Medals for police officers past and present as SPF marks 200th anniversary

Past and present officers of the Singapore Police Force (SPF) as well as the families of officers who died in the line of duty will be awarded medals and medallions in recognition of their contributions.

Parliament unanimously backed this move yesterday, as it debated and approved a motion proposed by MPs Christopher de Souza (Holland-Bukit Timah GRC), Murali Pillai (Bukit Batok) and Patrick Tay (Pioneer) to commemorate 200 years of policing in Singapore.

Mr Murali and Mr Tay were former police officers, while Mr de Souza is a former prosecutor.

Present at the sitting were 69 invited guests, including Commissioner of Police Hoong Wee Teck, serving officers, full-time national servicemen (NSFs), Volunteer Special Constabulary officers, civilian officers, retired officers and two family members of an officer who was killed in the line of duty.

Minister for Home Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam announced the commemorative Singapore Police Bicentennial 2020 Medal for officers who were in service for any period last year, and a medallion for former police officers and the families of fallen officers.

In a speech, he paid tribute to officers who had given their lives in the line of duty. He also outlined three key factors behind the SPF's success in making Singapore one of the safest countries in the world.

These are: a criminal justice system that enabled the SPF to be effective, a focus on ensuring quality officers and quality leadership in the SPF, and the ability to maintain a high degree of trust between the police and the community.

"The public trust of the police sets the tone for the everyday interactions between the police and the community. When a police officer arrives on a scene, people cooperate with his directions... This level of public trust cannot be taken for granted," he said.

The Singapore Police Bicentennial 2020 Medal will be awarded to regular, national service (NS) and volunteer officers who were in service for any period last year. Those who retired or completed their NS liabilities before Jan 1 last year will get a medallion, as will civilian officers who were in service with the SPF last year, and the families of fallen officers.

The medal and medallion will be given out in June next year.

Opening the debate, Mr de Souza outlined the contributions of the force, which started with just 12 officers in 1820. It now has 45,000 regular officers, NSFs, civilian officers, volunteers and NSmen.

Singapore faced many challenges in law and order, he noted, saying: "Faction fighting, robberies, murders and the use of firearms were so rampant in the 1920s that some nicknamed Singapore, the 'Chicago of the East'."

The efforts of the police "brought about the low crime rates that we enjoy today", he added.

Workers' Party chairman Sylvia Lim (Aljunied GRC) urged that the work of other agencies such as the Central Narcotics Bureau, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, and the Prisons not be forgotten either.

She also stressed that effective policing is not just about safety and security alone, as this could entail going overboard and locking up as many people as possible. "We must never think that safety is the only metric by which to judge the quality of law enforcement agencies. The need to do justice and to act fairly is equally critical," she said.

Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat spoke of his experience in the SPF over 17 years, including helping set up neighbourhood police posts (NPPs) islandwide.

"Police officers were traditionally seen as macho gun-toting officers. The friendly police officer out to make friends with the public was seen as a step backwards. The NPP system was derided by some as 'No Power Police'," he said.

But this softer approach to policing, and officers working with the community to deal with potential criminals, was the right choice, he added. "The heart of it is in the trust and confidence of the public in the police. And this trust and confidence rest critically on the values and attributes of our officers."

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 04, 2021, with the headline Medals for police officers past and present as SPF marks 200th anniversary. Subscribe