A technological gamechanger in keeping our homes and neighbourhoods safe.
By: Domnic Dass
The Police Operations Command Centre (POCC) is the nerve centre of the Singapore Police Force (SPF), supporting its 24/7 frontline operations. With the implementation of Police Cameras (PolCams) in April 2012, the POCC has sharpened its capabilities in monitoring and managing real-time incidents. Here’s how PolCams help the Singapore Police Force (SPF) to prevent, deter and detect crime!
Solved More than 5,000 Cases within 10 Years
Today, PolCams are a common sight in public housing estates, multi-storey carparks, neighbourhood centres and town centres, helping to ensure the safety and security of our public spaces by providing invaluable investigative leads.
Since 2012, PolCams have aided the Police in solving more than 5,000 cases, enabling officers to identify and track down suspects, sometimes within hours of the reported crime.
Aiding Investigations Through Technology
PolCam’s video analytics capabilities have also helped officers to find matches using descriptors gleaned from victims’ statements. This allows officers to quickly sift through a large amount of PolCam footage to find investigative leads.
PolCams today are capable of providing high-resolution images, which has significantly reduced the time taken for the Police to identify suspects, victims and witnesses. According to Inspector (Insp) Zaidi Salim of Bedok Division, PolCams have been vital in solving an array of cases.
In March 2020, the Police received a report at 2.10pm of a suspect who’d tried to rob a female victim at Bedok North Street 3. The suspect had fled empty-handed after the victim shouted for help.
Based on a description of the suspect and his modus operandi, officers from Bedok Division surmised that he might also have been involved in similar cases in the area. With the aid of PolCam footage, they established the suspect’s identity and arrested him that same day. The suspect was eventually convicted of attempted robbery and sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment.
Deterring Physical Crime
Another critical area in which PolCams have proven to be invaluable is the deterrence of physical crimes such as unlicensed moneylending harassment cases and theft cases. Statistics show that harassment cases involving damage to property and housebreaking cases in public housing estates declined by 67.9 per cent in 2020, compared to 56.8 per cent in 2015. Motor vehicle thefts and theft from motor vehicles at public carparks also declined by 82.1 per cent in 2020, in contrast to 65.4 per cent in 2015.
Locating Missing Persons
According to Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police Kenneth Nge, Assistant Director, Operations System Division, Operations Department, PolCams have also proven to be an advantage in managing non-crime-related incidents such as locating missing persons.
In April 2020, the Police received a report at 10.50pm about an elderly woman with dementia who’d gone missing. Using PolCams, officers were able to obtain an image of the elderly woman in her last-seen attire at her lift lobby. Within three hours of the initial report, POCC officers had managed to locate the elderly woman by reviewing PolCam footage and tracing her whereabouts.
A Powerful Tool for Managing Law and Order Incidents
PolCams have also greatly enhanced the Police’s sense-making capabilities and enabled the Police to be more responsive and proactive in managing law and order incidents.
In March 2020, responding officers on the ground were able to swiftly arrest the culprits involved in a fight at Selegie Road with the help of POCC officers who were monitoring the incident in real-time through PolCams. Despite the culprits’ attempts to blend into the crowd, the officers were still able to identify and arrest them.
The SPF will continue to leverage technology and expand the coverage of PolCams island-wide to keep Singapore safe and secure!
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