The passion to set wrongs right while staying true to the principles of investigations helped Insp Benjamin navigate his journey as an IO!
By: Leow Su Ling
Tell us about yourself.
I’m Inspector Benjamin Sim and I’m an Investigation Officer (IO) at Clementi Division. I was a Senior Crime Scene Specialist (CSS) with the Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX) before joining the Singapore Police Force (SPF) in 2021.
As a former CSS, I supported the SPF’s investigations by identifying relevant forensics evidence at crime scenes and providing valuable forensic leads for IOs. Being a CSS exposed me to policing work and it led me to join the SPF, in order to pursue justice and help safeguard our way of life.
What was your initial impression of the work of IOs?
When I was a CSS, I worked with many admirable IOs. I saw how meaningful being an IO can be. Given the wide spectrum of cases that IOs come across, they need to have the necessary knowledge and expertise in many areas of criminal investigation. I also saw how they remained professional, objective and impartial. As law enforcers, they also adhered to the highest legal and ethical standards.
What do you enjoy most about being an IO?
It would be the sense of satisfaction that I get after solving cases assigned to me and ensuring that justice is served.
What’s your most memorable case?
I attended to a case of death on a docked vessel, and we had to climb up a high ladder to get to the scene. Fortunately, with my knowledge of identifying relevant forensic evidence, I was able to establish the facts at the scene.
What are the challenges you face as an IO?
The learning curve of an IO is steep as we have to manage a wide range of cases. Fortunately, I had a mentor when I first joined. He shared with me his knowledge and what I should do as a new IO.
Another challenge is balancing between my work and personal commitments. I’m grateful that my loved ones are understanding of my heavy work commitments. I’ve also learnt to treasure and spend quality time with them.
How has your experience as an IO been so far?
Many colleagues and friends were curious about why I made the switch from being a CSS to an IO. I knew from the start that being an IO was challenging. The learning curve is steep, but the thought of being able to investigate crimes and help victims motivates me. I’m fortunate that having both crime scene forensics experience and policing knowledge has helped made my learning curve slightly less steep.
As an IO, I’m committed to conducting thorough investigations, because what seems obvious may not always be the reality. The beauty of the investigative process is that it’s based on uncovering objective evidence to establish the truth behind every case. At the end of the day, it’s an amazing privilege to be able to serve the public and to uphold justice through one’s work.
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