Service Development And Inspectorate Department
By ASP Chang Tze Ai

The Cornerstone of a World-Class Police Force
The Service Development & Inspectorate Department recognises that service and innovation are integral to the development of a world-class police force in Singapore. These two areas have also become our hallmarks of excellence, sustaining the Force and ensuring that it continues to be effective and relevant.

Recertification for Singapore Service Class and Singapore Innovation Class

In early 2008, SPF was awarded the Singapore Service Class (SSC) and the Singapore Innovation Class (SIC) Certification by SPRING Singapore. The recertification of these two niche standards reflects SPF’s emphasis on service and innovation. By providing good service, our officers continued to secure the trust and commitment from the community to work together with SPF in deterring, detecting and solving crimes. Through innovation, our officers are able to sustain an effective SPF that is truly a Force for the Nation.

Recognising Officers in SPF’s Service and Innovation Journeys

The Service Development & Inspectorate (SD&I) Department continues to ensure that various schemes are in place to recognise our officers’ outstanding performance in the areas of service and innovation. In September 2007, we organised the SPF Service Excellence Day (SED), during which 78 officers received commendations and awards from the Head of Civil Service, who was the Guest-of-Honour at the event. These awards were presented in recognition of their commitment towards providing good service to the public. The event attracted more than 1,100 attendees and was successful in reinforcing the service mindset among our officers.

The Excellent Service Award (EXSA) was also awarded to 194 officers. The Award was a proud testament to the high level of professionalism in our officers as well as SPF’s commitment to service excellence.

FY 2007 also saw three officers receiving the PS21 STAR Service Award, which is the highest accolade that a public officer can attain for delivering outstanding service to the public.

In the area of innovation, 96 project teams received Work Improvement Teams (WITS) awards for innovation at the SPF 3-I convention organised by SD&I Department and held on 30 August 2007. Among them were 10 Innovation Teams that received the Inno-spirit, Inno-impact and Innoincubator Awards. These were presented as rewards for inventive solutions that led to work improvements within SPF.

At national level, 11 teams from SPF clinched two STAR, seven Gold and two Silver awards at the National Innovation and Quality Circle (NIQC) Convention. On top of our excellent performance at NIQC, two SPF officers were also selected to represent Singapore at the International Convention on Quality Control Circles in Beijing in October 2007.

Service Handbooks for Frontline Officers

As part of SD&I Department’s continuous efforts to educate frontline officers and their supervisors on service standards, we produced several guidebooks for them in FY 2007, such as ‘Service Maxims’ and the ‘Handbook on Service Replies’. These illustrated books featuring animated comic characters conveyed the service messages to our officers in an engaging and effective way. Appropriate police scenarios and examples make them interesting and easy to read. These educational materials are specially designed to help our officers understand how to serve our customers better.

Raising Standards in FY 2008

SD&I Department is committed to providing high standards of service to the public, recognising the importance of good service in strengthening partnership bonds within the community.

Strengthening Service Mindsets and Behaviours

For FY 2008, SD&I Department will focus on further improving the service standards of our officers. This will be done through changing mindsets, training, monitoring, inspecting and recognising positive behaviours, and also through the regular review of solicited and unsolicited feedback together with the implementation of improvement plans.

Review of Innovation System in SPF

Our Innovation Office will conduct a review of the innovation system in SPF to gear it towards new peaks in organisational development. The review will examine current targets and analyse the relevance of existing reward and recognition structures, as well as pave the way for the establishment of systemic structures that embrace an innovative organisational culture.