produce the Crime Watch TV
Programme Series. The programme
features crime awareness including solved
and unsolved cases, appealing for
information and witnesses and public
education segments on crime prevention
measures or road safety. This TV
programme is shown monthly during
prime-time in both the English and
Chinese languages.
E. Crime Prevention for Senior
Citizens
Senior citizens being vulnerable and
trusting, can easily become victims of
unscrupulous criminals. Crime Prevention
Talks are conducted by Crime Prevention
Officers (CPOs) to various senior citizen
associations or groups. This also involves
police liaison with the People’s Association
and related organisations on the organising
of crime prevention programmes and
exhibitions.
F. Crime Prevention for the Young
and Youths
1. School Security Committees (SSCs)
The Committee is headed by teachers in
the schools themselves. The programme
was formed to enhance crime prevention
and fire safety in the schools. The police
officers at the NPPs act as liaison officers
to these SSCs. Meetings are held with
SSCs to update them on the latest crime
trends and advice. The police also render
assistance, such as arranging and
conducting crime prevention talks to the
students.
2. Crime Prevention for Uniformed
Groups
To reinforce crime prevention messages
among uniformed youth groups in schools
such as the National Police Cadet Corps,
the Scouts and Girl Guides, participation
in crime prevention activities are
encouraged. These activities include crime
prevention knowledge tests, visits to NPPs
and the Crime Prevention Display Room.
Upon completion of these activities,
students would be awarded the Crime
Prevention Proficiency Badge. The police
intend to extend the award to all other
uniformed groups in schools.
3. Textbook for Students
To educate our students on crime
prevention, a series of crime prevention
textbooks called “Dear Mr Policeman” were
brought into the school curriculums in 1986
to teach students from upper primary to
lower secondary levels the importance of
crime prevention. This series, which is still
currently being taught, will soon be
replaced in 1999 by an enhanced series
called “Safe and Secure: That’s Our
Singapore”, which will carry not only crime
prevention messages from the police, but
also road safety, and fire safety messages
from the Singapore Civil Defence Force,
and drug abuse prevention messages from
the Central Narcotics Bureau.
4. Crime Prevention CDs for Schools
A crime prevention interactive multimedia
CD targeting students and youths
have been developed. The CD contains the
messages of crime prevention, fire safety/
emergency preparedness, anti-drug abuse
and road safety, from the police, Singapore
Civil Defence Force and the Central
Narcotics Bureau respectively. The CD
comes complete with digitised images and
good audio and visual animation to make
learning fun and interactive for students
and youths alike.
147
112TH INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSE
VISITING EXPERTS’ PAPERS
5. Crime Prevention Videos
An educational video called “Gangfile”
warning teenagers of the dangers of joining
gangs; and a handbook called “Say No To
Gangs”, has been produced and distributed
to all schools. Another video, entitled
“Prison Me? No Way!” has been produced
for students and youths to steer them away
from crime. The video recounts the prison
life of 2 youth offenders, and conveys the
severity, harshness and consequences of a
prison sentence. The video, which is
distributed to all schools, comes complete
with a teachers’ guide.
6. Joint School Talks on Crime and Drug
Abuse Prevention
To maximise the benefits of combined
preventive drug and crime education
among students, the police and the Central
Narcotics Bureau (CNB) have integrated
and coordinated joint school talks on crime,
secret society activities and drug abuse
prevention. The police, CNB and Ministry
of Education (MOE) also work together to
draw up a year-long lecture schedule for
schools. This schedule ensures that every
school will be visited by the officers and
benefit from their talks. Apart from the
schedule, schools can also request special
talks to small group of students who have
been singled-out for any kind of infractions.
This helps the police and CNB to establish
better ties with discipline masters and with
schools in general.
7. Streetwise Programme
In addition to preventive education in
schools, the National Youth Council (NYC)
has initiated the “StreetWise Programme”
-a programme designed to change the
behaviour of youths who have unwittingly
drifted into gang activities. Three key
components in the programme are:
(i) Counselling;
(ii) Development training to
inculcate life skills and provide
academic and recreation support;
and
(iii) Voluntary curfew.
Participants in the voluntary curfew
scheme will have to undertake not to visit
certain entertainment outlets and likely
gang hangouts. They must also stay at
home during certain times of the day. Their
parents will have to agree to supervise
them and ensure that they observe the
curfew for the duration of the programme.
8. Visits to Penal Institutions
The police and CNB will continue to
organise institutional visits for youths
identified to be involved in petty crimes and
other delinquent activities at the prisons
and Drug Rehabilitation Centres
respectively. This would enable the youths
to have direct exposure to the deprivations
in the drug and penal regimes.
9. Organisation of Police Youth Camps
Youth camps for high-risk students will
be organised by the police to serve as an
outlet for energy and imagination, to steer
youths away from crime or associating with
bad elements. This will also instill some
confidence as well as social skills in them.
10. Honorary Vo l u n t e e r S p e c i a l
Constabulary (VSC) Scheme
As juvenile delinquents have become
increasingly defiant and aggressive over
the years, the police alone cannot tackle
the problem effectively. The Honorary VSC
scheme was introduced in 1997 to
strengthen the links between schools and
the police in an effort to keep juvenile
delinquency problems and youth-gang
influences away from schools. Teachers are
appointed as Honorary VSC Senior
Officers.
The appointment symbolises police
presence and authority in schools and
enhances teachers’ position as the overseer
148
RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 56
of school discipline. The Honorary VSC
Senior Officers carry warrant cards which
enables them to make arrests when there
are serious breaches of the peace within,
or in the immediate vicinity of, the school
compound or during school activities.
The Honorary VSC Senior Officers play
the role of the liaison officer between the
respective schools and the police. Police
will work closely with them to curb juvenile
delinquency. They will contact the police
should the need arise and assist in
scheduling talks on topics related to secret
society activities or crime prevention. They
also help to organise police-youth activities
such as visits to prisons and monitor the
behaviour of delinquent students in
schools.
As they are part of the SPF, they are
conferred powers of arrest, and can offer
advice on police procedures and policerelated
matters to staff and students in
their schools. They also counsel
recalcitrant students on the consequences
of criminal or gang activities.
G. Commercial and Industrial
Sectors
1. Crime Presentation for Crime
Prevention Committees (CPCs)
To look after the commercial and
industrial sectors, the police in 1982
introduced Crime Prevention Committees
(CPCs). CPCs serve as an organised body
where the police can work closely with both
the commercial and industrial sectors on
crime prevention. They are equivalent to
the Neighbourhood Watch Scheme in
public/private residential estates and are
responsible for monitoring and looking
after the security of their respective
commercial/shopping or industrial
complexes; organising crime prevention
activities and implementing the
recommended security measures in
consultation with police representatives.
To date, 145 CPCs have been formed all
over Singapore.
2. Crime Prevention for Construction
Sites
Security audits of construction sites are
conducted jointly by the Singapore
Contractors Association Limited (SCAL),
the NCPC and the police. The objectives
are to promote and encourage crime
prevention awareness, enhance work site
security and to deter unauthorised visitors
and illegal immigrants. To educate foreign
workers, a crime prevention video for
construction workers in 7 different
languages was also produced and
incorporated as part of the orientation
programme for foreign workers. Every
year, seminars on construction safety and
security are also jointly organised by the
police, NCPC and SCAL.
3. Crime Prevention for Hotels
The Singapore Hotel Association (SHA),
the NCPC and the police work closely in
organising the annual Hotel Security
Conference and Awards Presentation.
Together with SHA, the police also conduct
security audits at hotels to ensure their
standard of security. The objectives are to
promote an urgent sense of security in the
hotels, to encourage and assist installation
of mechanised security systems such as
closed-circuit television (CCTV) and to
endorse security training programmes for
the hotels.
VI. EVALUATING THE
EFFECTIVENESS OF THE
COMMUNITY POLICING
STRATEGY / CRIME PREVENTION
PROGRAMMES
The effectiveness of any country’s
policing strategy and crime prevention
programmes is best gauged by a public
perception survey on the overall crime
levels, sense of security and police
149
112TH INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSE
VISITING EXPERTS’ PAPERS
presence. To this end, such a survey was
conducted by the police in 1997. Of those
surveyed, 62% of the respondents believed
that major crimes were declining, and 46%
perceived that minor crimes were
declining. Comparing the general security
of Singapore with most countries in the
world, 93% of the respondents felt it was
better. 86% of the respondents also felt that
the security in Singapore at present (1996)
was better than 5 years ago (1991). More
than 95% of respondents felt that, on the
whole, the NPP system, and the police in
general have met their expectations.
In terms of the effectiveness of crime
prevention programmes, television
programmes such as crime watch continue
to top the list, with 93% of respondents
having known of it. Of the respondents who
expressed knowledge of the crime watch
programmes, 75% have watched it before.
Other crime prevention activities which the
public are aware of include posters (73%),
leaflets and newsletters (69%), and
exhibitions (68%).
VII. FUTURE CHALLENGES
A. Expansion of Neighbourhood
Watch Zones
The strategy of engaging the community
in crime prevention awareness will
continue. The police are looking into the
expansion of the NWZ Scheme. The aim is
to foster the idea of neighbourhood watch
and the concept of self-help in crime
prevention to residents via the Residents’
Committee (RC) and the Residents’
Association (RA). With close partnership
in the community, the NWZ Scheme will
become more effective in reaching out to
residents island-wide.
B. Enhancing Strategic Alliances
with Community Groups
The SPF intends to enhance the
strategic alliances with community groups
and grassroots organisations to raise crime
prevention awareness. To do this, the
police will continue to establish close
partnerships with community-based
organisations and self-help groups to
leverage on mutual strengths and expertise
to combat crime.
C. Enhancing Crime Prevention
Awareness among Police Officers
To continue enhancing crime prevention
awareness among its officers, the SPF aims
to further enhance the expertise of Crime
Prevention Officers, by upgrading the
general crime prevention knowledge
(including technical and highly specialised
aspects) and awareness of officers through
training. Police will, together with the
NCPC, generate initiatives for crime
prevention and build strategic alliances
with organisations in the private and
public sector to raise crime prevention
awareness in their respective fields.
VIII. CONCLUSION
To manage the expectations of the public,
and to meet the challenges of the 21st
century, the police will continue to improve
and fine-tune the system of community
policing and to continuously involve the
public. Internally, the police will
continuously hone and improve the existing
infrastructure of community policing to
keep in step with the complexity of the
crime scene in the years to come. No effort
is spared as our officers are continuously
trained with the latest technology and
know how. Laterally, the police will also
venture to establish strategic alliances and
partnerships with grassroots bodies,
private organisations, various trade
associations, public institutions, etc, to curb
crime. In this regard, work on the NWZ
Scheme will be carried out in earnest so
that it is implemented island-wide. The
future of our policing strategy is embodied
in our crime prevention slogan for 1998/
150
RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 56
99, which is “Together We Can Prevent
Crime”. Thus, as we enter into the 21st
century, the police-public partnership will
remain a vital chemistry for any success
in combating crime.
Jarmal Singh*
I. INTRODUCTION
Singapore, being a city state dependant
on trade and with business links to all parts
of the world, is a very open country.
Further, its strategic location makes it a
natural hub for airlines and ships. In view
of the very many varied cultures and
historical attractions in the region
surrounding it, large numbers of tourists
and business travelers pass through it. It
is hence open to varied influences, and is
also vulnerable to passing crooks who can
easily pass of as locals or tourists.
As most of its occupants are descendents
of immigration stock, mainly from the
Peninsula Malaysia, the Indonesia
archipelago, China, India and Europe, it
is heterogeneous. There are hence
sensitivities relating to race, religion,
language and nationality. These need to
be safeguarded against exploitation by
bigots and anti-national elements.
Nevertheless, their common destiny and
the need to work among and with each
other have led to the establishment of a
generally similar outlook relating to their
physical self and property. As all value
these rights, crime which attacks these
rights is obviously abhorred and is always
a highly topical subject of concern inspite
of Singapore having one of the lowest crime
rates in the world.
The low crime rate has been achieved
by the combination of deterrence,
enforcement and rehabilitation under a
very effective criminal justice system.
Deterrence is provided by tough laws,
* Deputy Director Operations, Police Headquarters,
Singapore Police Force, Republic of Singapore.
pushed by a strong executive and enacted
by a very responsive legislature; a very
robust and efficient world class court
system; a police force also aspiring to be
world class in its total policing capabilities,
which includes at its bedrock, community
policing in a strong, symbiotic partnership
with the community it polices, strong
enforcement by incorruptible officers and
an austere but humane correctional system
which aids rehabilitation whenever
possible.
The main thrust of the police-community
partnership is based on mutual help, with
the public being persuaded and encouraged
to take personal responsibility both
individually and in partnership with others
in safeguarding themselves, their property
and their neighbourhood with the advice
and assistance of the police. It is based on
the principle that prevention is a
community responsibility and crime
prevention measures taken by the
community can limit and reduce
opportunities for the commission of crime.
Further, the community has a role in
mitigating the impact of crime on
unintended victims, such as the
dependents of victims, offenders and others
who suffer collateral damage from these
crimes. The community also has a role in
reintegrating people into society.
Since 1988, Singapore has been enjoying
a decreasing crime rate for 9 consecutive
years. This would not have been possible
if not for cooperation from the public,
brought about by community-policing.
About 1/3 of all arrest cases are solved as a
result of public-spiritedness shown by
members of the public, assisting or giving
vital information leading to the
141
112TH INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSE
VISITING EXPERTS’ PAPERS
apprehension of the criminal.
In the last two decades, Singapore has
become highly industrialised and
urbanised. The SPF has become an
organisation fully committed to serving the
needs of and protecting the people living
in Singapore. In response to these changes,
the SPF has also undergone a period of
transformation in terms of its
organisational structure and policing
strategies.
The SPF has moved from reactive
policing to proactive policing based on the
concept of community policing and adapted
from the very successful Japanese Koban
model. This led to the establishment of 91
neighbourhood police posts (NPPs) under
the supervision of 7 land division
headquarters. The NPPs primary role is
creating a sense of security in the
neighbourhood through easily accessible
counter service, close liaison with the
public, high visibility patrols, house visits
and crime prevention education.
II. CRIME PREVENTION
CONCEPTS AND STRUCTURES
A. Concepts
Accompanying community policing, is
the development of a proactive approach
to crime prevention. The most strenuous
efforts by the police alone will not produce
the desired results if the community stands
by passively in the erroneous belief that
crime is purely a police responsibility. The
community must accept that the task of
crime prevention is as much a community
responsibility as it is a police responsibility,
and must join hands with the police to
make crime prevention effective. The
failure of public involvement in crime
prevention may be attributed to ignorance.
It is the police responsibility to overcome
this ignorance through a sustained
programme of education that brings about
crime prevention awareness throughout
the community. Crime prevention
education make people aware that:
(i) They are personally responsible
for the safety of their property
and themselves, and for the
safety of their neighbourhoods.
(ii) Many crimes are opportunistic in
nature and are committed
through the negligence and
carelessness of the victims.
Crime is prevented if the
opportunity is denied or delayed.
(iii) They can prevent crimes by
taking simple and effective
measures on their own or in cooperation
with their neighbours.
Crime prevention measures must
be commensurate with the threat.
Effective protection will not come
from any single measure but from
the sum total of all practical and
possible measures.
B. Formation of a Crime Prevention
Branch
The Crime Prevention Branch of the SPF
was formed in 1977 under the Criminal
Investigation Department (CID) to cater
for the needs of a specialised branch
devoted exclusively to crime prevention
activities. The main task of the branch was
to inform the public that they have a
significant role to play in safeguarding
themselves and their properties against
crime. For that purpose, the branch
embarked on an extensive programme of
crime prevention activities, which includes
talks, exhibitions and personal calls to
disseminate advice on measures that could
be adopted to prevent crime.
In view of the economic growth and
industrial development in Singapore, the
branch was expanded to that of a Crime
Prevention Division (CPD) in 1981, so as
to provide a more thorough and efficient
crime prevention programme for the public.
142
RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 56
The formation of the CPD signaled the
beginning of the community-oriented
policing strategy in Singapore. Since its
inception, the CPD has initiated several
projects in crime prevention, namely the
Neighbourhood Watch Scheme (NWS),
Crime Prevention Committees (CPCs),
Crime Risk Surveys, Operation
Identification, crime prevention
exhibitions, crime prevention campaigns;
and youth programmes like the Crime
Proficiency Badge Scheme for uniformed
groups like the National Police Cadet
Corps, Scouts and Girl Guides etc.
The Division was later to work closely
with the National Crime Prevention
Council (NCPC) which was formed on 4
July 1981. The formation of the Council
marked an extremely important event in
the history of crime prevention work and
development in Singapore.
C. National Crime Prevention
Council
The National Crime Prevention Council
(NCPC) was set up in 1981 to act as a
catalyst and partner to mobilise the
support of groups and individuals from the
community to work closely with the police
on crime prevention. It is a non-profit
making organisation which depends
entirely on donations to run their activities.
The NCPC objectives are:
(i) To raise the level of public
awareness and concern about
crime;
(ii) To encourage self-help in crime
prevention;
(iii) To study, develop and improve
crime prevention measures
suitable for adoption by the
public; and
(iv) To co-ordinate the efforts of
organisations interested in such
activities.
The NCPC comprises of persons from
both the private and public sector.
Members include business and social
leaders, professionals and police officers.
It is involved with other organisations and
government departments in promoting
crime prevention. It works closely with the
police and organises exhibitions,
workshops, courses, contests and talks to
involve and educate individuals and
organisations on crime prevention. It also
conducts research into various aspects of
crime prevention. Research is also
commissioned to measure the effectiveness
of crime prevention programmes. Various
subcommittees are also formed under the
NCPC to address problems related to crime
within various trades and concerns. They
include:
(i) Hotel Security Committee
(ii) Se cur i t y at Cons t ruc t i on
Worksites Committee
(iii) Children & Youth Committee
(iv) Security at Commercial Premises
Committee
(v) Security in Housing Committee
(vi) Focus Group Committee
III. CRIME PREVENTION
SCHEMES
A. Neighbourhood Watch Scheme
(NWS)
In 1981, the SPF introduced the
Neighbourhood Watch Scheme (NWS) to
tap on the resources of the community,
especially the residents of high-rise
apartments, in line with its community,
policing concept. The Scheme was
originally conceived to encourage mutual
care and help among neighbours, through
residents keeping an eye out for each
other’s premises, and it was hoped that
civic-mindedness, neighbourliness and
social responsibility in the context of crime
prevention would be enhanced. This would
contribute to keeping neighbourhoods safe
from crime.
143
112TH INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSE
VISITING EXPERTS’ PAPERS
By 1993, the NWS had 10,000 groups of
about 5 households located on the same
floor of a block of apartments, and led by a
group leader. Such a group is called a
Neighbourhood Watch Group (NWG). The
goals of the NWG are:
(i) To encourage residents to keep an
eye for their neighbours’
premises, so as to enhance the
physical security of their estate.
(ii) To disseminate, through the
NWG leader, awareness of
potential threats to resident’s
safety in their estate.
(iii) Instill, through the NWG leader,
an awareness of potential threats
to residents’ safety in that estate.
Despite the large number of NWGs
formed, the scheme met with limited
success. The activities of the NWGs have
been minimal or, in some cases, nonexistent.
This is due to the following
factors:
(i) Lack of leadership by NWG
leaders;
(ii) Lack of participation by NWG
members;
(iii) Limited scope of activity for
NWGs;
(iv) Existence of alternative channels
of communication.
In the light of the above factors, a review
of the NWS in 1996 was made with a view
to ensuring that it continues to remain
effective and to complement the work of the
Residents Committees (RCs), Residents
Associations (RAs) and the police. The RCs
and RAs are grassroots community-based
civic organisations that are all over
Singapore. The principal considerations on
the revised NWS form an integral part of
the police’s overall strategy of community
policing, working in conjunction with
attempts to reach out to the communityat-
large (through initiatives such as
problem-solving ), and to the individual
(through house visits ). In order to achieve
this, the following was addressed:
(i) The need for the aims, structure
and activities of the revised NWS
to be congruent with the priorities
of community agencies, thus
underscoring the relevance of
community-based cooperation at
the grassroots level.
(ii) The need to leverage on the
strengths of the existing
grassroots network such as
Residents Committees (RCs) /
Residents Associations (RAs).
(iii) The need for activities under the
revised NWS to cause individuals
to develop a greater sense of
belonging to and responsible for
the neighbourhood they live in.
B. Neighbourhood Watch Zone
(NWZ)
The new model for the Neighbourhood
Watch Scheme envisages a strategic
partnership between the SPF and
Residents’ Committee (RC) for Public
Housing and Resident’s Association (RA)
for Private Housing (the key community
agency at the grassroots level). The SPF
no longer attempts to build up a network
of community relationships in isolation.
Instead, it will work with and through the
RCs and RAs, in order to achieve the
objective of the Neighbourhood Watch
Scheme. This is done primarily through
the creation of “Neighbourhood Watch
Zones” in each of the 456 RC and 65 RA
Zones. NWZs will form an integral part of
the RC and RA structure, and will be led
by the Liaison Officer (LO) of the RC or RA
Zone, assisted by their Assistance Liaison
Officers (ALOs). They can be the vehicle
through which the RC’s and RA’s aim of
engendering a strong community spirit can
be achieved. Their focus, unlike the NWGs,
144
RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 56
is not on crime-related concerns alone, but
on all issues that interest or affect the
community.
RCs and RAs have been strengthened
as the pre-eminent community
organisations at the precinct level. They
have the mandate not only to discuss, but
also to deal with all aspects of concerns that
have crime or law and order implications.
Key areas of community concern will be
focused on the RCs and RAs. This gives
the community an identity to rally to. Since
the RCs and RAs have more substantial
areas of focus, the possibility of active and
meaningful participation in RC/RA
activities by residents will be raised.
The transformation from Neighbourhood
Watch Groups to Neighbourhood Watch
Zones (NWZ) is a move from quantity to
quality. With a more manageable number
of NWZs to work with, NPPs can
concentrate on working more closely with
each NWZ, thus strengthening its
leadership and administration. A total of
25 NWZs were launched at the pilot phase
in April 1997. To date the SPF has
established 191 NWZs. A typical NWZ is
made up of a Liaison Officer (LO) and is
assisted by Assistant Liaison Officers
(ALOs). The LOs and ALOs of the NWZ
work very closely with the NPP officers to
coordinate crime prevention activities and
programmes to foster community bonding.
They will also disseminate information to
the residents and channel feedback from
residents to Resident Committees (RCs)/
Resident Associations (RAs) and NPPs.
The role of our NPP officers in NWzs are
to work in close partnership with the
members of RCs/RAs in promoting
neighbourhood watch. Typically, they will:
(i) Actively support RC and RA
activities;
(ii) Disseminate crime prevention
information through house visits,
leaflets and posters;
(iii) Work jointly with RC and RA
members to discuss and propose
solutions to crime concerns;
(iv) Seek residents’ feedback on police
issues during house visits;
(v) Meet NWZ LOs for information
on RC/RA events;
(vi) Identify RC/RA activities as
platforms to promote crime
prevention awareness;
(vii) Organise activities at a ‘small
g r o u p ’ l e v e l t o p r o v i d e
opportunities for NWZ members
to meet and get to know each
other;
(viii)Customise police publications
with community level messages
for dissemination to residents;
and
(ix) Work with the community on
crime prevention publications.
The role of Liaison Officers (LOs) in
NWZs are as follows:
(i) Promote neighbourliness,
harmony and cohesiveness within
the NWZ;
(ii) Conduct NWZ programmes to
raise the crime prevention
awareness of the residents;
(iii) Acting through the ALOs,
disseminate information to and
channel feedback from the
residents to the neighbourhood
police post/RC/RA.
(iv) Coordinate and promote a wide
range of activities eg, social and
cultural, etc, to engender a strong
community spirit among
residents and to raise crime
prevention awareness;
(v) Attend to neighbourhood and
community crime prevention
matters;
(vi) Promote and encourage resident
participation in crime awareness
145
112TH INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSE
VISITING EXPERTS’ PAPERS
programmes;
(vii) Mobilise community resources to
address residents’ crime concerns
(viii)Resolve, with the support of
NPPs, disputes among residents;
and
(ix) Foster civic consciousness
amongst residents.
The SPF, in building a strong community
support, had created the Neighbourhood
Watch Zones in 25 RC Zones for its pilot
scheme launched in April 1997. A survey
was conducted a year later to find out the
level of awareness of the NWZ scheme and
and the crime prevention knowledge of the
residents. The findings were that more
than 90% of the respondents wanted the
scheme to continue or be implemented in
their estates. They also felt that the
scheme was effective in helping to prevent
crime. With the success of this scheme, the
SPF is embarking to expand it island-wide.
To date, the SPF has established 191
NWZs.
IV. CRIME PREVENTION
PROGRAMMES AND PROJECTS
With community policing firmly in place,
and strategic networks established with
public organisations such as grassroots
organisations, and private bodies such as
various trade associations, it becomes
possible to leverage on their cooperation
and expertise in crime prevention. The
reach of crime prevention programmes
initiated by the SPF is greatly enhanced
through these collaborations with leading
public and private organisations that aim
to enhance security-awareness and
security within their respective trades and
spheres of operation. The following are
some of the crime prevention programmes
being implemented by the police in
collaboration with the community.
V. CRIME PREVENTION FOR THE
GENERAL PUBLIC
A. Crime Prevention Exhibitions
and Talks
To stimulate greater public interest and
instill crime prevention awareness, crime
prevention exhibitions are held throughout
the year at shopping centres, community
centres and void decks of apartments to
reach out to the general public. The police
also conduct talks at grassroots and private
organisations. Crime prevention
phamplets, posters and handbooks are also
produced and distributed to the general
public during exhibitions or talks and are
easily available at the Neighbourhood
Police Centres/Posts.
B. Annual Crime Prevention
Campaign
To focus attention on crimes which affect
the public at large, the police, together with
the NCPC, jointly organise the Year-End
Festive Season Crime Prevention
Campaign. The mass media such as
television, cinema, posters etc, would also
be employed to communicate crime
prevention messages to the general public.
C. Crime Risk Surveys
To determine security weaknesses, the
police conduct Crime Risks Surveys for
both residential and commercial premises
upon request (by appointment or
registration at crime prevention
exhibitions). The police also visit scenes of
crime to advise the victims of means of
improving the structural security features
of their premises. The aims of the surveys
are:
(i) To provide specialised advisory
services on crime prevention to
the public at no cost;
(ii) To help improve the physical
security features of premises; and
146
RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 56
(iii) To encourage the use of various
crime prevention measures and
devices to enhance the security of
premises.
D. Crime Watch TV Progamme
To educate the general public through
the television, the police and the NCPC also
jointly produce the Crime Watch TV
Programme Series. The programme
features crime awareness including solved
and unsolved cases, appealing for
information and witnesses and public
education segments on crime prevention
measures or road safety. This TV
programme is shown monthly during
prime-time in both the English and
Chinese languages.
E. Crime Prevention for Senior
Citizens
Senior citizens being vulnerable and
trusting, can easily become victims of
unscrupulous criminals. Crime Prevention
Talks are conducted by Crime Prevention
Officers (CPOs) to various senior citizen
associations or groups. This also involves
police liaison with the People’s Association
and related organisations on the organising
of crime prevention programmes and
exhibitions.
F. Crime Prevention for the Young
and Youths
1. School Security Committees (SSCs)
The Committee is headed by teachers in
the schools themselves. The programme
was formed to enhance crime prevention
and fire safety in the schools. The police
officers at the NPPs act as liaison officers
to these SSCs. Meetings are held with
SSCs to update them on the latest crime
trends and advice. The police also render
assistance, such as arranging and
conducting crime prevention talks to the
students.
2. Crime Prevention for Uniformed
Groups
To reinforce crime prevention messages
among uniformed youth groups in schools
such as the National Police Cadet Corps,
the Scouts and Girl Guides, participation
in crime prevention activities are
encouraged. These activities include crime
prevention knowledge tests, visits to NPPs
and the Crime Prevention Display Room.
Upon completion of these activities,
students would be awarded the Crime
Prevention Proficiency Badge. The police
intend to extend the award to all other
uniformed groups in schools.
3. Textbook for Students
To educate our students on crime
prevention, a series of crime prevention
textbooks called “Dear Mr Policeman” were
brought into the school curriculums in 1986
to teach students from upper primary to
lower secondary levels the importance of
crime prevention. This series, which is still
currently being taught, will soon be
replaced in 1999 by an enhanced series
called “Safe and Secure: That’s Our
Singapore”, which will carry not only crime
prevention messages from the police, but
also road safety, and fire safety messages
from the Singapore Civil Defence Force,
and drug abuse prevention messages from
the Central Narcotics Bureau.
4. Crime Prevention CDs for Schools
A crime prevention interactive multimedia
CD targeting students and youths
have been developed. The CD contains the
messages of crime prevention, fire safety/
emergency preparedness, anti-drug abuse
and road safety, from the police, Singapore
Civil Defence Force and the Central
Narcotics Bureau respectively. The CD
comes complete with digitised images and
good audio and visual animation to make
learning fun and interactive for students
and youths alike.
147
112TH INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSE
VISITING EXPERTS’ PAPERS
5. Crime Prevention Videos
An educational video called “Gangfile”
warning teenagers of the dangers of joining
gangs; and a handbook called “Say No To
Gangs”, has been produced and distributed
to all schools. Another video, entitled
“Prison Me? No Way!” has been produced
for students and youths to steer them away
from crime. The video recounts the prison
life of 2 youth offenders, and conveys the
severity, harshness and consequences of a
prison sentence. The video, which is
distributed to all schools, comes complete
with a teachers’ guide.
6. Joint School Talks on Crime and Drug
Abuse Prevention
To maximise the benefits of combined
preventive drug and crime education
among students, the police and the Central
Narcotics Bureau (CNB) have integrated
and coordinated joint school talks on crime,
secret society activities and drug abuse
prevention. The police, CNB and Ministry
of Education (MOE) also work together to
draw up a year-long lecture schedule for
schools. This schedule ensures that every
school will be visited by the officers and
benefit from their talks. Apart from the
schedule, schools can also request special
talks to small group of students who have
been singled-out for any kind of infractions.
This helps the police and CNB to establish
better ties with discipline masters and with
schools in general.
7. Streetwise Programme
In addition to preventive education in
schools, the National Youth Council (NYC)
has initiated the “StreetWise Programme”
-a programme designed to change the
behaviour of youths who have unwittingly
drifted into gang activities. Three key
components in the programme are:
(i) Counselling;
(ii) Development training to
inculcate life skills and provide
academic and recreation support;
and
(iii) Voluntary curfew.
Participants in the voluntary curfew
scheme will have to undertake not to visit
certain entertainment outlets and likely
gang hangouts. They must also stay at
home during certain times of the day. Their
parents will have to agree to supervise
them and ensure that they observe the
curfew for the duration of the programme.
8. Visits to Penal Institutions
The police and CNB will continue to
organise institutional visits for youths
identified to be involved in petty crimes and
other delinquent activities at the prisons
and Drug Rehabilitation Centres
respectively. This would enable the youths
to have direct exposure to the deprivations
in the drug and penal regimes.
9. Organisation of Police Youth Camps
Youth camps for high-risk students will
be organised by the police to serve as an
outlet for energy and imagination, to steer
youths away from crime or associating with
bad elements. This will also instill some
confidence as well as social skills in them.
10. Honorary Vo l u n t e e r S p e c i a l
Constabulary (VSC) Scheme
As juvenile delinquents have become
increasingly defiant and aggressive over
the years, the police alone cannot tackle
the problem effectively. The Honorary VSC
scheme was introduced in 1997 to
strengthen the links between schools and
the police in an effort to keep juvenile
delinquency problems and youth-gang
influences away from schools. Teachers are
appointed as Honorary VSC Senior
Officers.
The appointment symbolises police
presence and authority in schools and
enhances teachers’ position as the overseer
148
RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 56
of school discipline. The Honorary VSC
Senior Officers carry warrant cards which
enables them to make arrests when there
are serious breaches of the peace within,
or in the immediate vicinity of, the school
compound or during school activities.
The Honorary VSC Senior Officers play
the role of the liaison officer between the
respective schools and the police. Police
will work closely with them to curb juvenile
delinquency. They will contact the police
should the need arise and assist in
scheduling talks on topics related to secret
society activities or crime prevention. They
also help to organise police-youth activities
such as visits to prisons and monitor the
behaviour of delinquent students in
schools.
As they are part of the SPF, they are
conferred powers of arrest, and can offer
advice on police procedures and policerelated
matters to staff and students in
their schools. They also counsel
recalcitrant students on the consequences
of criminal or gang activities.
G. Commercial and Industrial
Sectors
1. Crime Presentation for Crime
Prevention Committees (CPCs)
To look after the commercial and
industrial sectors, the police in 1982
introduced Crime Prevention Committees
(CPCs). CPCs serve as an organised body
where the police can work closely with both
the commercial and industrial sectors on
crime prevention. They are equivalent to
the Neighbourhood Watch Scheme in
public/private residential estates and are
responsible for monitoring and looking
after the security of their respective
commercial/shopping or industrial
complexes; organising crime prevention
activities and implementing the
recommended security measures in
consultation with police representatives.
To date, 145 CPCs have been formed all
over Singapore.
2. Crime Prevention for Construction
Sites
Security audits of construction sites are
conducted jointly by the Singapore
Contractors Association Limited (SCAL),
the NCPC and the police. The objectives
are to promote and encourage crime
prevention awareness, enhance work site
security and to deter unauthorised visitors
and illegal immigrants. To educate foreign
workers, a crime prevention video for
construction workers in 7 different
languages was also produced and
incorporated as part of the orientation
programme for foreign workers. Every
year, seminars on construction safety and
security are also jointly organised by the
police, NCPC and SCAL.
3. Crime Prevention for Hotels
The Singapore Hotel Association (SHA),
the NCPC and the police work closely in
organising the annual Hotel Security
Conference and Awards Presentation.
Together with SHA, the police also conduct
security audits at hotels to ensure their
standard of security. The objectives are to
promote an urgent sense of security in the
hotels, to encourage and assist installation
of mechanised security systems such as
closed-circuit television (CCTV) and to
endorse security training programmes for
the hotels.
VI. EVALUATING THE
EFFECTIVENESS OF THE
COMMUNITY POLICING
STRATEGY / CRIME PREVENTION
PROGRAMMES
The effectiveness of any country’s
policing strategy and crime prevention
programmes is best gauged by a public
perception survey on the overall crime
levels, sense of security and police
149
112TH INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSE
VISITING EXPERTS’ PAPERS
presence. To this end, such a survey was
conducted by the police in 1997. Of those
surveyed, 62% of the respondents believed
that major crimes were declining, and 46%
perceived that minor crimes were
declining. Comparing the general security
of Singapore with most countries in the
world, 93% of the respondents felt it was
better. 86% of the respondents also felt that
the security in Singapore at present (1996)
was better than 5 years ago (1991). More
than 95% of respondents felt that, on the
whole, the NPP system, and the police in
general have met their expectations.
In terms of the effectiveness of crime
prevention programmes, television
programmes such as crime watch continue
to top the list, with 93% of respondents
having known of it. Of the respondents who
expressed knowledge of the crime watch
programmes, 75% have watched it before.
Other crime prevention activities which the
public are aware of include posters (73%),
leaflets and newsletters (69%), and
exhibitions (68%).
VII. FUTURE CHALLENGES
A. Expansion of Neighbourhood
Watch Zones
The strategy of engaging the community
in crime prevention awareness will
continue. The police are looking into the
expansion of the NWZ Scheme. The aim is
to foster the idea of neighbourhood watch
and the concept of self-help in crime
prevention to residents via the Residents’
Committee (RC) and the Residents’
Association (RA). With close partnership
in the community, the NWZ Scheme will
become more effective in reaching out to
residents island-wide.
B. Enhancing Strategic Alliances
with Community Groups
The SPF intends to enhance the
strategic alliances with community groups
and grassroots organisations to raise crime
prevention awareness. To do this, the
police will continue to establish close
partnerships with community-based
organisations and self-help groups to
leverage on mutual strengths and expertise
to combat crime.
C. Enhancing Crime Prevention
Awareness among Police Officers
To continue enhancing crime prevention
awareness among its officers, the SPF aims
to further enhance the expertise of Crime
Prevention Officers, by upgrading the
general crime prevention knowledge
(including technical and highly specialised
aspects) and awareness of officers through
training. Police will, together with the
NCPC, generate initiatives for crime
prevention and build strategic alliances
with organisations in the private and
public sector to raise crime prevention
awareness in their respective fields.
VIII. CONCLUSION
To manage the expectations of the public,
and to meet the challenges of the 21st
century, the police will continue to improve
and fine-tune the system of community
policing and to continuously involve the
public. Internally, the police will
continuously hone and improve the existing
infrastructure of community policing to
keep in step with the complexity of the
crime scene in the years to come. No effort
is spared as our officers are continuously
trained with the latest technology and
know how. Laterally, the police will also
venture to establish strategic alliances and
partnerships with grassroots bodies,
private organisations, various trade
associations, public institutions, etc, to curb
crime. In this regard, work on the NWZ
Scheme will be carried out in earnest so
that it is implemented island-wide. The
future of our policing strategy is embodied
in our crime prevention slogan for 1998/
150
RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 56
99, which is “Together We Can Prevent
Crime”. Thus, as we enter into the 21st
century, the police-public partnership will
remain a vital chemistry for any success
in combating crime.
No comments:
Post a Comment