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A neighbourhood police centre (Abbreviation: NPC; Malay : Pusat Polis Kejiranan [1] ) is a small to mid-sized police station commonly found in Singapore. It was first introduced during the mid-1990s. [2]
A feasibility study was established in October 1981 when some officers of the Singapore Police Force and then-Minister for Home Affairs Chua Sian Chin were sent to Japan to study the koban and train with officers on how the system worked. [2] [3] [4] The neighbourhood police post (NPP) was then piloted in 1983 when Khe Bong NPP post was created with assistance from Japanese police officers visiting Singapore. [2]
The NPC is a result of a review of the NPP system initiated in 1996. [5] While the NPP has helped to reduce crime rates since its introduction in 1983, and perceived positively by the general public, it was limited in its ability to offer greater convenience to the community due to their limited size and scope of duties in individual posts. [5]
The high number of NPPs entailed extensive resources spread over many installations, putting pressure on limited resources available to the police, particularly in terms of manpower. The limited scope of the NPP system was also seen as being less optimal in maximising the operational capabilities of individual police officers, and affecting its abilities to retain talent.
Pooling the NPPs into larger entities known as NPCs was thus proposed as a solution, although it was not meant to completely replace NPPs. About two thirds of NPPs were planned to be retained so as to maintain convenience to the general public, although many will no longer operate round the clock. An intercom system was introduced to overcome this should public assistance be needed when the NPP is closed. With a larger pool of officers and resources, each NPC was able to provide more services in one location with the aim of reducing the time needed to close each case.
Each NPC Officer was also expected to handle not only front-line duties, but also basic investigation work and administrative duties. NPCs would directly liaise with the community for joint programmes and operations within their jurisdiction. This was also helped by having some NPCs sharing the same building with other community agencies, such as Community Centres.
In 1997, plans were drawn up the roll out the NPC system across the country over four phases. The Pilot Phase was introduced in Clementi Police Division in October 1997, with the building of three NPCs. The first NPC, Queenstown Neighbourhood Police Centre, was opened at a temporary site opposite Queenstown MRT station on 1 October 1997, and officially opened by Wong Kan Seng, Minister for Home Affairs, on 20 December 1997. [6] Later assessment of the NPCs under Clementi were deemed to be a success. [7]
The first phase was planned to be implemented in February 1999 to cover the West Region with six NPCs, the second phase by October 1999 covering the East and North-East Regions with 12 NPCs, and the third phase in the Central Region with 11 NPCs by July 2000. There would thus be 32 NPCs, and the number of NPPs would be reduced from 91 in 1997 to 66 by 2000.
During the implementation of the plan, several refinements were made, including an abandonment of the planned replacement of the Land Divisions with Regional Commands, and a review of the organisational setup within the NPCs. The roll-out faced a discernible level of public discontent, many of whom were still unaware of the NPC system despite extensive publicity efforts by the police. The primary concern was over the closure of NPPs within their neighbourhoods, and the reduced operation hours of retained NPPs.
Nonetheless, all 35 NPCs were successfully opened, although some were delayed due to slower urban development in some areas than expected. The 33rd NPC, Marina Bay Neighbourhood Police Centre had been opened on 6 February 2010. [8]
Two more Neighbourhood Police Centres had also been opened in Punggol and Woodlands West on 30 December 2012. [9]
Initial roll-out plans for the NPCs entailed the creation of six Regional Commands, which are to replace the existing seven Land Divisions. [5] The Regional Commands of East, North, North East, and West, were aligned to the URA's planning regions, with the exception of the Central Region which will be served by two Commands, namely Central East and Central West.
This plan was, however, abolished, and the Land Division system retained, although one of them, Geylang Police Division, was closed and absorbed into Ang Mo Kio and Bedok divisions in December 2000. [10] New NPCs were thus organised within the existing Land Divisional structure, with only minor adjustments to division borders. As a result, some Divisions are much larger than others in terms of number of NPCs under their command, with Ang Mo Kio Police Division having nine NPCs while Central Police Division has three.
NPCs differ from NPPs, in that the former have boundaries broadly aligned with that of their respective Development Guide Plans (or planning areas) drawn up by the Urban Redevelopment Authority, as opposed to the later which was based on electoral divisions. NPC boundaries are permanent, while NPP boundaries may change each election should there be a review of electoral boundaries. Planning areas with higher demographies may have two NPCs, namely in Ang Mo Kio, Bedok, Bukit Merah, Jurong West and Yishun, while smaller planning areas may be combined and served by a single NPC, such as in the Central Area.
Each NPC is headed by a Commanding Officer (CO), with the assistance of an Operations Officer (OO). The pool of officers in the NPC, known as neighbourhood police centre officers (NPCOs) are grouped into four Teams, each headed by a Team Leader (TL) and assisted by a Deputy Team Leader (DTL). The CO and OO are Senior police officer positions, while the TLs may be either Senior Officers or Police Officers typically of the rank of Station Inspector and above. The DTL may be any officer of the rank of Staff Sergeant and above.
In 2013, it was reported that 21 NPCs have begun to use social media to get public assistance in solving crimes in their local areas. [11]
The NPC system is considered to be a success, and Singapore has one of the lowest crime rates in the world. [12] [ failed verification ]
Ang Mo Kio is a planning area and residential town situated in the North-East region of Singapore. Located approximately 11 km (6.8 mi) north of the Downtown Core district, Ang Mo Kio is the 3rd most populated planning area in the North-East region and ranks 8th in terms of population in the country overall. The planning area is located at the south-western corner of the North-East region, bordered by the planning areas of Yishun to the north, Sengkang to the north-east, Serangoon to the east, Bishan to the south and the Central Water Catchment to the west.
Kallang is a planning area and residential zone located in the Central Region of Singapore.
Tampines is the regional centre of the East Region of Singapore. With a population of 274,360 living across its five subzones as of 2023, it is the second-most populous planning area in Singapore. It is home to approximately 5% of Singapore's population. Tampines is bordered to the west by Bedok and Paya Lebar, to the north by Pasir Ris, to the east by Changi, and to the south by the Straits of Singapore. Situated in the historical region of Tanah Merah, its present-day terrain is particularly flat due to the large-scale sand quarrying in the 1960s.
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) is the national and principal law enforcement agency responsible for the prevention of crime and law enforcement in the Republic of Singapore. It is the country's lead agency against organised crime; human and weapons trafficking; cyber crime; as well as economic crimes that goes across domestic and international borders, but can be tasked to investigate any crime under the purview of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and is accountable to the Parliament of Singapore.
Hougang is a planning area and mature residential town located in the North-East Region of Singapore. It is the largest housing estate in Singapore based on land area, and is home to 247,528 residents as of 2018. Hougang planning area is bordered by Sengkang to the north, Geylang and Serangoon to the south, Bedok to the southeast, Toa Payoh to the southwest, and Paya Lebar to the east.
The Ang Mo Kio Police Division is one of the seven land divisions of the Singapore Police Force. It was first established in 1965. It was previously located in Paya Lebar. In 1987, the division HQ moved to its present location to better serve the public and meet its operational needs. Ang Mo Kio Division serves a residential population of over 1.1 million residents. Ang Mo Kio Division’s area of coverage includes mature housing estates such as Ang Mo Kio, Hougang and Serangoon. It also oversees young but rapidly-developing residential estates like Sengkang and Punggol.
The Bedok Police Division is one of the seven land division of the Singapore Police Force. Bedok Division covers approximately 114 square kilometres of the eastern sector of Singapore. The building became operational on 1 August 1987 when the former Joo Chiat Police Station at East Coast Road was closed down.
A neighbourhood police post is a small police station in Singapore modelled after the Japanese kōban system, whereby police presence is enhanced in the neighbourhoods with the aid of a high number of smaller police establishments.
Sengkang is a planning area and residential town located in the North-East Region of Singapore. The town is the second most populous in the region, being home to 249,370 residents in 2020. Sengkang shares boundaries with Seletar and Punggol in the north, Pasir Ris and Paya Lebar in the east, Hougang and Serangoon to the south, as well as Yishun and Ang Mo Kio to the west.
Buangkok is a neighbourhood located in north eastern Singapore. The neighbourhood roughly encompasses the Trafalgar and Compassvale subzones of the Hougang and Sengkang Planning Areas respectively, as designated by the URA.
Cheng San Group Representation Constituency was a Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in the North-eastern region in Singapore. The GRC consisted of the eastern part of Ang Mo Kio, Jalan Kayu, Seletar Hills, part of Serangoon North, a large part of Hougang, Buangkok, and the whole of Sengkang New Town and Punggol New Town.
This article shows the notable future developments in Singapore. Most of them are currently under construction with most to be completed within the next five years.
The North-East Region of Singapore is one of the five regions in the country. The region is the most densely populated and has the highest population among the five, with Sengkang being its most populous town as of 2020 and Seletar as the regional centre. Comprising 13,810 hectares, it includes seven planning areas and is largely a residential region with 217,120 homes. Housing largely consists of high-density HDB public housing estates, however private housing is also present in the region. As its name implies, it is located in the north-eastern part of Singapore.
The Clementi Police Division is one of the seven land divisions of the Singapore Police Force. Clementi Division covers about 70 square kilometres in the South-Western part of Singapore, which includes Jurong Island, Sentosa Island and the popular Holland Village. Nearly half a million people live in the area under Clementi Division, mostly in Tanjong Pagar GRC, West Coast GRC, Hong Kah GRC, Holland-Bukit Panjang GRC, Jurong GRC, and Ayer Rajah Constituency and Bukit Timah Constituency.
The Woodlands Police Division is one of the seven, and the most recent, land divisions of the Singapore Police Force. The headquarters of this division began operations on 25 November 2018 at a newly constructed building along Woodlands Street 12.
