Home Team Volunteers: Bridging Communities

Meet some of the volunteers! (From left) Assistant Superintendent of Police Mubarak Bin A Mohamad Ali, Assistant Superintendent Darren Lee Yong Sheng, Sergeant Mohamed Aufi Bin Mohamed Jalil and Sergeant Siti Norliana Binte Rosli. PHOTO: Arvind Chan. GRAPHIC: Tang Ying Hui.

The Home Team Volunteer (HTV) Programme was initiated to bring together officers from the various Home Team Departments to support the Singapore Police Force (SPF) in specific events where a light-touch engagement of non-compliant subjects is required before Police intervention. This form of engagement aims to deescalate incidents with a tiered approach where the religious and racial sensitivity is assessed to be high.

Examples of some annual events where HT volunteers have been deployed to work with Hindu Endowment Board/Temples officials are Thaipusam, Panguni and the Theemithi (Firewalking) festivals. Even though the events are Hinduism-oriented and thus the HT volunteers primarily comprise Indian officers, the strong ethos of community within the HT has seen many officers of various races and religions stepping up to volunteer and give their time and effort to support these deployments.

The Thaipusam festival, which draws thousands of devotees and transient crowd, is one event where our multi-racial HT volunteers have been deployed annually. The devotees, some carrying milk pots or spiked kavadis, perform a foot procession – walking a route of about 3.5 kilometres, beginning from Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple, and finishing at Sri Thendayuthapani Temple. HT volunteers work alongside the Hindu Endowment Board (HEB), temple event organisers and temple officials to maintain order and ensure the safety of devotees, participants and other members of the public.

Four officers who volunteered at Thaipusam 2024 shared their experiences with Home Team News.

Facing Different Challenges

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mubarak Bin A Mohamad Ali from SPF volunteered as he wanted to gain a different perspective, take a break from his daily routine and make new friends.

Thaipusam participants with traditional musical instruments. PHOTO: Arvind Chan

When asked about his experience, ASP Mubarak shared, “There was a group of participants using more than the prescribed number of musical instruments. Our team had to monitor the situation and keep the Police Command Post updated.”

Being the liaison between festival participants, HEB representatives and HT officers, HT volunteers managed every situation with great sensitivity. ASP Mubarak continued, “When we approached the participants (to remind them to use only the permitted instruments), we had to be tactful and culturally aware, to prevent any misunderstandings.”

Gaining New Experiences

Assistant Superintendent (ASP) Darren Lee Yong Sheng of the Singapore Prison Service (SPS) returned as a volunteer for the second year. Introduced to the programme by his senior in SPS, ASP Darren joined the HTV programme to gain new experiences and better understand what fellow HT officers face in their engagements with the public.

During his first volunteering stint, there was no incident of concern. However, this second volunteering stint where he, ASP Mubarak and the rest of team had to engage participants, was a markedly different experience. "Mubarak and I plan to continue participating in these volunteer duties for as long as possible. We are keen to observe and experience how the safety management measures for such festivals evolve and improve over time,” said ASP Darren.

Devotees carrying kavadis (left and bottom right). The team kept watch over the proceedings (top right). PHOTOS: Arvind Chan

Contributing to a Larger Mission

Sergeant (SGT) Mohamed Aufi Bin Mohamed Jalil of the Singapore Civil Defence Force, a first-time volunteer, joined the programme after hearing about it from his supervisor, and was deployed in a different shift.

SGT Mohamed Aufi always wanted the opportunity to work with others and provide support for different types of events. He explained, "As a HT volunteer, I am actively involved in ensuring public safety during large-scale events. While my regular job focuses on firefighting, rescue and emergency medical operations, volunteering with the Home Team allowed me to contribute in other ways to safeguard the community and support public events in a different capacity. This volunteering experience has also deepened my understanding and appreciation of other cultural practices."

An Eye-Opening Experience

SGT Siti Norliana Binte Rosli of the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority is also a first-time volunteer.

She found the experience to be an eye-opener as she witnessed the festival’s proceedings and had the chance to understand more about the significance of Thaipusam. "Volunteering for these events and festivals allow me to experience and satisfy a different sense of curiosity. I found myself looking around, feeling the energy and cherishing the moments with amazement."

Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law Mr K Shanmugam (third from right) with HTVs during the Thaipusam 2024 deployment. PHOTO: Arvind Chan

Bridge Communities with the Home Team Volunteer Programme

HT officers can have a similarly meaningful experience and contribute to the HT’s mission in a new context while connecting with fellow HT officers. Be the link that safeguards and bridges communities. Look out for the volunteering opportunities at the upcoming HTV recruitment in April 2025.