DSP Mohamad Faizal and Mr Seah Chee Wei were recognised for their contributions in science and technology innovation and forensics at this year’s MHA Minister’s Awards Presentation Ceremony. Find out what this honour means to them!
By: Amanda Wong
When it comes to innovation and commitment, our officers are ready to do their part, and more. Two honorees at this year’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) Minister’s Awards Presentation Ceremony share their stories with us!
Innovative Policing
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mohamad Faizal was awarded the Home Team Innovation Award (Gold) for spearheading the development of the Crowd@MarinaBay online map. Having joined the Singapore Police Force (SPF) in 2014, he’s currently an Operations Officer at Central Police Division, working on matters related to event planning, contingency planning and emergency preparedness.
DSP Faizal was one of the officers who led the development of the Crowd@MarinaBay, an online map that provides the public with real-time updates on crowd levels and area closures during major events. First conceptualised in February 2022, Crowd@MarinaBay was trialled at the 2022 National Day Parade (NDP).
“We wanted to develop an online tool that can offer real-time updates so that the public can be kept informed of crowd levels, anytime and anywhere,” DSP Faizal said. “By leveraging technology, we can also shift away from having to manually update maps at the event site.”
The project team took to their task with enthusiasm. “To raise our technological know-how and execute our idea,” DSP Faizal recalled, “we had to do a lot of self-learning, upskilling and collaboration with industrial experts.”
Crowd@MarinaBay allows members of the public to view real-time crowd levels and areas that are accessible to them. Following the successful trial of Crowd@MarinaBay at NDP2022, which saw more than 36,000 log-ins, the map was deployed for other large-scale events such as the Marina Bay Singapore Countdown 2022 and NDP2023.
“Receiving the Home Team Innovation Award (Gold) was an unexpected bonus for the team,” DSP Faizal remarked. “Having witnessed the evolution of the online map and its increasing utilisation, we feel proud that we were able to come up with a technological solution to enable a safe and enjoyable experience for all!”
DSP Faizal is also keen to make Crowd@MarinaBay even better: “Looking to the future, we hope to enhance it by tapping on augmented reality and including a wayfinding feature that offers alternate routes to users.”
Forensic Justice
Mr Seah Chee Wei, a Senior Crime Scene Specialist, was pleasantly surprised when he learnt that he’d be receiving the Distinguished Star Service Award at this year’s MHA Minister’s Awards Presentation Ceremony. “I’m happy and beyond humbled to receive this award,” he said. “It motivates me to continue giving my best, and I’m grateful to everyone who believed in me.”
A veteran officer with more than 25 years in the SPF, Mr Seah started his career at Clementi Police Division in 1995. In 2020, he was transferred to the Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX) and forward-deployed to the Criminal Investigation Department as a Crime Scene Specialist.
One challenge that the team faces is the pace of technological advancement. “As the field of forensics progresses rapidly, there will always be new technology and tools that we have to familiarise ourselves with,” explained Mr Seah. “While it may be tough to keep up, I have the support of my teammates, whom I can always count on.”
Mr Seah’s most memorable case involved the theft of money from five restaurants in a shopping mall. “We had to complete our forensic investigations before the restaurants were reopened,” he recalled. “I had to quickly visualise the perpetrator’s points of contact and start the fingerprint-dusting process.”
Despite the compressed timeline, Mr Seah’s meticulous scene processing led to the recovery of the suspect’s fingerprints and subsequent arrest. Asked what motivates him to stay sharp, Mr Seah said, “I find joy in my work and in helping others. It’s satisfying to know that my efforts at crime scenes ultimately contribute to solving crimes and serving justice!”
MHA Minister’s Awards Presentation Ceremony
A total of 129 awards were presented at the MHA Minister’s Awards Presentation Ceremony on 3 November 2023. The awards recognise outstanding officers, teams and agencies that had demonstrated excellence in major cases and projects, or displayed high standards of innovation and service excellence in their work. Congratulations to this year’s award recipients!
Explore Our Content
Editor's Pick
