PM Lee Hsien Loong opens Police Operations Command Centre, thanks officers

SINGAPORE — Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong today (April 6) opened the Police Operations Command Centre (POCC) — the new nerve centre of the Singapore Police Force (SPF) which monitors incidents, takes 999 calls and coordinates its responses.

In a Facebook post published this evening, Mr Lee noted that police officers are more tech-savvy now.

“Our Police Officers don’t carry little black notebooks around any more,” he said. “They use IT and 3G comms, and are linked to the Police Operations Command Centre (POCC).”

Mr Lee, together with Deputy Prime Minster and Minister for Home Affairs Teo Chee Hean, also took the time to examine the new body-worn cameras donned by frontline police officers. “It records everything the officer sees and does. No more “I say/you say” disputes over what happened,” he said.

Mr Lee also said he spoke to some of the police officers who had worked hard to manage the huge crowds during the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s State Funeral, adding that he deeply appreciates their efforts to keep Singapore safe.

This includes Staff Sergeant Yus Mastari, whom he thanked for his “sterling service” during the State Funeral. “He escorted our convoy in the heavy rain and skidded, but recovered quickly and caught up. Glad he wasn’t badly hurt.”