Partnering the Police Flexibly

PHOTO and GRAPHIC: Poh Jinn Yang

It was a rare volunteer role which perfectly aligned with Mr Ye Wint Nyein’s skills, knowledge and experience as a Domain Architect specialising in Blockchain and Digital Assets at United Overseas Bank. He seized the opportunity and signed up on the volunteer.gov.sg portal to be a Cybercrime Trainer under Singapore Police Force (SPF)’s Episodic Volunteering Programme (EVP).

Flexible, Skill-Based SPF Volunteer Scheme
Under the programme, volunteers take on short-term assignments that allow them to contribute their skills and expertise to support SPF in various roles. These roles may include Social Media Content Creator, Roadshow Ambassador, SPF Band Performer and Fitness Consultant.

The EVP offers greater flexibility to members of the public who wish to volunteer with SPF but who are unable to commit to longer-term volunteering duties or prefer ad-hoc projects.

Mr Nyein (middle) interacting with fellow volunteers and Assistant Commissioner of Police Sherrin Chua, Director, Community Partnership Department, SPF (second from right) at the launch of the EVP. PHOTO: SPF

Contributing his Skills
As a volunteer Cybercrime Trainer with the Criminal Investigation Department, SPF, Mr Nyein delivered two half-day virtual training sessions in the specialised field of Smart Contract Analysis, on 12 and 13 September 2024. Over 50 officers from the SPF investigation fraternity attended these two training sessions.

Smart contracts are self-executing digital agreements that automate cryptocurrency transactions based on predefined conditions. Cryptocurrency transactions run on blockchain platforms like Ethereum and Bitcoin. The two half-day virtual training sessions by Mr Nyein looked into the vulnerabilities and weaknesses of smart contracts and how they could be exploited by threat actors.

Mr Nyein’s insightful and informative sharing in this area of growing importance complemented SPF’s training initiatives to raise police officers’ capabilities in tackling cybercrime. 

Mr Nyein standing beside Community Outreach BudDY, SPF’s Community Engagement Robot. As a volunteer under the EVP scheme managed by SPF’s Community Partnership Department, Mr Nyein wants to further leverage his industry expertise to educate and equip people with the skills to identify and prevent scams. PHOTO: Poh Jinn Yang

A Good Volunteering Experience
Mr Nyein shared that the EVP offered him great flexibility as he collaborated with SPF’s programme coordinator on the training content, schedule, duration and delivery mode (in-person or online). The guidance and support from the coordinator made the training a success.

He also values such volunteering experience as it allows him to use his expertise and passion to help fortify Singapore’s digital defences. After this rewarding experience, he is looking forward to volunteering with SPF again, whether in the same role or in a different capacity. 

Volunteering under the EVP and other Home Team Volunteer Schemes
The EVP offers volunteering opportunities that do not require a minimum commitment from volunteers. Some opportunities may require volunteers to attend a mandatory training or briefing session prior to deployment. Members of the public can refer to SPF’s webpage on the EVP for more information, including FAQs on the sign-up process.

Available EVP volunteering roles are published regularly on this webpage in the volunteer.gov.sg portal. For some roles, there may be pre-requisites such as language proficiency, professional certification and portfolio. Members of public are strongly encouraged to apply if they are interested in any of the EVP roles.

Mr Nyein (second from left) encourages his friends to join the EVP. Besides being flexible and meaningful, he feels it is also a fantastic chance to connect with new people, experience different team dynamics and gain insights that they may not typically encounter. PHOTO: SPF

Besides the EVP, the Home Team has other volunteer schemes that allow volunteers to learn valuable skills and contribute directly to the safety and security of the community and your loved ones.

Join the ordinary people on extraordinary missions to help keep Singapore safe.