RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 56

CRIME PREVENTION-THE SINGAPORE APPROACH
Jarmal Singh*
I. INTRODUCTION
Singapore, being a city state dependanton trade and with business links to all partsof the world, is a very open country.
Further, its strategic location makes it anatural hub for airlines and ships. In viewof the very many varied cultures andhistorical attractions in the region
surrounding it, large numbers of tourists
and business travelers pass through it. It
is hence open to varied influences, and isalso vulnerable to passing crooks who caneasily pass of as locals or tourists.
As most of its occupants are descendents
of immigration stock, mainly from thePeninsula Malaysia, the Indonesia
archipelago, China, India and Europe, it
is heterogeneous. There are hence
sensitivities relating to race, religion,
language and nationality. These need tobe safeguarded against exploitation by
bigots and anti-national elements.
Nevertheless, their common destiny andthe need to work among and with eachother have led to the establishment of agenerally similar outlook relating to their
physical self and property. As all value
these rights, crime which attacks theserights is obviously abhorred and is always
a highly topical subject of concern inspiteof Singapore having one of the lowest crime
rates in the world.
The low crime rate has been achievedby the combination of deterrence,
enforcement and rehabilitation under avery effective criminal justice system.
Deterrence is provided by tough laws,* Deputy Director Operations, Police Headquarters,
Singapore Police Force, Republic of Singapore.

140

pushed by a strong executive and enacted
by a very responsive legislature; a very
robust and efficient world class court
system; a police force also aspiring to beworld class in its total policing capabilities,
which includes at its bedrock, community
policing in a strong, symbiotic partnershipwith the community it polices, strong
enforcement by incorruptible officers andan austere but humane correctional system
which aids rehabilitation wheneverpossible.
The main thrust of the police-community
partnership is based on mutual help, withthe public being persuaded and encouraged
to take personal responsibility bothindividually and in partnership with others
in safeguarding themselves, their property
and their neighbourhood with the advice
and assistance of the police. It is based on
the principle that prevention is acommunity responsibility and crime
prevention measures taken by thecommunity can limit and reduce
opportunities for the commission of crime.
Further, the community has a role inmitigating the impact of crime on
unintended victims, such as thedependents of victims, offenders and others
who suffer collateral damage from thesecrimes. The community also has a role inreintegrating people into society.
Since 1988, Singapore has been enjoying
a decreasing crime rate for 9 consecutive
years. This would not have been possible
if not for cooperation from the public,
brought about by community-policing.
About 1/3 of all arrest cases are solved as aresult of public-spiritedness shown bymembers of the public, assisting or giving
vital information leading to the112TH INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSE
VISITING EXPERTS’ PAPERS
apprehension of the criminal.
In the last two decades, Singapore has
become highly industrialised andurbanised. The SPF has become anorganisation fully committed to serving theneeds of and protecting the people livingin Singapore. In response to these changes,
the SPF has also undergone a period oftransformation in terms of its
organisational structure and policing
strategies.
The SPF has moved from reactive
policing to proactive policing based on theconcept of community policing and adaptedfrom the very successful Japanese Koban
model. This led to the establishment of 91
neighbourhood police posts (NPPs) under
the supervision of 7 land division
headquarters. The NPPs primary role iscreating a sense of security in theneighbourhood through easily accessible
counter service, close liaison with the
public, high visibility patrols, house visits
and crime prevention education.
II. CRIME PREVENTION
CONCEPTS AND STRUCTURES
A. Concepts
Accompanying community policing, isthe development of a proactive approachto crime prevention. The most strenuous
efforts by the police alone will not produce
the desired results if the community stands
by passively in the erroneous belief thatcrime is purely a police responsibility. The
community must accept that the task ofcrime prevention is as much a community
responsibility as it is a police responsibility,
and must join hands with the police tomake crime prevention effective. The
failure of public involvement in crime
prevention may be attributed to ignorance.
It is the police responsibility to overcome
this ignorance through a sustained
programme of education that brings about
crime prevention awareness throughout

the community. Crime prevention
education make people aware that:(i)

They are personally responsible
for the safety of their property
and themselves, and for thesafety of their neighbourhoods.
(ii) Many crimes are opportunistic innature and are committed
through the negligence andcarelessness of the victims.
Crime is prevented if theopportunity is denied or delayed.
(iii) They can prevent crimes bytaking simple and effective
measures on their own or in cooperation with their neighbours.
Crime prevention measures must
be commensurate with the threat.
Effective protection will not comefrom any single measure but fromthe sum total of all practical andpossible measures.
B. Formation of a Crime Prevention
BranchThe Crime Prevention Branch of the SPF
was formed in 1977 under the Criminal
Investigation Department (CID) to caterfor the needs of a specialised branch
devoted exclusively to crime prevention
activities. The main task of the branch was
to inform the public that they have asignificant role to play in safeguarding
themselves and their properties against
crime. For that purpose, the branchembarked on an extensive programme ofcrime prevention activities, which includes
talks, exhibitions and personal calls todisseminate advice on measures that could
be adopted to prevent crime.
In view of the economic growth andindustrial development in Singapore, thebranch was expanded to that of a Crime
Prevention Division (CPD) in 1981, so as
to provide a more thorough and efficientcrime prevention programme for the public.

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RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 56
The formation of the CPD signaled the
beginning of the community-oriented
policing strategy in Singapore. Since its
inception, the CPD has initiated several
projects in crime prevention, namely the
Neighbourhood Watch Scheme (NWS),
Crime Prevention Committees (CPCs),
Crime Risk Surveys, Operation
Identification, crime prevention
exhibitions, crime prevention campaigns;
and youth programmes like the Crime
Proficiency Badge Scheme for uniformedgroups like the National Police Cadet
Corps, Scouts and Girl Guides etc.
The Division was later to work closelywith the National Crime Prevention
Council (NCPC) which was formed on 4
July 1981. The formation of the Council
marked an extremely important event in
the history of crime prevention work anddevelopment in Singapore.
C. National Crime Prevention
Council
The National Crime Prevention Council(NCPC) was set up in 1981 to act as acatalyst and partner to mobilise thesupport of groups and individuals from thecommunity to work closely with the policeon crime prevention. It is a non-profit
making organisation which depends
entirely on donations to run their activities.
The NCPC objectives are:(i)

To raise the level of publicawareness and concern about
crime;(ii) To encourage self-help in crime
prevention;(iii) To study, develop and improvecrime prevention measures
suitable for adoption by the
public; and(iv) To co-ordinate the efforts oforganisations interested in suchactivities.

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The NCPC comprises of persons fromboth the private and public sector.
Members include business and social
leaders, professionals and police officers.
It is involved with other organisations andgovernment departments in promoting
crime prevention. It works closely with thepolice and organises exhibitions,workshops, courses, contests and talks toinvolve and educate individuals andorganisations on crime prevention. It also
conducts research into various aspects ofcrime prevention. Research is also
commissioned to measure the effectivenessof crime prevention programmes. Various
subcommittees are also formed under the
NCPC to address problems related to crime
within various trades and concerns. They
include:(i) Hotel Security Committee(ii) S e c u r i t y a t C o n s t r u c t i o n
Worksites Committee(iii) Children & Youth Committee(iv) Security at Commercial Premises
Committee(v) Security in Housing Committee(vi) Focus Group Committee
III. CRIME PREVENTIONSCHEMESA. Neighbourhood Watch Scheme(NWS)
In 1981, the SPF introduced the
Neighbourhood Watch Scheme (NWS) to
tap on the resources of the community,
especially the residents of high-riseapartments, in line with its community,
policing concept. The Scheme wasoriginally conceived to encourage mutualcare and help among neighbours, throughresidents keeping an eye out for eachother’s premises, and it was hoped that
civic-mindedness, neighbourliness andsocial responsibility in the context of crime
prevention would be enhanced. This would
contribute to keeping neighbourhoods safe
from crime.

112TH INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSE
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By 1993, the NWS had 10,000 groups ofabout 5 households located on the same
floor of a block of apartments, and led by agroup leader. Such a group is called a
Neighbourhood Watch Group (NWG). The
goals of the NWG are:(i)

To encourage residents to keep an
eye for their neighbours’
premises, so as to enhance thephysical security of their estate.
(ii) To disseminate, through the
NWG leader, awareness ofpotential threats to resident’s
safety in their estate.
(iii) Instill, through the NWG leader,an awareness of potential threats
to residents’ safety in that estate.
Despite the large number of NWGs
formed, the scheme met with limited
success. The activities of the NWGs havebeen minimal or, in some cases, nonexistent. This is due to the following
factors:(i)

Lack of leadership by NWG
leaders;(ii) Lack of participation by NWG
members;(iii) Limited scope of activity for
NWGs;(iv) Existence of alternative channelsof communication.
In the light of the above factors, a reviewof the NWS in 1996 was made with a viewto ensuring that it continues to remain
effective and to complement the work of the
Residents Committees (RCs), Residents
Associations (RAs) and the police. The RCs
and RAs are grassroots community-based
civic organisations that are all over
Singapore. The principal considerations on
the revised NWS form an integral part ofthe police’s overall strategy of community
policing, working in conjunction withattempts to reach out to the community-

at-large (through initiatives such asproblem-solving ), and to the individual(through house visits ). In order to achievethis, the following was addressed:(i)

The need for the aims, structure
and activities of the revised NWS
to be congruent with the priorities
of community agencies, thus
underscoring the relevance ofcommunity-based cooperation at
the grassroots level.
(ii) The need to leverage on thestrengths of the existinggrassroots network such as
Residents Committees (RCs) /Residents Associations (RAs).
(iii) The need for activities under therevised NWS to cause individuals
to develop a greater sense of
belonging to and responsible forthe neighbourhood they live in.
B. Neighbourhood Watch Zone
(NWZ)
The new model for the Neighbourhood
Watch Scheme envisages a strategic
partnership between the SPF andResidents’ Committee (RC) for Public
Housing and Resident’s Association (RA)for Private Housing (the key community
agency at the grassroots level). The SPF
no longer attempts to build up a networkof community relationships in isolation.
Instead, it will work with and through theRCs and RAs, in order to achieve theobjective of the Neighbourhood Watch
Scheme. This is done primarily throughthe creation of “Neighbourhood Watch
Zones” in each of the 456 RC and 65 RA
Zones. NWZs will form an integral part of
the RC and RA structure, and will be ledby the Liaison Officer (LO) of the RC or RA
Zone, assisted by their Assistance Liaison
Officers (ALOs). They can be the vehicle
through which the RC’s and RA’s aim ofengendering a strong community spirit canbe achieved. Their focus, unlike the NWGs,

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RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 56
is not on crime-related concerns alone, but
on all issues that interest or affect thecommunity.
RCs and RAs have been strengthened
as the pre-eminent community
organisations at the precinct level. They
have the mandate not only to discuss, butalso to deal with all aspects of concerns thathave crime or law and order implications.
Key areas of community concern will befocused on the RCs and RAs. This gives
the community an identity to rally to. Since
the RCs and RAs have more substantial
areas of focus, the possibility of active andmeaningful participation in RC/RA
activities by residents will be raised.
The transformation from Neighbourhood
Watch Groups to Neighbourhood Watch
Zones (NWZ) is a move from quantity toquality. With a more manageable number
of NWZs to work with, NPPs canconcentrate on working more closely witheach NWZ, thus strengthening its
leadership and administration. A total of
25 NWZs were launched at the pilot phasein April 1997. To date the SPF hasestablished 191 NWZs. A typical NWZ ismade up of a Liaison Officer (LO) and is
assisted by Assistant Liaison Officers(ALOs). The LOs and ALOs of the NWZ
work very closely with the NPP officers tocoordinate crime prevention activities andprogrammes to foster community bonding.
They will also disseminate information to
the residents and channel feedback fromresidents to Resident Committees (RCs)/
Resident Associations (RAs) and NPPs.
The role of our NPP officers in NWzs are
to work in close partnership with themembers of RCs/RAs in promoting
neighbourhood watch. Typically, they will:(i)

Actively support RC and RA
activities;(ii) Disseminate crime prevention
information through house visits,

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leaflets and posters;(iii) Work jointly with RC and RA
members to discuss and propose
solutions to crime concerns;(iv) Seek residents’ feedback on police
issues during house visits;(v) Meet NWZ LOs for information
on RC/RA events;(vi) Identify RC/RA activities as
platforms to promote crime
prevention awareness;(vii) Organise activities at a ‘small
group’ level to provide
opportunities for NWZ members
to meet and get to know eachother;(viii) Customise police publications
with community level messages
for dissemination to residents;
and(ix) Work with the community on
crime prevention publications.
The role of Liaison Officers (LOs) in
NWZs are as follows:(i)

Promote neighbourliness,harmony and cohesiveness within
the NWZ;(ii) Conduct NWZ programmes toraise the crime prevention
awareness of the residents;(iii) A c t i n g t h r o u g h t h e A L O s ,disseminate information to andchannel feedback from theresidents to the neighbourhood
police post/RC/RA.
(iv) Coordinate and promote a wide
range of activities eg, social andcultural, etc, to engender a strong
community spirit amongresidents and to raise crime
prevention awareness;(v) Attend to neighbourhood andcommunity crime prevention
matters;(vi) Promote and encourage resident
participation in crime awareness112TH INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSE
VISITING EXPERTS’ PAPERS
programmes;(vii) Mobilise community resources toaddress residents’ crime concerns(viii) Resolve, with the support of
NPPs, disputes among residents;
and(ix) F o s t e r c i v i c c o n s c i o u s n e s samongst residents.
The SPF, in building a strong community
support, had created the Neighbourhood
Watch Zones in 25 RC Zones for its pilot
scheme launched in April 1997. A survey
was conducted a year later to find out thelevel of awareness of the NWZ scheme andand the crime prevention knowledge of theresidents. The findings were that morethan 90% of the respondents wanted thescheme to continue or be implemented intheir estates. They also felt that thescheme was effective in helping to prevent
crime. With the success of this scheme, the
SPF is embarking to expand it island-wide.
To date, the SPF has established 191
NWZs.
IV. CRIME PREVENTIONPROGRAMMES AND PROJECTSWith community policing firmly in place,and strategic networks established withpublic organisations such as grassroots
organisations, and private bodies such as
various trade associations, it becomes
possible to leverage on their cooperationand expertise in crime prevention. The
reach of crime prevention programmes
initiated by the SPF is greatly enhanced
through these collaborations with leading
public and private organisations that aim
to enhance security-awareness andsecurity within their respective trades andspheres of operation. The following aresome of the crime prevention programmes
being implemented by the police incollaboration with the community.

V. CRIME PREVENTION FOR THE
GENERAL PUBLIC
A. Crime Prevention Exhibitions
and Talks
To stimulate greater public interest andinstill crime prevention awareness, crime
prevention exhibitions are held throughout
the year at shopping centres, community
centres and void decks of apartments toreach out to the general public. The police
also conduct talks at grassroots and privateorganisations. Crime prevention
phamplets, posters and handbooks are also
produced and distributed to the generalpublic during exhibitions or talks and areeasily available at the Neighbourhood
Police Centres/Posts.
B. Annual Crime Prevention
Campaign
To focus attention on crimes which affectthe public at large, the police, together with
the NCPC, jointly organise the Year-End
Festive Season Crime Prevention
Campaign. The mass media such as
television, cinema, posters etc, would also
be employed to communicate crime
prevention messages to the general public.
C. Crime Risk Surveys
To determine security weaknesses, thepolice conduct Crime Risks Surveys forboth residential and commercial premises
upon request (by appointment orregistration at crime prevention
exhibitions). The police also visit scenes ofcrime to advise the victims of means ofimproving the structural security featuresof their premises. The aims of the surveys
are:
(i)

To provide specialised advisory
services on crime prevention to
the public at no cost;(ii) To help improve the physicalsecurity features of premises; and145

RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 56(iii) To encourage the use of various
crime prevention measures anddevices to enhance the security ofpremises.
D. Crime Watch TV Progamme
To educate the general public throughthe television, the police and the NCPC also
jointly produce the Crime Watch TV
Programme Series. The programmefeatures crime awareness including solved
and unsolved cases, appealing for
information and witnesses and public
education segments on crime prevention
measures or road safety. This TV
programme is shown monthly during
prime-time in both the English andChinese languages.
E. Crime Prevention for Senior
Citizens
Senior citizens being vulnerable andtrusting, can easily become victims of
unscrupulous criminals. Crime Prevention
Talks are conducted by Crime Prevention
Officers (CPOs) to various senior citizen
associations or groups. This also involves
police liaison with the People’s Association
and related organisations on the organisingof crime prevention programmes andexhibitions.
F. Crime Prevention for the Youngand Youths
1. School Security Committees (SSCs)
The Committee is headed by teachers inthe schools themselves. The programme
was formed to enhance crime prevention
and fire safety in the schools. The police
officers at the NPPs act as liaison officers
to these SSCs. Meetings are held with
SSCs to update them on the latest crime
trends and advice. The police also renderassistance, such as arranging andconducting crime prevention talks to thestudents.

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2. Crime Prevention for Uniformed
GroupsTo reinforce crime prevention messages
among uniformed youth groups in schools
such as the National Police Cadet Corps,
the Scouts and Girl Guides, participationin crime prevention activities areencouraged. These activities include crime
prevention knowledge tests, visits to NPPs
and the Crime Prevention Display Room.
Upon completion of these activities,
students would be awarded the Crime
Prevention Proficiency Badge. The police
intend to extend the award to all otheruniformed groups in schools.
3. Textbook for Students
To educate our students on crime
prevention, a series of crime prevention
textbooks called “Dear Mr Policeman” werebrought into the school curriculums in 1986
to teach students from upper primary tolower secondary levels the importance ofcrime prevention. This series, which is still
currently being taught, will soon be
replaced in 1999 by an enhanced series
called “Safe and Secure: That’s Our
Singapore”, which will carry not only crime
prevention messages from the police, butalso road safety, and fire safety messages
from the Singapore Civil Defence Force,and drug abuse prevention messages fromthe Central Narcotics Bureau.
4. Crime Prevention CDs for Schools
A crime prevention interactive multimedia CD targeting students and youths
have been developed. The CD contains themessages of crime prevention, fire safety/
emergency preparedness, anti-drug abuse
and road safety, from the police, Singapore
Civil Defence Force and the Central
Narcotics Bureau respectively. The CDcomes complete with digitised images andgood audio and visual animation to makelearning fun and interactive for students
and youths alike.

112TH INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSE
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5. Crime Prevention Videos
An educational video called “Gangfile”
warning teenagers of the dangers of joining
gangs; and a handbook called “Say No To
Gangs”, has been produced and distributed
to all schools. Another video, entitled“Prison Me? No Way!” has been produced
for students and youths to steer them awayfrom crime. The video recounts the prison
life of 2 youth offenders, and conveys theseverity, harshness and consequences of a
prison sentence. The video, which is
distributed to all schools, comes completewith a teachers’ guide.
6. Joint School Talks on Crime and Drug
Abuse Prevention
To maximise the benefits of combined
preventive drug and crime education
among students, the police and the Central
Narcotics Bureau (CNB) have integrated
and coordinated joint school talks on crime,
secret society activities and drug abuse
prevention. The police, CNB and Ministryof Education (MOE) also work together todraw up a year-long lecture schedule forschools. This schedule ensures that every
school will be visited by the officers andbenefit from their talks. Apart from theschedule, schools can also request special
talks to small group of students who havebeen singled-out for any kind of infractions.
This helps the police and CNB to establish
better ties with discipline masters and withschools in general.

academic and recreation support;and(iii) Voluntary curfew.
Participants in the voluntary curfew
scheme will have to undertake not to visit
certain entertainment outlets and likely
gang hangouts. They must also stay athome during certain times of the day. Theirparents will have to agree to supervise
them and ensure that they observe thecurfew for the duration of the programme.
8. Visits to Penal Institutions
The police and CNB will continue toorganise institutional visits for youths
identified to be involved in petty crimes andother delinquent activities at the prisonsand Drug Rehabilitation Centres
respectively. This would enable the youths
to have direct exposure to the deprivationsin the drug and penal regimes.
9. Organisation of Police Youth Camps
Youth camps for high-risk students will
be organised by the police to serve as anoutlet for energy and imagination, to steer
youths away from crime or associating withbad elements. This will also instill someconfidence as well as social skills in them.

7. Streetwise Programme
In addition to preventive education inschools, the National Youth Council (NYC)
has initiated the “StreetWise Programme”-a programme designed to change thebehaviour of youths who have unwittingly
drifted into gang activities. Three key
components in the programme are:10. H o n o r a r y Vo l u n t e e r S p e c i a lConstabulary (VSC) Scheme
As juvenile delinquents have become
increasingly defiant and aggressive over
the years, the police alone cannot tackle
the problem effectively. The Honorary VSC
scheme was introduced in 1997 tostrengthen the links between schools andthe police in an effort to keep juvenile
delinquency problems and youth-gang
influences away from schools. Teachers areappointed as Honorary VSC Senior
Officers.

(i) Counselling;(ii) D e v e l o p m e n t t r a i n i n g t oinculcate life skills and provide

The appointment symbolises police
presence and authority in schools andenhances teachers’ position as the overseer

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RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 56
of school discipline. The Honorary VSC
Senior Officers carry warrant cards whichenables them to make arrests when there
are serious breaches of the peace within,or in the immediate vicinity of, the school
compound or during school activities.
The Honorary VSC Senior Officers play
the role of the liaison officer between therespective schools and the police. Police
will work closely with them to curb juvenile
delinquency. They will contact the police
should the need arise and assist inscheduling talks on topics related to secretsociety activities or crime prevention. They
also help to organise police-youth activities
such as visits to prisons and monitor the
behaviour of delinquent students inschools.
As they are part of the SPF, they are
conferred powers of arrest, and can offer
advice on police procedures and policerelated matters to staff and students intheir schools. They also counsel
recalcitrant students on the consequencesof criminal or gang activities.
G. Commercial and Industrial
Sectors
1. C r i m e P r e s e n t a t i o n f o r C r i m ePrevention Committees (CPCs)
To look after the commercial andindustrial sectors, the police in 1982
introduced Crime Prevention Committees(CPCs). CPCs serve as an organised bodywhere the police can work closely with boththe commercial and industrial sectors on
crime prevention. They are equivalent to
the Neighbourhood Watch Scheme inpublic/private residential estates and are
responsible for monitoring and looking
after the security of their respective
commercial/shopping or industrial
complexes; organising crime prevention
activities and implementing therecommended security measures in
consultation with police representatives.

148

To date, 145 CPCs have been formed allover Singapore.
2. Crime Prevention for Construction
Sites
Security audits of construction sites are
conducted jointly by the Singapore
Contractors Association Limited (SCAL),
the NCPC and the police. The objectives
are to promote and encourage crime
prevention awareness, enhance work site
security and to deter unauthorised visitors
and illegal immigrants. To educate foreign
workers, a crime prevention video for
construction workers in 7 different
languages was also produced andincorporated as part of the orientation
programme for foreign workers. Every
year, seminars on construction safety andsecurity are also jointly organised by thepolice, NCPC and SCAL.
3. Crime Prevention for Hotels
The Singapore Hotel Association (SHA),
the NCPC and the police work closely inorganising the annual Hotel Security
Conference and Awards Presentation.
Together with SHA, the police also conduct
security audits at hotels to ensure theirstandard of security. The objectives are topromote an urgent sense of security in the
hotels, to encourage and assist installationof mechanised security systems such as
closed-circuit television (CCTV) and toendorse security training programmes forthe hotels.
VI. EVALUATING THE
EFFECTIVENESS OF THE
COMMUNITY POLICINGSTRATEGY / CRIME PREVENTIONPROGRAMMESThe effectiveness of any country’s
policing strategy and crime prevention
programmes is best gauged by a public
perception survey on the overall crimelevels, sense of security and police

112TH INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSE
VISITING EXPERTS’ PAPERS
presence. To this end, such a survey was
conducted by the police in 1997. Of thosesurveyed, 62% of the respondents believedthat major crimes were declining, and 46%
perceived that minor crimes were
declining. Comparing the general securityof Singapore with most countries in theworld, 93% of the respondents felt it was
better. 86% of the respondents also felt thatthe security in Singapore at present (1996)
was better than 5 years ago (1991). Morethan 95% of respondents felt that, on thewhole, the NPP system, and the police ingeneral have met their expectations.
In terms of the effectiveness of crime
prevention programmes, television
programmes such as crime watch continue
to top the list, with 93% of respondents
having known of it. Of the respondents who
expressed knowledge of the crime watch
programmes, 75% have watched it before.
Other crime prevention activities which the
public are aware of include posters (73%),
leaflets and newsletters (69%), andexhibitions (68%).
VII. FUTURE CHALLENGES
A. Expansion of Neighbourhood
Watch Zones
The strategy of engaging the community
in crime prevention awareness willcontinue. The police are looking into the
expansion of the NWZ Scheme. The aim is
to foster the idea of neighbourhood watch
and the concept of self-help in crime
prevention to residents via the Residents’Committee (RC) and the Residents’
Association (RA). With close partnershipin the community, the NWZ Scheme will
become more effective in reaching out toresidents island-wide.
B. Enhancing Strategic Allianceswith Community Groups
The SPF intends to enhance thestrategic alliances with community groups

and grassroots organisations to raise crime
prevention awareness. To do this, thepolice will continue to establish close
partnerships with community-basedorganisations and self-help groups toleverage on mutual strengths and expertiseto combat crime.
C. Enhancing Crime Prevention
Awareness among Police Officers
To continue enhancing crime prevention
awareness among its officers, the SPF aims
to further enhance the expertise of Crime
Prevention Officers, by upgrading thegeneral crime prevention knowledge(including technical and highly specialised
aspects) and awareness of officers throughtraining. Police will, together with the
NCPC, generate initiatives for crime
prevention and build strategic allianceswith organisations in the private andpublic sector to raise crime prevention
awareness in their respective fields.
VIII. CONCLUSION
To manage the expectations of the public,
and to meet the challenges of the 21 st
century, the police will continue to improveand fine-tune the system of community
policing and to continuously involve thepublic. Internally, the police willcontinuously hone and improve the existing
infrastructure of community policing tokeep in step with the complexity of thecrime scene in the years to come. No effort
is spared as our officers are continuously
trained with the latest technology andknow how. Laterally, the police will also
venture to establish strategic alliances andpartnerships with grassroots bodies,
private organisations, various tradeassociations, public institutions, etc, to curb
crime. In this regard, work on the NWZ
Scheme will be carried out in earnest sothat it is implemented island-wide. The
future of our policing strategy is embodiedin our crime prevention slogan for 1998/

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RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 56
99, which is “Together We Can Prevent
Crime”. Thus, as we enter into the 21st
century, the police-public partnership willremain a vital chemistry for any successin combating crime.

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