TransCom officers ensure public transport is crime-free and safe for commuters
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SINGAPORE - Last year, the police received 79 reports of voyeurism and 148 reports of outrage of modesty on the public transport system, up from 68 and 145 respectively in 2020.
Of the reports on the two types of crimes in 2021, the Public Transport Security Command (TransCom) made 65 arrests.
Other than doing daily foot patrols at MRT stations and bus interchanges, TransCom officers conduct operations such as ambushes to catch suspects of crime.
National Service Probationary Inspector (NSPI) Firdaus Khan Feroz Khan, 20, was getting ready to go to sleep one night when he received a message from his superior to plan for an operation to look out for a suspect of voyeurism the next morning.
The police had received a call for assistance on Feb 10 regarding a 48-year-old man who had allegedly taken upskirt photos and videos of a female commuter on a train.
After using back-end tracing through police cameras to track the man, NSPI Firdaus' team arrested him within less than 12 hours of the offence.
NSPI Firdaus is among the many full-time police national servicemen who make up about 80 per cent of TransCom officers.
Their work also extends to non-security-related duties.
NSPI Firdaus said two of the meaningful parts of his job are helping reunite lost children with their parents, and helping the elderly find their way home.
The children would sometimes write notes and make drawings of the officers to thank them for helping.
But, he added, working with the public is not always easy.
He said: "One of the challenges we face would be meeting uncooperative members of public. So how we approach them is to come with the intention to help them, and talk to them in a reassuring tone."
Paya Lebar Base's commanding officer, Superintendent of Police Lim Chin Siang, told the media on Wednesday (Feb 23): "With the public transport network expanding progressively in the coming years, we continue to evolve our operations and work with partners and the community to strengthen police presence in the network in order to ensure quick response to urgent incidents."
