Public Affairs Department
By Ms Nur Azkiya

Honouring the SPF Brand
The Public Affairs Department continued its drive towards enhancing the Singapore Police Force Brand in FY 2007.

In a renewed effort to search for persons who have been missing for some time, Public Affairs Department (PAD) collaborated with the Criminal Investigation Department to launch the Missing Persons Website.

We assumed the role of main coordinator among the different police units, as well as an increasingly consultative role in design, art direction and heritage matters. Besides designing collaterals for the Traffic Police, Police Coast Guard and the K9 unit, we also assisted in designing the information booklet for the Commissioner of Police’s Application of Presidency for the INTERPOL General Assembly.

On top of our five regular periodicals, we published SPF Annual 2007, which showcased the achievements, expertise and responsibilities of our officers from the various departments and divisions.

In addition, we provided video and photo coverage, and created event microsites, which served as informative tools to spotlight significant events such as the ASEANAPOL 2007, ASEAN Summit 2007, Global Conference on Asian Organised Crime 2008 (AOC) and the International Institute for Strategic (IISS) Conference.

The Ambassadors of SPF

We coordinated and hosted over 130 foreign visits in FY 2007. As ambassadors of SPF, we are proud to offer our trademark hospitality to visiting delegates. One such visit was that of a 23-member Abu Dhabi Police delegation led by Human Resources General Director & Acting Police Operations General Director, His Excellency Brigadier Mohammed Al Awadi Yahya Al Manhali. The visit, held from 28 to 31 January 2008, saw PAD meticulously coordinate the visits of the delegates to the Singapore Civil Defence Force and the various departments in SPF.

We also organised the investiture of the Distinguished Service Order conferred on Chief of the Indonesian National Police, Police General Drs. Sutanto, by His Excellency, President S R Nathan at the Istana on 15 January 2008. The award was given in recognition of his outstanding contribution in fostering close ties and cooperation between the two police forces.

With our planning and management, SPF hosted the 27th ASEANAPOL Conference which saw the participation of ASEAN Chiefs of Police and delegates, and participants from observing countries.

A Nation is Engaged

We supported the Operations Department in managing and disseminating information on many of the major events and operations in FY 2007, during which SPF was in charge of security, traffic and public order arrangements. Among these events were the 13th ASEAN Summit, its related meetings and the National Day Parade.

PAD engaged media publicity for various events, policies, initiatives, and especially the good work done by SPF units. This resulted in 172 instances of high-profile positive publicity and achieved an estimated value of $4,456,307 in media publicity.

In the case of escaped detainee Mas Selamat Kastari, we sought the media’s support in appealing to the public to assist SPF’s search for him.

Preventing Crime in the Community

Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, Mr Teo Ser Luck launched the annual Festive Season Crime Prevention Campaign jointly organised by SPF and the National Crime Prevention Council on 10 November 2007. He was the Guest-of-Honour at the event supported by representatives from ZOUK and St James Power Station, among others. The event attracted a crowd of at least 2,000 people.

During the four-month campaign, its flagship crime prevention message of ‘Low Crime Doesn’t Mean No Crime’ was disseminated via video, radio, print and other collaterals at some public transport areas with heavy human traffic.

Doing Our Part

As part of SPF’s commitment towards being a socially responsible organisation, PAD organised the SPF Charity Dinner Show in April 2007, raising a grand total of $458,200 for the Community Chest. We collaborated with a unique entertainment group called The Crystal Mirror for the special dinner event, which saw the attendance of guests, sponsors and over 40 of SPF’s corporate partners.

In FY 2007, we also organised a 24- hour basketball competition called the Police Basketball 3’s in support of the President’s Challenge 2007, which raised over $200,000 for beneficiaries under the President’s Challenge. This event garnered the participation of many officers from various SPF divisions such as Traffic Police, Airport Police, Police Coast Guard, Training Command and Special Operations Command. Various schools also took part in the youth category of the challenge.

What the Future Holds for PAD

FY 2008 holds much promise for PAD – a year in which innovation and improvement will be the leading forces that drive the department to new successes.

We will strive to maintain and promote SPF’s brand name, exploring new and innovative ideas that can be implemented in PAD’s vision as ambassadors and an intelligent voice for SPF.