Day: October 23, 2017

The Police Coast Guard is like a big family. We share with and care for one another.

When SSGT (V) Timothy Lim was eight, he started playing table tennis with some older children after church. As he grew up, he also played football, squash, tennis and badminton. He even made it into his secondary school and junior college rugby teams. But he was surprised when he did not qualify for his secondary school’s table tennis team, which prompted him to put his heart and mind into becoming a better table tennis player.

Timothy’s determination and hard work has paid off. To date, he has participated in over a hundred competitions, including the Public Service Inter-Organisational Games, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore’s

International Games for Seafarers, the ASEAN Civil Service Games (ACSG), and the Asia-Pacific Veterans’ Table Tennis Championship (APVTTC). His achievements include a bronze at the inaugural ACSG in Malaysia in 2015, and an APVTTC bronze as part of the Copytron Table Tennis Club’s Mens’ Team (ages 40-49).

Timothy has served as a Volunteer Special Constabulary for 12 years at Ang Mo Kio Police Division, Traffic Police and Training Command. He is currently with the Police Coast Guard, which he sees as a big family – they share with and care for one another, and are committed to ensuring safety and security of Singapore’s territorial waters. While not training for competitions or out at sea, he shares his passion for table tennis with his close buddies from other Police units.

Maybe one day, there might be a match at sea!

Visit www.hometeamvolunteers.gov.sg to find out how you too can help keep Singapore safe.

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TEXT: SSG (NS) LIM ZI YAO, SHELTER MANAGEMENT PLATOON COMMANDER, 305A MRT SHELTER COMPANY (BARTLEY MRT STATION)

Public Service Week is a reminder of our role in nation building. I was honoured to speak at this year’s NSTI Public Service Observance Ceremony as a representative of my ORNS Unit. I shared the successful completion of our first night exercise – undertaking public shelter conversion at Bartley MRT station. All of us came from different backgrounds and service units, but we worked together as a cohesive team, knowing that our training was paying off. Singaporeans can safely go to work or attend school knowing that we, the Home Team, are doing our utmost to keep Singapore safe and secure.

ORNSmen have commitments such as their civilian jobs. Some of us had duties at work to fulfil shortly after our in-camp training (ICT). Thankfully, our ORNS mates are encouraging and supportive. This extends to hearty meals shared outside of ICT. Our unit’s enhanced role in the SGSecure national movement involves sensitising, training and mobilising the public to deal with terrorist attacks. We have had to enhance our communications skills to perform our tasks eff effectively.

Also, since the omnipresent question is not “if” but “when”, we undertake our tasks with a clear objective and intent. After all, we know that every effort put in today will help to better prepare the public in the event of a terrorist attack. I would like to express my appreciation to all public servants who perform their roles dutifully in serving the nation.

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In June last year, as part of the PNS Master Plan, our Land Divisions’ PNSmen were reorganised as Divisional Special Task Forces (DSTF). Making troop-level recalls for training and deployment have strengthened camaraderie across and between ranks, improved command, and increased our LandDivisions’ capacity to fi ght crime and tackle security challenges. Feedback from PNSmen has been positive – being trusted by their TLs strengthens their purpose.

‘D’ Division’s DSTF has directly contributed to a decline in shop theft rates. Its officers have frequently been First Responders, and many ground situations have been handled without Regular support. Crime rates and response times have decreased by 29 per cent from the previous year.

…being trusted by their TLS strengthens (our PNSmen’s) purpose.

One notable case on 7 June was handled by its DSTF 6 during foot patrol at VivoCity as part of Mall Patrol anti-crime operations. A Theft-in-Dwelling complainant approached the officers, who immediately took action. They swiftly located and arrested the suspect, recovering merchandise with similar descriptions to lost/stolen reports by multiple VivoCity shops earlier that day.

At the Geylang Serai Bazaar, where deployment fully comprises PNSmen, the DSTF provides a formal structure in which PNSmen can publicly demonstrate their leadership. SC/SGT1 Muhammad Arithzuan Ahman of ‘G’ Division was leading a patrol in June when he saw two large groups of people approaching each other in a threatening manner. Knowing things could quickly deteriorate, he led his team to intervene. “We saw that things were getting rowdy, so we proactively engaged them and instructed them to disperse,” he says.

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