Officers from Ang Mo Kio Police Division have managed to reduce loansharking activities in their beat, particularly harassment cases, which fell by 30 per cent in 2012 from the previous year.

This was revealed by Deputy Assistant Commissioner (DAC) Keok Tong San, the commander of the station, which is also known as 'Foxtrot' or 'F' division.

"The number of (harassment with) fire cases have come down, and paint splash cases for my division alone has seen a drop of 30 per cent," he said.

In fact, some unlicensed moneylending syndicates have shifted to milder tactics such as posting warning letters to debtors and the neighbours, he added.

DAC Keok was speaking to reporters on Saturday at a police community event held at Sengkang Community Centre, where Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean officiated the launch of the Community Policing System (COPS) for Sengkang Neighbourhood Police Centre (NPC).

This is the fourth rollout of the policing model after Tampines and Bukit Merah East in May 2012 and Clement last week.

DAC Keok added that COPS is especially important for the division because Foxtrot officers largely cover the heartland, and engaging residents to be additional eyes and ears on the ground will improve police effectiveness.

The division handles the most number of residents, with over one million living in Ang Mo Kio, Hougang, Punggol, Seletar, Sembawang, Sengkang, Serangoon, and Yishun.

"We are going back to basics, engaging the residents and our stakeholders more," he said.