SPF:
Guardians of
the People

by DSP Alvin Leow

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) has achieved several operational successes in recent years. Notably, it has kept the crime rate below 1000 crimes per 100,000 population for the past eight years. in FY 2006, it has also undertaken and delivered, with sterling results, its biggest security deployment to date – the International Monetary Fund and World Bank (IMF-WB) Board of Governors Annual Meetings 2006 or Singapore 2006 (S2006). On the international front, SPF has established itself as a well-respected police force by its peers in the international policing arena with its participation in the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT).

Keeping Crime Rates Low

SPF, in partnership with the community, has managed to keep the crime rates low for the past eight years. In particular, overall crime in 2006 fell by a significant 10% compared to 2005. This was a notable achievement given SPF’s heavy commitment for major events in 2006 such as the General Elections and S2006 against the looming threat of terrorism. The low crime rates would not have been possible without the community’s involvement and the officers’ commitment to their core day-to-day policing functions.

Emphasis has been placed on the training of the officers to enable them to carry out their crime-fighting duties effectively and efficiently. They are trained not only to know the law and their powers under the law, but also to learn how to handle difficult operational situations with sensitivity, flexibility and balance while upholding the law.

With an increasingly sophisticated and demanding public, SPF recognises that more effort needs to be taken to gain the public’s trust and partnership. SPF is reviewing its service quality framework to adopt a more customer-oriented approach to improve the provision of quality service and the officers’ professionalism so as to build the public’s trust and confidence in the police force.

Achieving Operational Success at Large-scale Events

SPF has successfully undertaken the operations of managing security arrangements for large-scale international events such as the World Trade Organisation Ministerial Conference in 1996 and most recently, the 117th International Olympic Committee Session in 2005. However, these were not as large in scale as compared to S2006.

Ensuring the security and safety during S2006, the largest international event ever held in Singapore, was a mammoth task; it presented several unprecedented challenges to SPF. One key challenge was the threat of terrorism. With over 16,000- odd delegates and visitors expected during the nine-day event, including VIPs such as 300 finance ministers and heads of central banks from 184 countries, any attack would attract global attention and undermine the world’s confidence in Singapore.

Another key challenge was public order. Past meetings in other countries had seen protesters resorting to violence, including assault, destruction of property and traffic disruption. With the likelihood of these violent protesters turning up at S2006 to protest against what they deemed as injustices arising from IMF-WB policies, SPF faced intense international pressure and scrutiny on how it would enforce its laws and deal with such protesters.

SPF, which was at the helm of the Security Sub-committee under the S2006 Organising Committee, began preparing for the event as early as 2004. New equipment such as public order vehicles, anti-riot gear and public order barricades were acquired. SPF also leveraged on state-of-the-art IT solutions such as 3G communications and video network, and 3D Models and Application Software to further enhance its operational capabilities. Efforts in preparing the 9,000 over officers for their deployment on the ground were not spared either. They underwent extensive training, including public order exercises such as Exercise Pandora I, II & III. In addition, SPF also visited foreign police forces to learn from their experiences.

To mitigate the outbreak of public order situations, SPF moved away from conventional models of operation. It innovated tactically and formed the Public Order Task Force (POTF). The POTF was a setup with both proactive elements to detect and deter public order incidents from taking place, as well as reactive elements which could be deployed to manage incidents. These response elements took the form of Public Order Task Groups(POTGs), which were modular and could be scaled up quickly by combining the groups to handle larger incidents. The POTG structure allowed the Ground Commander to have direct control over a wide range of resources so as to effectively deal with incidents on the ground.

SPF also implemented a tough border checkpoint policy to deter potential troublemakers and terrorists from pursuing unlawful activities in Singapore during the event. It upheld the law and stood firm in its stand against outdoor demonstrations of any kind. Nevertheless, it did not disregard the needs of the Civil Society Organisations (CSO) in lobbying delegates at the meetings. To allow the voices of the civil society to be heard, SPF introduced a demonstration policy which allowed the CSOs to demonstrate at a designated, secured and private area at the lobby of the event venue. Stringent security and target hardening measures were also adopted, in collaboration with the various stakeholders.

The successful conclusion
of S2006 attested to SPF's
professionalism and ability in
planning and executing such
large-scale operations.

However, the S2006 operations were not without their detractors. SPF came under criticism for what were perceived as heavy-handed policies against protesters and paranoid security measures. Despite so, SPF did not waver even though there were tremendous external pressures to allow outdoor demonstrations and protests during S2006. Shortly after S2006, violence erupted at similar events such as the G20 Meeting held in Melbourne in November 2006. The firm action taken by Singapore in disallowing protests had indeed ensured the smooth-running of S2006 and the safety and securities of all participants.The successful conclusion of S2006, with no terrorist-related incidents and outdoor demonstrations attested to SPF’s professionalism and ability in planning and executing such large-scale operations. Its ability to maintain security and public order during the event also helped to cement global confidence in Singapore.

Enhancing its Operational Capabilities Overseas

SPF takes a multi-pronged approach to the development of its overseas capability. It ventured beyond its core responsibility of ensuring the safety and security of Singapore as early as 1989 when it undertook its first peacekeeping mission in Namibia under the United Nations Transitional Assistance Group (UNTAG) as part of the civilian component. Since then, SPF has participated in several overseas missions, with the most recent being the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor Leste (UNMIT) in 2006. A contingent of 21 SPF United Nations Peacekeeping Force (UNPKF) officers was sent to UNMIT to function as the territory’s transitional police with executive powers to maintain law and order, and to ensure the smooth conduct of the 2007 presidential and parliamentary elections, together with other UNPKFs.Learning from its Asian Tsunami experience when SPF sent a team of officers to the disaster-stricken areas in Phuket, Thailand in December 2004, SPF subsequently formed an overseas disaster response force codenamed Operation Vanguard. Operation Vanguard will enable SPF to speedily respond at short notice to any disaster in a foreign country and provide disaster victim identification and post-blast support to the affected country. Through Operation Vanguard, SPF will also be ready to operate the Overseas Contact Centre to provide assistance to the families of Singaporeans who are victims in any disaster.SPF’s participation in such overseas missions underscores its professionalism and good international reputation. The election of Commissioner of Police Khoo Boon Hui as Vice-President (Asia) at the 75th Interpol General Assembly in 2006 as well as his appointment as the Chairman of ASEANAPOL 2007 will further enable SPF to contribute and extend its services in the international policing world. In additional to leveraging on international organisations, SPF will continue to enhance its presence through fostering closer bilateral relations with its strategic foreign partners. This will in turn allow SPF to build a more robust network and harness global capabilities in its efforts to combat transnational crime and terrorism.True to its vision, SPF will continue to build operational capabilities within and outside Singapore, and fulfil its vision of being a world-class organisation that inspires the world.