SINGAPORE: More police officers will be recruited and trained as part of the Singapore Police Force's (SPF) new frontline policing revamp.
No official figure has been given, as the police will first conduct focus-group discussions with community stakeholders in the coming months.
There will be more officers and a dedicated crime-fighting team within each Neighbourhood Police Centre (NPC) as part of efforts to strengthen policing on the ground and improve the partnership between the police and the people.
Known as the "Next-Generation Frontline Policing Model", the move is in response to the Ministry of Home Affairs' Addendum to the President's Address to Parliament last month.
Authorities said the new model will improve the way NPCs work "in, with, and through the community".
Second Minister for Home Affairs S Iswaran said: "While the Next-Generation Frontline Policing Model will result in the deployment of more police officers at the NPCs, the police cannot effectively fight crime on their own.
"From the fundamental 1980s Koban model to the present, our fundamental philosophy has remained unchanged.
"The community and the police are partners in keeping our neighbourhoods safe.
"I, therefore, hope that these changes will energise the community to work even more closely with the police, to make Singapore a safer home for all of us."
Currently, police officers perform a variety of duties which include police enforcement, patrolling and responding to incidents.
The crime-fighting team will also allow officers to mount pro-active anti-crime operations, and better deal with crimes like harassment by loansharks.
To increase police presence, officers will patrol specific routes and also have a team to liaise with community stakeholders.
Technology, such as CCTVs, will continue to be used to fight crime.
CCTV networks will be placed at key entry and exit points of all HDB blocks and multi-storey car parks.
The expected increased police presence is welcomed by GPC Chair for Home Affairs and Law, Hri Kumar Nair.
He said: "One thing I'd like to see is greater police presence on the ground. That's something the community has been wanting for some time.
"They'd like policemen to be on the ground, more police presence....to act as a greater deterrence to crimes such as loansharking, which is becoming a problem.
"The other benefit, of course, will also be greater police involvement in the community....for the police to be a part of the community to take part in the programmes, for people to feel more comfortable having more police around."
The final model will be announced in the first quarter of next year, and will be fully implemented in three to five years.
