SINGAPORE - Commissioner of Police Ng Joo Hee was conferred an award and a Dato title by the Brunei government on Thursday.

The ceremony was held at the Istana Nutal Imam in Brunei.

Mr Ng, 48, was awarded the Darjah Pahlawan Negara Brunei Darussalam Yang Amat Perkasa, which stands for "the most gallant order of the Brunei state", and was given the title of Dato Seri Pahlawan, as a recognition of his efforts and commitment to foster closer and stronger relations between the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF).

The police said in a statement on Thursday: "Both the SPF and the RBPF enjoy an excellent relationship with close cooperation in the areas of investigations, information sharing, capacity building as well as training exchanges. These collaborations have yielded significant operational benefits for both forces in combating transnational crime."

Mr Ng said he is honoured to receive the award, on behalf of the men and women of the police force. He added: "The award is a testimony to the strong working ties and friendship that we enjoy between our two forces, and we will continue to work closely with the RBPF."

In October, it was announced that Mr Ng will step down from his role early next year. He will be appointed chief executive of the Public Utilities Board, as well as Deputy Secretary (Special Duties) for the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources from Jan 6 next year. The current Deputy Commissioner of Investigations and Intelligence Hoong Wee Teck, 51, will replace Mr Ng as the Commissioner of Police.