Criminal Investigation Department
By ASP Gail Wong

The Cutting Edge in Crime-Fighting
FY 2007 was a watershed year for the Criminal Investigation Department in terms of its international standing, capacity building and operational resilience.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) played host to the INTERPOL Global Conference on Asian Organised Crime in January 2008 as well as spearheaded the merger of the Anti-Unlicensed Moneylending Task Force, Anti-Vice Branch, Gambling Suppression Branch and Secret Societies Branch to form the Specialised Crime Investigation Branches and Specialised Crime Expert Branch in March 2008. We also scored several operational successes throughout the year, and developed our investigative capabilities to remain at the cutting edge of crime-fighting.

Cracking Down on Crime

We solved many high-profile cases in FY 2007. In August, CID arrested five males – two Singaporeans and three Indonesians, for attempted robbery in private landed properties. In September, CID led an operation to swiftly arrest an armed national serviceman, Corporal Dave Teo Ming, who had gone missing from camp with a SAR-21 rifle and some ammunition.

In the same month, the Intellectual Property Rights Branch (IPRB) arrested five persons for peddling pirated and counterfeit merchandise on the Internet. More than 800 counterfeit luxury products and pirated optical discs with a total estimated street value of about $24,000 were seized.

Key Legislative Changes

We played an important role in the Penal Code (PC) amendments which took effect on 1 February 2008. The amendments saw the introduction of new offences such as promoting child sex tourism, and sexual grooming, and expanded the coverage of existing offences to include the electronic media.

We led the implementation of the PC amendments by training our investigation and operations supervisors and officers, reviewing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Directives, drafting charge sheets for new PC offences and communicating the amendments force-wide.

Capacity Building

The Specialised Crime Division was reorganised on 3 March 2008 to better position CID to fight organised crime in Singapore. Criminal organisations often diversify their operations, dabbling in several different types of crime ranging from vice to gambling.

To deal more effectively with such criminal organisations, the Specialised Crime Division of the CID re-organised itself from a crime-centric model to a holistic investigation structure, combining the Anti-Unlicensed Moneylending Task Force, Anti-Vice Branch, Gambling Suppression Branch and Secret Societies Branch into the Specialised Crime Investigation Branches (A, B and C) and Specialised Crime Expert Branch. This created a new breed of holistically trained Specialised Crime officers, as well as improved synergy and sharing of ideas and experience within the Division.

In 2007, CID worked with the Manpower Department (MPD) on the upgrading of Investigation Officers (IO) allowances. The Senior Investigation Officer (SIO) allowance quota was almost doubled, and the Assistant Investigation Officer (AIO), IO and SIO allowance quantums were increased significantly. The IO allowances were also extended to forensic officers, in recognition of the vital role they play in investigations.

The Bomb and Explosives Investigation Division also acquired new mobile equipment – the Hazmat ID and Hazmaster G3 to enable it to assess and detect explosive substances at a scene more quickly.

International Collaboration

We participated in Operation SOGA from October to November 2007, which brought together ASEAN law enforcement agencies from Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, as well as partners from China, Hong Kong and Macau, to conduct a coordinated operation against illegal soccer gambling in the region.

Operation SOGA was a success, leading to the arrest of 423 persons and more than US$680,000 in cash seized across the countries over a period of 26 days. This was a prime example of successful international coordination and crossborder cooperation.

In January 2008, the INTERPOL Global Conference on Asian Organised Crime was jointly organised by SPF (led by CID) and INTERPOL. The two-day conference brought together more than 200 specialists from 32 countries to discuss a range of issues including casino operations, money laundering, drug and human trafficking, and the characteristics of different Asian organised crime groups across countries.

Building Capabilities in FY 2008

Despite the increasingly borderless and faceless nature of transnational crime, CID is prepared for future challenges and will remain at the cutting edge of criminal investigation to ensure peace and foster public trust and confidence in the Singapore Police Force.