Police NSFs to fight cybercrimes and scams under new Cyber Police vocation
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Cybercrime prevention ambassador Jerrell Chong (left), 18, at the Police Workplan Seminar 2024, held at the Singapore University of Technology and Design on May 23.
ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY
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SINGAPORE – Police full-time national servicemen (NSFs) will be deployed as cybercrime operators, working with other police officers to tackle cybercrimes and scams.
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) is expected to introduce this new role, called the Cyber Police NSF vocation, in 2024.
Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat announced the new vocation on May 24 at the Police Workplan Seminar 2024, held at the Singapore University of Technology and Design in Upper Changi Road. The seminar’s theme was A Future-Ready SPF: Cyber And Beyond.
DPM Heng, who was a police officer for 15 years, said the new vocation will allow the SPF to better tap the expertise of NSFs who can be deployed to the Cybercrime Command and the Anti-Scam Command to detect and disrupt cybercrimes and scams.
He said: “At the same time, I hope that this experience will be meaningful to NSFs and inspire them to deepen their expertise in the field, which would position them to seize new opportunities in our digital economy after (their operationally ready date).”
More details on the new vocation and when it will commence are expected to be announced in August.
In 2018, the Ministry of Defence launched its Cyber NSF Scheme
Those who take on the specialist vocation with Mindef are given on-the-job training and take relevant modules at local universities on a part-time basis. The module credits count towards a degree, should the NSF pursue one later.
DPM Heng said the current digitally enabled world has enhanced convenience and productivity, but also exposed new vulnerabilities.
The cross-border and anonymous nature of the internet allows cyber criminals to cause harm from outside national jurisdictions, he added.
He said frontier technologies are being exploited by criminals – from audio and video deepfakes generated using artificial intelligence
This will transform the operating landscape for law enforcement globally, he added.
In his speech, DPM Heng announced two new community initiatives that he said would allow members of the public to partner SPF in tackling scams.
Cybercrime prevention ambassadors will get formal training on the latest crime trends so they can engage and educate the community on cybercrime prevention measures through roadshows and various community events.
The other programme is Cyber Guardians on Watch, where members of the public can sign up to receive updates on latest scam trends and cybercrimes via the Police@SG app, then share this information with others.
SPF said they will also be educated to be its eyes and ears in cyberspace, reporting suspicious activity related to cybercrimes.
At the workplan seminar, SPF showcased new capabilities it developed to support the recently enacted Online Criminal Harms Act (Ocha)
Under Ocha, which took effect on Feb 1, the Government can restrict and limit the exposure of Singapore users to criminal activities on online platforms.
A key tool used by the police for this is the Scam Analytics and Tactical Intervention System (Satis). It can find scam websites and block them or shut them down, sometimes even before the site goes live to victims.
Developed with the Government Technology Agency of Singapore and Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX), SPF began using Satis in July 2023. It has so far identified and disrupted more than 25,000 scam-related websites.
Satis was used to take down scam sites relating to the CDC vouchers that were distributed in January.
A police report was filed by the Community Development Councils, which had warned members of the public
Satis took down such sites, thwarting the scam campaign.
To help scam victims more efficiently, SPF said the National Crime Prevention Council’s anti-scam helpline will be shortened to 1799 for easier recall.
SPF and the council are also exploring how the helpline can quickly connect callers to banks in the event of a suspected scam, so that their bank accounts can be frozen immediately.
SPF said it will be setting up a new cyber ops cell by the end of 2024 to coordinate intelligence, investigation, operation, and disruption responses to cybercrime cases that require real-time interventions.
It announced it has developed a chatbot with HTX, which uses AI to help the public draft an online police report.
On May 23, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Azfer Ali Khan said members of the public using the current online reporting system may not know what information is required by the police, and may include irrelevant details.
They might also omit certain facts needed for the investigation, he added.
With the new chatbot, after typing out a draft, it will make a preliminary classification on what potential offence is involved, said DSP Khan, who is commanding officer at Orchard Neighbourhood Police Centre.
It will generate a list of questions to ask, so the person making the report can include more relevant information.
The chatbot will draft the report, which the user can review before submitting it.
DSP Khan added: “It’s a streamlined process. Hopefully, it will save us quite a bit of time and a lot of effort.”
