The Clementi Neighbourhood Police Centre (NPC) rolled out its Community Policing System (Cops) today.

First implemented in Tampines and Bukit Merah East in May last year, Cops is what the Singapore Police Force calls "a nation-wide transformation of frontline policing strategies" which aims to improve police force and community integration.

The system employs two recent major changes to the NPCs' manpower, one of which is having Crime Strike Forces of plainclothes policemen to patrol crime hotspots daily, gather intelligence and track the whereabouts of persons of interest within the community.

Policemen in T-shirts and shorts also form the Community Policing Unit on bikes and on foot, getting to know the neighbourhood's residents and helping to foster a more community-engaged policing culture.

Clementi is part of the second phase of Cops roll-outs, and by the end of this month, five additional NPCs would also have adopted the system. They are Bishan, Punggol, Sengkang, Woodlands East and Woodlands West.

Announcing the latest launch today was Minister (Prime Minister's Office) and Second Minister (Home Affairs and Trade & Industry) S Iswaran, who said that all NPCs will be under this system by 2016.

In addition to community policing, Clementi also officially introduced its "West Coast Protectors" this morning - a residents' watch group with trained volunteers who help protect the neighbourhood through regular patrols and exchanging information with the police.

Mr Iswaran urged residents to continue to raise community vigilance against crime.