Police officers can become experts in their field
DPM Teo interacted with promoted officers and their family members at the Home Team Promotion Ceremony 2015 on 20 May at the Orchard Hotel. Photo: MHA
SINGAPORE — Police officers aspiring to build deep specialist expertise will soon have more opportunities to do so as the Singapore Police Force (SPF) is looking to develop “specialist career tracks” in domains such as investigations, intelligence and special operations.
Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Teo Chee Hean announced this at the annual Home Team Promotion Ceremony held today (May 20), where he spoke about the Home Team’s emphasis on continual learning and upgrading of its officers.
“Even as we bring technology to bear in a major way in the Home Team, the Home Team’s work remains essentially people-centric ... Ultimately, the Home Team’s effectiveness depends on the competence and commitment of our officers and how well you are trained and equipped to perform your roles,” said Mr Teo, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security.
To ensure that officers are well-placed to manage future challenges, various Home Team agencies also hold training courses to hone their skills in specific areas directly relevant to their jobs, such as courses on tackling white collar crime, border security and event security training, said Mr Teo.
He added that programmes are also in place to prepare officers for higher level command and leadership roles, as well as manage responsibilities across institutions.
More than 5,300 Home Team officers will be promoted this year, including 1,556 within the senior officer ranks.
Among those promoted are 623 operationally-ready National Servicemen from the SPF and Singapore Civil Defence Force, and 107 voluntary special constabulary officers.
Their new ranks will take effect on June 1.
Over the past three years, the Home Team has also sponsored more than 1,200 officers for diploma and degree programmes here and abroad.
Assistant superintendent of police (ASP) Kelvin Kwok, 42, from the Special Investigation Section of the Criminal Investigation Department is one of those who received the Home Team’s support to attain an advanced diploma in police studies.
ASP Kwok, who has investigated high-profile cases such as the Kovan double murders in 2013 and the Little India riot, said one of his “toughest nuts to crack” was the murder of a property agent in 2008.
It took his team five days to establish the deceased person’s identity, after tracking down the Swedish manufacturer of her teeth implants and “sieving through thousands of X-rays”.
“The more challenging it is, the more we want to do it ... To the living we owe the truth, to the dead we owe justice,” said ASP Kwok, who will be promoted to deputy superintendent of police.
