Supt Lian Weixiong and ASP Rena Sim received awards at the Public Sector Transformation Awards 2024 for their exemplary work and commitment to excellence!
By: Al Cheng
At the Public Sector Transformation Awards Ceremony held on 10 July 2024, public officers and agencies were recognised for their outstanding contributions. Among the award recipients were Superintendent of Police (Supt) Lian Weixiong and Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Rena Sim. They share with Police Life what drives them in their journey to excellence!
Supt Lian Weixiong
Commanding Officer (CO), Yishun South Neighbourhood Police Centre (NPC), Woodlands Police Division; recipient of the Exemplary Leader Award
Supt Lian Weixiong joined the SPF in 2011 and was appointed the CO of Yishun South NPC in July 2021, leading his team of officers in crimefighting efforts and community partnerships.
Innovation in the Spotlight
At Yishun South NPC, Supt Lian leads officers in making policing more effective across domains such as operations, investigations and community partnerships. He has also sought to nurture innovation by building key capabilities in three areas: 3D printing, Informatics and Design Thinking.
Supt Lian’s efforts have resulted in notable achievements including a year-on-year decrease in physical crime and the expansion of community partnerships, leading to Yishun South NPC being recognised as one of the top five NPCs in 2022. In 2023, he also spearheaded an Innovation Festival to celebrate innovation and continuous learning within Woodlands Police Division.
Driving Change
Another of Supt Lian’s initiatives is IGNITE, a monthly forum on innovation involving every sub-unit in the Division. IGNITE offers a broader, less siloed platform for the sharing of good practices and innovation projects, allowing ideas to be refined and the pooling of resources.
“In our Division, innovation is a collaborative endeavour,” explained Supt Lian. “While our innovation committee provides the framework and coordination for this to occur, it’s the dedication and diverse ideas from all our officers that ignites the innovation journey.”
Caring for Our Officers
Another subject that’s close to Supt Lian’s heart is ensuring the well-being of officers. As CO, he has led a number of care-centric initiatives such as having regular coffee sessions with fellow officers.
“As leaders, it’s our command responsibility to take care of our officers, especially given the demanding nature of our work.” He explained. “When we care for each other, we create a ripple effect that not only strengthens individual resilience and performance, but also creates a more cohesive and effective team. Together, we can better achieve our policing mission.”
According to Supt Lian, it’s been an honour to receive the Exemplary Leader Award this year. “It’s a recognition of the incredible teamwork and innovative spirit of our Division officers,” he expressed with pride. “This serves as an inspiration for us to persist in pushing boundaries and striving for excellence in our mission to create safer neighbourhoods!”
ASP Rena Sim
Senior Investigation Officer (SIO), Anti-Scam Command (ASCom), Commercial Affairs Department; recipient of the Exemplary Service Excellence Award
ASP Rena Sim joined the Singapore Police Force (SPF) in 2014 and has been with the ASCom since 2019. As part of her job, ASP Rena Sim detects and alerts potential scam victims surfaced by bank partners to prevent them from suffering financial losses. She engages the scam victims to understand their situation and points out red flags to them. “It can be challenging to convince victims that they’ve been scammed,” she shared.
Prioritising the Interests of Scam Victims
However, having dedicated team-mates with the same goal keeps her motivated. “We prioritise the interests of victims and do our best in every intervention to enlighten them about the scam situation,” added ASP Sim. “This shared commitment drives me to do more for scam victims and prevent them from suffering further losses.”
In 2022, ASP Sim conducted 32 physical interventions, travelling to the bank branches, homes or workplaces of scam victims to engage them and stop further funds transfers. Her perseverance and efforts paid off as she managed to help victims save more than $8 million that would otherwise have been lost to scammers.
“It’s important to be empathetic and help them realise that they’ve been scammed,” she said, “especially when many are deeply involved and unaware of the extent of their losses.”
In cases involving Government Official Impersonation Scams, where victims are often left in anxiety and fear over being “investigated” by fake authorities, ASP Sim also feels a sense of relief after successful interventions: “Knowing that we’ve helped them to finally stop worrying and move forward is very gratifying!”
Joint Police-Bank Efforts
ASP Sim also seeks to improve work processes for more effective interventions. For example, she collaborates with bank staff to streamline information-sharing between various banks and ASCom, allowing for the prompt referral of scam victims.
In some cases, she’ll also engage a victim’s family members to better convince victims to stop fund transfers to scammers. Such engagements are vital to raising awareness of the methods scammers use to cheat victims.
The numerous compliments that ASP Sim has received from victims and other stakeholders are a testament to her efforts. “I’m happy and honoured to receive the Exemplary Service Excellence Award this year!” she remarked. “It reflects the dedication and hard work of everyone involved in the fight against scams, including the ASCom, our stakeholders and the victims’ families, to prevent further losses.”
Congratulations to all of this year’s award recipients for their exceptional service and contributions!
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