Meet DSP Tew Meng Hwee, a skilled investigator who shares how he fights against illegal gambling operations to keep Singapore safe!
By: Domnic Dass
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Tew Meng Hwee joined the Singapore Police Force (SPF) in 1993. After his initial posting to Jurong Division, he joined the investigation fraternity in 1997, and has served in a number of different units in the Criminal Investigation Department. These include the Gambling Suppression Branch, Specialised Crime Expert Branch, Specialised Crime Investigation Branch, Organised Crime Branch and now, the Specialised Crime Branch (SCB).
How long have you been in the Force, and what motivated you to become an officer?
June 2023 marked my 30th year with the SPF. I joined the Force because I wanted to start my career early with a uniformed organisation and to ease my family’s financial burden, as I was the eldest child. I decided on the SPF as I wanted a meaningful job that allows me to serve the public and make a real difference to society.
What are your primary responsibilities and tasks as an Officer-in-Charge (OC) for the Gambling Investigation Team and the Gambling Experts group?
As the OC for the Gambling Experts group, I’m part of a team of officers who’re gazetted as “Qualified Persons” under the Criminal Procedure Code. This means we can provide expert opinion in cases involving illegal gambling or betting. I also oversee a team of IOs who investigate into syndicated gambling cases. I supervise their investigations to ensure that our evidence is robust and can support a successful prosecution.
Besides your primary roles, what other responsibilities do you have in the SCB?
I also hold a secondary post as the Deputy Head of the Victim Operation Centre in the Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) group. This work involves planning DVI training courses for our DVI officers and ensuring our operational readiness to help in identifying victims in a disaster.
Over the decades, I’ve taken part in a number of overseas relief missions, such as the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami in the Khao Lak province of Thailand, the 2015 Air Asia QZ8501 crash in Surabaya, and the 2015 Nepal earthquake. I’m grateful for the opportunity to represent the SPF to provide aid for such international relief efforts.
What are some of the most memorable cases that you’ve worked on?
I find every case to be equally memorable because I’m usually tasked to handle upper echelon syndicate members during our operations. Each case is unique, with its own challenges and complexities. They provide me with invaluable experience and knowledge that I can share with my peers, and doing so will allow us to investigate other such cases more effectively.
How has your experience been in the SCB?
As a young officer, I was well-guided by my supervisors. I gained a vast amount of expert knowledge and investigative skills involving illegal gambling cases. I want to pass on this knowledge by helping new SCB officers learn the latest crime modus operandi and how to tackle them, such as those related to public lotteries, sports betting and bookmaking activities. Seeing younger officers acquire the specialised knowledge needed for investigative work is what I’m most proud of.
The SCB plays a vital role in upholding law and order by targeting and dismantling criminal networks. Hear from two veteran undercover investigators who have spent their careers in the shadows keeping Singapore safe and secure here, and from one of SCB's Cyber Guardians!
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