Committed to the Cause (Part 1)

GRAPHIC: Joash Tan

This year, over 7,000 officers including NSmen from across the Home Team were promoted. We caught up with two officers to find out what motivates their commitment to the mission.

Driving the Highest Level of Tactical Operations 
Senior Assistant Commissioner (SAC) Arthur Law
Commander, Special Operations Command (SOC), Singapore Police Force (SPF)
Being part of the SOC for more than half of his career has helped Senior Assistant Commissioner (SAC) Arthur Law understand its inner workings to effectively drive major developments within SOC.

PHOTO: Dayana Yakob

When did you join the Home Team, and why? 
I joined the Home Team in 1995 because I wanted to be involved in specialist work and back then, the elite Special Tactics and Rescue (STAR) Unit of the SOC was just set up. I was attracted to the nature of the STAR Unit’s work.

Share with us what’s a day of work like for you.
As the Commander, most of my time is spent guiding officers to improve overall performance. I work with them in developing capabilities and tactical skills to enhance operational effectiveness in dealing with threats and contingencies. I also talk to officers often to understand the challenges they face at work and at home.

What’s the most rewarding experience you’ve had as a Home Team officer?
I was involved in the planning and implementation of new capabilities (STAR’s maritime capabilities) and the development of new specialist outfits (SOC’s Armed Strike Teams). A lot of work went into benchmarking and assessment of the new capabilities, coming up with a sustainable training regime and maintaining a high level of operational readiness. Seeing the projects through to fruition was a very fulfilling experience.

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learnt? 
Too often, we get bogged down by details and may end up losing sight of the big picture. It is important to take a step back and focus on what is really important – the end goal. Doing this has helped me to see different perspectives of the issues for different workarounds to get the job done.

Expecting the Unexpected 
Deputy Assistant Commissioner (DAC) Mohd Hamzah Bin Md Yusop
Director, Enforcement Division Sector 1, Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB)
For DAC Hamzah, what keeps him motivated is knowing that every successful operation by his team prevents more innocent lives from being harmed by drugs.

PHOTO: Joash Tan

When did you join the Home Team, and why? 
I joined CNB in 1997 after completing my tertiary studies. I did not want a desk-bound job and was excited that CNB offered the opportunity to carry out law enforcement work and intelligence work behind-the-scenes. 

What’s your current role and how’s a day of work like for you?
As the Director of Enforcement, I oversee the various aspects of intelligence, investigation, and operational efforts to tackle and curb the drug demand and supply, both inland and at the border checkpoints.

We plan and conduct daily anti-drug operations against drug abusers and traffickers. Every day brings with it different and often unpredictable situations – uncooperative suspects who sometimes get violent. This is also what makes the job exciting; the adrenaline rush keeps us on our toes. Our men and women plan carefully for anti-drug operations. We are trained to expect the unexpected, to think on our feet and react accordingly.  

How do you find meaning in your work?
When a person falls prey to drugs, many other lives around him or her are affected – their families and loved ones suffer from neglect, and children bear the brunt. 

What keeps us going is knowing that for every successful anti-drug operation and with every drug offender apprehended, we prevent drugs from reaching perhaps several tens or hundreds more potential drug abusers and their families, and prevent even greater harm. Our mission is clear – we keep the drug scourge at bay so everyone can live peacefully and walk the streets without fear.

Any tips to share on building a long-term career in the Home Team? 
In this line of work, you need to have the passion, the drive and the love for the job. Those are the things that spur you, day in, day out.

Officers must display integrity, be professional and competent in their work to gain the public’s trust that what we do is for the greater good of society.

Having a positive mindset definitely helps, and always to give your best in everything you do!

Read Committed to the Cause (Part 2).

Home Team Promotion Ceremony 2022
Across the Home Team, a total of 7,206 officers were promoted this year, comprising 4,088 regular officers from the Home Team Departments and statutory boards, 3,029 Operationally-Ready National Servicemen (ORNSmen) from the Singapore Police Force and Singapore Civil Defence Force, as well as 89 members from VSC and CDAU.

Read the speech by Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law, at the Promotion Ceremony.