Effective policing is built on public trust and engagement (Police robot rolled out for Chingay parade; Feb 24).

Police officers on patrol are able to assess potential danger in ever-changing environments, recognise a threat and respond in the right way.

The cost involved in developing the patrol robot, which was rolled out at the Chingay parade last week, could have been better used to motivate our men in blue, who perform a dangerous and stressful job.

Properly motivated police officers are critical in ensuring public safety and national security.

Human beings are much more reassuring than robots.

A machine cannot help engender a sense of community. Robots also cannot replace humans for tasks such as making arrests.

Robots should never be intended as permanent solutions to security problems.

Loong Chik Tong