April - June 2010 - Bureau of Police Research and Development

IntroductionSingapore Community PolicingExperimentSingapore is the most dramatic instance of a majorpolice force deciding in a short period of time that itwanted to change its fundamental system fordelivering police service, and is successfully doingso. Since 1981, Singapore police have shifted fromreactive incident-driven policing to full-scalecommunity policing. Earlier system was largelyreactive and based on deployment of a large numberof patrol vehicles.Singapore is a developed nation and like the UnitedStates a melting pot of diverse races and cultures.Its population is 76% Chinese, 15% Malaya, 6%Indians and 3% other races. Like New York andLondon, Singapore is one of the world's majorcommercial, financial and trading centres. It issecond to Rotterdam with the number of ships callingat its port everyday 2 .Before transition to community policing, policeoperations in Singapore were done at two commandlevels–central headquarters and dispersedprecincts. Both the headquarters and the precinctsperform the functions of foot patrolling, criminalinvestigation, control of law and order situations,etc. Patrolling was random motorized patrolling andsupplemented in some areas by bicycle and scooterpatrolling.Neighbourhood Police Post (NPP)In November 1991, a number of Japanese expertswere invited to help implementation of COBANSankar Sen*system in Singapore. On the recommendation of thestudy team, 8 NPPs were established in 1983 as apilot to assess the impact of the system. Positivepublic response to the NPP led to the acceleration ofthe final implementation phase, ending in December1994. There were now 91 NPPs throughout theisland. Singapore redeployed personnel into NPPsby reducing the number of officers assigned tomotorize petrol and reducing the number of supportunits, and by dissolving precinct task forces. Thepurpose of the system is as follows: To improve police-community relations inSingapore. To prevent and suppress crime through the cooperationof and support from the communityand To project a better police image and winconfidence of the public in the police with morecommunity-oriented services.StaffingAfter years of carefully studying, Singapore policedecided to staff each NPP with 20.5 officers-4 teamsand 4 constables and corporals. Four sergeantssupervised the teams with an inspector in charge.These teams serve respective 8 hours when the4th team has a rest day. All officers serve in NPPssometime in their careers but preference is givento good officers who are keen to serve in this kindof assignment. Since 1993 all recruits undergo asix weeks training course in the NPPs. In Singapore1Jerome H. Skolnick and David H. Bayley, “Community Policing: Issues and Practices Around the World” (Washington, D.C.:National Institute of Justice, forthcoming, 1988)2Model of Community Policing: The Singapore Story. The US Department of Justice.Key WordsCommunity Policing,Japanese Model,Random PatrollingCOBAN,Neighbourhood PolicyPost (NPC)*Senior Fellow, Institute ofSocial Sciences, Vasant Kunj,New Delhi-110070The Indian Police Journal Vol. LVII-No. 2, April-June, 2010 13➢