Having a visible police presence has been proven to be a deterrent to crime, to the extent that in some countries such as Japan, they have inflatable or cardboard police dummies.

On my daily commute by car to my Orchard Road office, I see five to 10 people beating the traffic lights, speeding, or using mobile phones while driving. A full-time policeman or woman present would be able to spot many more offences, or even prevent such offences from happening, thus preventing accidents, injuries or even death.

Even on the expressways, sightings of traffic policemen are few and far between, apart from those manning speed cameras on overhead bridges.

Previously, there was much publicity about policemen patrolling housing estates on bicycle but, for some reason, this community-friendly service has been discontinued.

Regular police foot patrols in tourist shopping areas would be tourist-friendly and deter pickpockets, etc.

It is regrettable that taxi drivers seem to be the worst offenders in terms of driving aggressively, beating traffic lights and speeding. This is deplorable considering that they are carrying members of the public.

May I suggest that any driver of public transport, be it a bus or taxi, who commits a traffic offence be penalised twice as heavily as his private counterpart? Hopefully, this would deter them from driving recklessly and reduce the number of accidents.

Singapore police are quick to respond when called, but if they were more visible, the deterrent effect would result in fewer calls. It is better to prevent offences than to act retrospectively.

Peter J. Arnold