As Singapore gears up for GE2025, meet the team working to ensure that applications for election-related activities proceed smoothly!
By: Al Cheng
As Singapore gears up for the General Election 2025 (GE2025), a special team at the Singapore Police Force (SPF) has been working behind the scenes to ensure that everything runs like clockwork – rain or shine, permit by permit. Meet the officers of the SPF Police Elections Permit Office (PEPO), one of the nerve centres for coordinating the orderly conduct of election-related activities.
“Besides reviewing, processing and issuing Police permits for activities related to election events, we also engage with and address queries from the public and applicants,” explains Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Ho Shinq Chyuan, Deputy Head Operations (Planning) at PEPO. “Our team also provides operational support to ensure smooth coordination with stakeholders like the Elections Department.”
Meticulous Planning
We caught up with ASP Ho at the PEPO Command Post where he’d completed a briefing with his team, which comprises officers of various specialisations drawn from other Police units. “There are many dynamics to be dealt with during the planning and execution phases,” he explains, “but I remind myself and the team to always keep calm, adopt proactive communications and understand our stakeholders’ challenges.”
ASP Ho first joined PEPO in 2020. It was during the General Election that year, which was conducted in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, that PEPO moved its permit application process online, in keeping with safe management measurements of the day.
“That was a game-changer,” he recalls. “We developed a business continuity plan and learned to pivot quickly. Those lessons shape how we plan for our operations today.”
PEPO’s work for GE2025 began soon after the conclusion of the Singapore Presidential Election on 1 September 2023. Explains ASP Ho: “For 2025, we’ve invested more effort to enhance our operational and contingency readiness across our sites, IT systems and training regimes for our officers.”
Ms Eunice Poh, Deputy Head of Screening and Technology at PEPO, adds, “PEPO’s planning team has ensured that the online permit application system is operational by making system enhancements, conducting User Acceptance Tests, load-testing and training our officers on its use.”
Team Spirit
Collaboration with other Police units and external vendors is also key, especially when it comes to ensuring that PEPO could start and scale up its operations quickly. “We began our engagements well before GE2025 was called,” shares ASP Ho, “minimising disruption and ensuring rapid set-up.”
This proactive approach paid off in December 2024 when one of the proposed Command Posts was struck by a termite infestation. “We found a replacement site quickly thanks to the strong support of other units,” he recalls.
Such preparation ensures that team members can work effectively during this period. Among ASP Ho’s fellow officers at PEPO is Mr Saravanan Baba, a Screening Officer whose work involves processing permits for perambulating vehicles that broadcast election campaign messages.
Even as permit applications rise during the campaigning period, Mr Saravanan maintains his focus to ensure that all goes well. “The screening process is meticulous, with every application that’s submitted through the SPF e-services portal undergoing thorough checks,” he explains. “We also work closely with other government agencies as their input is essential for permit approvals.”
As he reviews applications, Mr Saravanan occasionally confers with his team members. Like them, he’s glad to take on PEPO duties: “It’s meaningful to play a part in ensuring that things can run smoothly, and this work matters because it supports the SPF in maintaining order during the election.”
This sentiment was echoed by Ms Poh. As one of the team’s newer members, she enjoys working alongside officers from different units, each playing a role to ensure mission success.
“This is the first time that I’ve been a part of PEPO, and it’s been a truly meaningful experience,” she shares. “It has given me the chance to contribute from a different angle and to gain deeper insight into the coordination and effort that are vital in supporting a national event like GE2025.”
Police Advisories for GE2025
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