Criminal Investigation Department

KEY HIGHLIGHTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS IN FY 2006

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has come a long way since its days at Robinson Road. Despite the evolving forms and complexities of crime, CID has withstood the test of time and remains at the cutting edge of crime-fighting. 2006 was a successful year for CID. CID’s Intellectual Property Rights Branch (IPRB) achieved significant results in enforcement against intellectual property rights infringements, while the Anti-Unlicensed Money Lending Task Force (AUML TF) crippled several money lending syndicates involved in numerous cases of harassment. CID also augmented its investigation capabilities, ensuring that the department is always one step ahead of criminals.

Successes in Enforcement

In FY 2006, IPRB handled the prosecution of an interior design firm for using 51 pieces of unauthorised software from Microsoft, Adobe and Autodesk. This was the first commercial firm charged under the Copyright Act since the amendments in January 2006 to criminalise the use of unauthorised software for commercial advantage.

In another case, IPRB mounted an operation against a major syndicate retailing pirated software and games in the residential heartlands. Two retail shops were raided and syndicate members arrested. About 37,700 pirated CD-ROMs worth about S$377,000 were seized. The accused persons were sentenced to imprisonment ranging from 16 to 27 months.

In 2006, the AUML TF conducted nine major operations aimed at crippling UML syndicates and arrested a total of 294 persons. One of the more significant operations, Operation ‘Grand Hamper’, saw the arrest of more than 20 subjects as well as the seizure of more than S$70,000 cash and exhibits, such as laptops, mobile phones, pagers, ATM cards and other computer devices.

The same year, CID’s Technology Crime Investigation Branch (TCIB) successfully apprehended a 24-year-old man, who had hijacked the MSN messenger accounts of several women and threatened to post edited naked pictures of the victims unless they had ‘cybersex’ with him or showed their faces to him. He was charged on 48 counts under the Computer Misuse Act (CMA) and sentenced to 27 months’ imprisonment. TCIB also charged another 17-year-old student under the Act for ‘warwalking’ 1 in his private estate and accessing unsecured wireless LANs for Internet surfing.

Augmenting CID’s Capabilities

The use of explosive devices designed to cause mass casualties is a favoured weapon of terrorist organisations. Restorative efforts by emergency forces in the immediate aftermath of an attack, as well as the swift apprehension and prosecution of the perpetrators, are important in helping the community to recover in the rebuilding process.

The setting up of the Bomb & Explosive Investigation Division (BEID) and the acquisition of forensic equipment such as the postblast investigation (PBI) trailer equipped with the latest equipment such as the 3D scanner for scene reconstruction, ensure that CID is operationally ready to handle post-blast investigations. Recognising the value of closed-circuit television (CCTVs) footage from both the public and private sectors in investigations, CID’s Technology Crime Forensic Branch (TCFB) has built up its capability for mass processing of both analog and digital format CCTV recordings recovered from major incidents.

PLANS FOR FY 2007

Despite the challenges from the heightened security climate, crime trends and new technology, CID continues to be the premier investigation agency in Singapore and at the cutting edge of crime-fighting.