The owner of a fruit-and-vegetable stall at the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Market discovered one morning in January last year that thieves had broken into his safe and made off with around $500,000.
Police officers from the Clementi Police Division scoured hours of blurry close-circuit television (CCTV) footage for the offenders and trawled Geylang and Marina Bay Sands on foot throughout the day.
The criminals were finally ambushed at a retail outlet in Marina Bay Sands.
Not only was the arrest made just sixteen hours after a report was made, the officers also recovered around $400,000 of the stolen money.
For their efficiency and readiness in solving such cases, the Clementi Police Division was awarded the Best Land Division Award for a record eighth time at the Police Day Observance Ceremony. The division had last received the award in 2012.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister for Home Affairs and National Development Mr Desmond Lee presented the award at the Home Team Academy (HTA) in a ceremony attended by around 600 police officers on Saturday afternoon(June 23).
The division has been led by Senior Assistant Commander (SAC) Gerald Lim since 2014 and covers 600,000 residents in an area of around 70 sq km, including Sentosa and Jurong Islands.
The number of complaints in the division has fallen from 63 to 51, a 23 per cent decrease from last year.
SAC Lim attributed the division's success to the collective effort made by all the officers in the division that kept it running smoothly.
He also credited his officers' meticulousness in investigating complaints. "They were making sure no stone went unturned and going out to find the truth - that's what makes them stand out," he said in a press conference on Thursday (June 1) ahead of the ceremony.
Mr Lee also presented the Best National Service Operationally Ready Unit Award to the Tanglin Division Police National Servicemen. The unit was lauded for their professionalism in anti-theft operations along Orchard Road, as well as in their roles in the Community Engagement Vocation under the SGSecure initiative.
"It is heartening to see the hard work and dedication of my fellow Police National Servicemen being recognised through this award," said NS Commander of the Tanglin Police Division, Superintendent of Police (NS) Han Chi Kwang Patrick Daniel, in a statement on Friday (June 2).
"We are grateful to our Commander of Tanglin Police Division Assistant Commissioner of Police Tan Chia Han and his team of regular officers for their strong support shown to us. We will continue to strive to do our part to maintain security and safeguard Singapore."
Commissioner of Police Hoong Wee Teck gave out Commendation Awards to 150 teams and individuals at the Commissioner of Police's Commendation Ceremony also held at the HTA on Saturday afternoon (June 3). The awards were given out to recognise their consistent good work, meritorious service and outstanding leadership in 2016.
One of the recipients of the team Commendation Award was the Para-Vets team from the Special Operations Command K-9 Unit. Besides caring for the medical needs of service dogs, the team is also in charge of placing retired service dogs up for adoption.
"It feels good that our work is being acknowledged, especially for a team whose work is more behind the scenes" said Senior Staff Sergeant Jasmine Chan, 31, who is one of the team's six members, in an interview on Thursday (June 1).
She added how the team had worked hard to ensure the service dogs were healthy enough to be ready for adoption, as the number of dogs being put up for adoption has been increasing over the years.
"Even though we feel a sense of loss with every dog that is adopted, we are happy that they will eventually find good homes. Knowing our work is important, we are motivated to continue to do what is best for K-9 and the Singapore Police Force."
