Global Community Policing Conference 2024 – Speech by Ms Sun Xueling, Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Social and Family Development

1. A very warm welcome to the inaugural Global Community Policing Conference.

Importance of Community Policing

2. Strong relationships and trust between the police and the public has always been important and I think increasingly, as we look at the state of affairs around the world, it is quite clear to us that the trust between the police and the public has become even more essential to effective policing in today’s interconnected world. And when I mean interconnected world, I not only mean interconnectedness in the physical space, but also interconnectedness in the online space.

3. Around the world, community policing has been shown to reduce crime rates, increase perceptions of safety, and improve public trust in law enforcement. When trust has been established, the public will be more willing to cooperate with the police and heed our advice to take precautionary measures to tackle crime. At the same time, strong relationships with the community will enable the police to work with the public to co-create solutions to prevent crime. Now, this helps us to maintain law and order, in order to provide a safe and secure environment for all.

Community Policing in Singapore

4. In Singapore, we also take pride in very strong legislative measures to make sure that we give the police the appropriate powers to act if they need to. This also forms strong foundations for the trust between the public and the police because the public knows that the police is fully empowered to act when it is necessary. I would like to make special mention of two laws that we have in Singapore.

(a) One is the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act which was enacted many decades ago. It forms a strong foundation for the religious harmony that we have seen in Singapore, and we continue to work very hard at it because religious harmony is not something that we can take for granted.

(b) There are also ongoing consultations on the maintenance of racial harmony because that is also another aspect that we have to take seriously.

5. Racial and religious fault lines can exist in Singapore, as well as in other parts of the world. We need to ensure that we have strong legislative levers so that the Ministry of Home Affairs together with our law enforcement agencies are able to tackle challenges that should arise if racial or religious harmony is challenged.

6. Now, community policing has been an integral part of Singapore’s policing approach since the 1980s.

7. The Neighbourhood Police Post (NPP) system, adapted from Japan’s Koban model, was introduced in 1983. With the NPPs located within residential heartlands, police officers were able to organise neighbourhood watch programmes and crime prevention talks to engage residents and address their concerns. These initiatives fostered closer ties between the police and residents, contributing to falling crime rates and an increased sense of safety and security among the public. In 1997, the Neighbourhood Police Centre (NPC) concept was introduced. The NPC system decentralised policing efforts and brought officers closer to the communities they served. This has been a key factor for the Singapore Police Force (SPF)’s success in community policing, as it facilitates proactive engagement with residents, businesses, and community organisations, to address local concerns and prevent crime.

8. One of the key community policing initiatives adopted by our SPF was the introduction of volunteer schemes to provide opportunities for interested members of the public to partner the SPF in a variety of roles, including community outreach, proactive policing and patrolling, and emergency response. The first volunteer scheme introduced by the SPF was the Volunteer Special Constabulary which was formed in 1946 after World War II. This scheme is a vital component of the SPF, comprising of dedicated volunteers who serve alongside regular police officers to patrol neighbourhoods, assist in major deployments, such as the National Day Parade, and maintain law and order in Singapore.

9. In today's digital world, police forces must also adapt and bring community policing into the online space. In May 2024, the SPF embarked on several community policing initiatives to allow the public to step forward and partner the police in tackling cybercrime and scams.

(a) The first is the new Cyber Guardians on Watch programme, which has more than 12,000 members as of July 2024. Members of ‘Cyber Guardians on Watch’ come from all walks of life to safeguard our cyberspace. Members will receive targeted cybercrime-related information, alerts and advisories from the police and can help to amplify the message by sharing such information with their family and friends.

(b) The second initiative is the Cyber-Crime Prevention Ambassadors programme. This focuses on raising awareness of cybercrime threats by engaging and educating the community on cybercrime prevention measures at roadshows and various community events. The good news about both these programmes is that they cater to a wide range of ages for volunteers – whether you are a senior or working adult or a young person – you can find yourself a role in these volunteer schemes. I think that this is also an integral component of our community policing efforts because everyone is able to step up to play a role.

10. Community policing can also play an important role in dealing with the threat of terrorism. In 2016, Singapore launched the SGSecure movement to sensitise, train and mobilise our community to play a part to prevent and deal with a terror attack. The movement focuses on three core actions that everyone can do – staying alert against terrorist threats; staying united in peacetime and crisis; and staying strong by being ready to deal with a crisis and bouncing back quickly.

11. The SGSecure movement is one that appeals to all to step forward. Even in preschools and primary schools, our students are taught ‘Run, Hide, Tell’. I think these are skills that anyone at any age can learn. When you protect yourself, and when you also help those around you and your loved ones to ‘Run, Hide, and Tell’, you are already doing something proactive in our stand against terrorism.

12. In our second phase of the SGSecure movement, we also look at what other skills one can be equipped with, such as lifesaving skills like the application of CPR, AED. And, in our final phase of our SGSecure movement, phase three, we talk about the individual roles one can play, including being a uniter after a crisis strikes. These are all examples as to how various members in the community can step forward to play a role and partner the police.

13. Since 2016, our SGSecure initiatives and programmes such as the SGSecure House Visits, SGSecure Responders’ Network, Community Response Round Tables and SGSecure Roadshows have been rolled out to better engage and educate the community on the importance of reporting suspicious articles, behaviours and early signs of radicalisation. Beyond knowing how to respond in times of crisis, it is also imperative for the community to stand united, especially after an attack. Today, in support of the movement, our Home Team officers from the SPF and the Singapore Civil Defence Force have engaged over 650,000 households on SGSecure. We also have more than 181,000 SGSecure Responders as of 31 July 2024.

14. This emphasis on community policing has helped the SPF achieve a high level of public trust and a strong sense of safety and security among residents.

15. The Gallup Global Law and Order report measures the public’s sense of personal security and their experiences with crime and law enforcement. The latest report in 2023 indicated that, in Singapore, 95% of respondents felt safe walking alone at night. These results are aligned with other surveys, such as the SPF’s own Public Perception Survey in 2021, which found that more than 95% of respondents indicated trust in the police.

16. However, while we have a strong sense of trust in the police, I also hope the community does not forget that each and every one of us has a role to play in the prevention of crime. So, recently, we have had to remind some households to lock their doors when they go out. So, I guess this is a reflection of how safe and secure Singapore is. But, it is also a gentle reminder that we all have to play a part to continue to ensure that this law and order is maintained.

Global Partnerships on Community Policing

17. Now, the theme of today’s conference – "Bridging Global Partners, Advancing Community Policing" emphasises the importance of international collaboration in enhancing community policing.

18. All of us come from many different countries, with different local contexts. But the challenges we face are common.

(a) We need to build trust with the communities that we serve.

(b) We seek to forge partnerships with stakeholders to implement effective and sustainable crime prevention programmes.

19. We need to look at various policing models and adapt them to our local needs and I strongly believe that together, we can build safer communities and stronger police-public relationships worldwide.

Conclusion

20. The power of this conference lies not just in the knowledge that we will gain, but in the partnerships and friendships that we will forge.

21. So, I hope that this conference will serve as a platform for all of us to make strong and lasting connections that will serve us well beyond the three days that we spent together.

22. Thank you very much.