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Cops on bikes are making a comeback
Corporal Alan Tan, togged out in casual attire, is part of the Community Policing Unit for Tampines who will cycle around the neighbourhood to build a closer bond with residents.
By Gwendolyn Ng
my paper
Monday, May 21, 2012
Don't be surprised to see police officers decked out in polo T-shirts and bermuda shorts riding around on mountain bikes in Tampines - and in other neighbourhoods soon, too.
These policemen are part of the Community Policing Unit (CPU) who have traded in their formal navy-blue uniforms for more casual wear in a bid to be more approachable and build rapport with residents.
The initiative was launched officially yesterday in Tampines as part of the new Community Policing System (Cops) to enhance the way neighbourhood police centres (NPCs) operate.
Tampines and Bukit Merah East NPCs are the first to officially launch the programme, and the rollout to NPCs islandwide is expected to be completed by the end of 2015.
In March, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Teo Chee Hean announced the operational revamp in Parliament.
He had said that the Cops programme would deploy more officers on the ground to engage the community more actively and tailor crime-prevention measures for neighbourhoods.
Corporal Alan Tan, 31, said that residents have told him that his new outfit is a "refreshing" change.
He is a member of the team from the Tampines NPC that has been zipping around the neighbourhood on bicycles for the past week, touching base with residents.
"The uniform change serves as an ice-breaker. Some residents have come up to me to ask if shorts are back," he said half in jest, referring to the past when police officers here wore shorts.
He added that residents can act as the eyes and ears on the ground to provide the police with information about suspicious characters.
Tampines resident Lehah Ahmad, 44, is glad that police officers are making their presence felt by cycling around the neighbourhood.
The billing coordinator in the freight-forwarding industry said: "People will think twice about committing a crime now that the officers are moving around more frequently on bicycles."
To ensure that there is sufficient manpower, 450 extra officers will be recruited over time to staff the new CPU and Crime Strike Force units.
Crime Strike Force units, which will be set up at each NPC, aim to take crime-fighting capabilities closer to the ground, from the land divisions to the NPC level.
Among their main responsibilities are conducting enforcement checks on public-entertainment outlets, massage establishments, second-hand goods dealers, and liquor licensees.
At the launch event at Block 201D Tampines Avenue 2, guest of honour S. Iswaran, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister for Home Affairs and Trade and Industry, said: "The Crime Strike Force will allow police officers to be more familiar with local terrain and be more effective in fighting localised crime, which is an important part of the overall crime- fighting strategy."
Plans to explore the use of technology to enhance neighbourhood police posts' (NPPs') effectiveness were also unveiled, starting with a pilot at Radin Mas and Marsiling NPPs later this year.
Among the measures being explored is one where residents are given round-the-clock access to an automated kiosk to enable them to lodge police reports. NPPs are open from 12pm to 10pm daily.
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