History
National Service for all male Singaporeans began soon after Singapore’s separation from Malaya. The first batch of national service officers were enlisted into the Singapore Armed Forces in 1967.

In the same year, part-time Vigilante Corp (VC) and part-time Special Constabulary (SC) forces were first established within the Singapore Police Force. It was, however, only on 24th July 1975, 8 years after the introduction of national service that the first intake of full-time Police National Service officers were enlisted.

PNS officers were initially deployed alongside regular police officers in areas such as investigation, crime prevention patrols and protection of key installations.

In 1979, PNSmen, then known as reservists, were effectively deployed in teams of two officers to perform “vertical policing” in high-rise residential buildings which were sprouting all over Singapore .

In 1988, PNSmen were deployed in Multi-Task Group (MTG in short) to perform both peacetime and emergency functions. The peacetime functions include “vertical policing”, crowd control duties and crime-prevention patrols. Emergency functions include preparation and training for national emergencies and disasters.

In June 1994, the PNSmen force were re-organised into five functional groups : (a) protection of KINS (Key Installations), (b) patrol and Neighbourhood Police Post, (c) Light Strike Force (LSF), (d) Headquarter staff and (e) Service And Support Reinforcement Troops. Organising our PNSmen into functional groups allow specialised skills to be developed in these functional groups. PNSmen who had displayed leadership aptitude were also appointed as Key Appointment Holders (KAH) together with the formation of these five functional groupss. KAH comprises the posts of NS Commander, NS Head Operations and Training, NS Head Manpower Administration and Logistics (MAL) and OC KINS Group.

The first KINS troop was formed in October 1994 in J Division. The capability of KINS troops to protect vital installations was put to the test when they were deployed to guard some vital installations soon after the 9-11 incident in 2001. They proved effective. NSKU Command, under the command of Director PNS, was subsequently formed to give KINS troops better focus in terms of selection, training, deployment and welfare.

The administration of Police National Service human resource functions used to be part of Manpower Department’s (MPD) portfolio. In October 1995, the PNS Unit in MPD was upgraded to a full-fledged department (known as Police National Service Department) to manage the re-organisation of 20,000 PNS officers and developing personnel systems for these PNS officers. This enabled better focus on training, deployment, welfare and benefit, and discipline for the PNS population that Police National Service Department serves.

Vision
To make Police National Service an Extraordinary Experience through maximising the potential of our Police National Servicemen, so that they can contribute to making Singapore our Safe and Secure Best Home. 

Mission

The mission of the Police National Service Department is to ensure Police National Service Resources are operationally ready.

Our Roles and Functions involves  

• All PNS personnel affairs and development functions (e.g. enlistment, posting, promotion, welfare, rewards, compensations and remuneration)
• Formulation of policies and implementation plans for the development and optimisation of PNS resources
• Improving the discipline of PNS personnel by a two-pronged strategy of prevention and deterrence
• Training PNSmen and transforming them into a cohesive paramilitary outfit in the protection of key installations in Singapore
• Providing critical manpower during peacetime operations, national emergency situations and international events