More ‘eyes and ears’ on the ground: Volunteers wanted for new community crime prevention scheme
Mr Tan Yu Liang (right), who is part of his precinct's Neighbourhood Watch Zone and other volunteer schemes, provides a scam advisory to a resident. He has signed up to be part of a new Community Watch Scheme. (Photo: Singapore Police Force)
Cheryl Lin
11 Dec 2021 11:28AM (Updated: 11 Dec 2021 11:28AM)
SINGAPORE: Members of the public keen to get the latest crime alerts or provide police with information can join a new community crime prevention scheme that was launched on Saturday (Dec 11).
Under the police’s Community Watch Scheme (CWS), volunteers will get regular updates, including crime-related advisories, as well as opportunities to participate in related activities, training and workshops.
Members are urged to share information from the police - such as alerts for crime suspects - with their networks, said the police, adding that they are also encouraged to share crime information with the authorities.
The CWS will be the police’s umbrella "entry level" community volunteer scheme, folding in existing schemes such as the Neighbourhood Watch Zone, Vehicles on Watch and Riders on Watch.
Unlike schemes that are precinct-based, the CWS will be organised around interests. This will help build a larger community, “where every member can be involved in the safety and security of their area of interest, regardless where they are”, said the police.
There are currently six interest groups volunteers can sign up for, which are centred around five broad domains of daily life: home, work/ learning, transport, lifestyle and online.
Examples of interest groups include E-shoppers on Watch, where members will get the latest crime news affecting online shoppers, and Cyclists on Watch, which will relay crime and road safety information affecting cyclists. There are plans to add more interest groups in future.
“With this umbrella group, we can ensure consistency throughout all the different schemes, we can reap the synergies among them,” said the director of the Community Partnership Department, Assistant Commissioner Shng Yunn Chinn.
The scheme also requires “minimal commitments” and anyone aged 13 and above may join, he said.
The police said that CWS members who want to do more may also sign up for other volunteer schemes that require more commitment and participation, such as Citizens on Patrol or the Volunteer Special Constabulary.
Citizens on Patrol members go round their neighbourhood in groups of at least four members to prevent and deter crime, while Volunteer Special Constabulary officers are vested with the powers of a police officer and work alongside regular police officers.
PROTECTING COMMUNITIES
Since June this year, about 5,000 people have been onboarded to the CWS, said the police.One of them is 34-year-old Mr Tan Yu Liang, who was part of his precinct’s Neighbourhood Watch Zone, in which residents look out for crimes in their neighbourhood. This will be transformed into the Neighbours On Watch interest group.
Recalling his experience of volunteering for different community schemes, he said one of the most memorable encounters was helping to arrest a snatch thief in a vacated block of flats while on patrol.
More recent experiences include solving neighbourly disputes, keeping an eye out for loan sharks, or educating residents about scams, said the chairman of the Stirling View Residents' Committee.
By joining such community schemes, including the CWS, he said: “You’re actually gaining the necessary knowledge and experience to prevent crime.
"So with that kind of knowledge, (people) not just protect themselves, their family members – they also do their part to actually help the greater community.”
Another volunteer who has signed up for the CWS is 52-year-old Mr Han Hee Ting, who has been a grassroots volunteer for 18 years.
He said that with the “limited resources” that authorities have, residents and volunteers can serve as “the eyes and ears” of agencies.
Working closely with agencies will also “help ourselves to improve our own living conditions around the area”, said the chairman of the Pasir Panjang West Neighbourhood Committee.
As a member of the Neighbourhood Watch Zone, proactively looking out for issues is useful so that "improvement can be continuous", rather than taking action only when something has happened, he said.
“So that's how we look at it. We should work together," he added.
Assistant Commissioner Shng said that about 20 per cent to 30 per cent of arrests for certain crime types have been made as a result of public assistance.
He added: “The CWS is a call to action ... every action from our CWS members contributes to the success of our collective mission to prevent, deter and detect crime, and keep our country as one of the safest in the world.”
Source: CNA/cl(mi)
