Miss Amanda Chong, 26, joined the social media team in September 2013.
It was her first job after graduating from the National University of Singapore’s Political Science course.
She is a member of the pioneer batch of Singapore Police Force’s (SPF) social media team.
Her most memorable project was “#SPFPride”, which recognises police officers who go beyond the call of duty and display acts of courage.
They featured officers such as Senior Staff Sergeant Roland Teo, who saved a six-year-old boy hanging on the grilles surrounding an air-con yard 30 storeys high in 2015.
Another was full-time Police National Serviceman Special Constable Tan Keng Yew and George Lee who caught a molester running out of a bus.
Then, there was Deputy Superintendent Koh Koon Beng who saved a baby being trapped in a car by smashing the car windows in 2014.
Miss Chong told TNP: “Whenever I speak to the police officers and find out about the good deeds that they do, hearing about them really makes me feel inspired.
“But I realised all the acts went unnoticed. It’s important for them to tell their side of the story and for others to know about it.”
Watching crime shows on television played a part in her joining the Force.
She said: “I always watched a show called Cops and was intrigued by how they solved crimes.
“I would also tune in to Crime and Investigation every day. That’s my favourite channel.”
She said hitting 500,000 “likes” on the SPF’s Facebook page has given her and her colleagues a sense of accomplishment and they are grateful to the fans of the page.
SAFE AND SECURE
Assistant Commissioner of Police and Director of Public Affairs Department Wilson Lim, 44, told The New Paper the Facebook page was created to support the SPF’s mission of keeping Singapore safe and secure.
He said: “We leverage on this platform to increase the level of awareness and vigilance, as well as educate the public about crime prevention and detection.
“It also enables us to engage and connect with the online community, enhancing the relationship and co-operation with the Police.”
The ‘Force’ is strong in her
Photo: Shin Min
Miss Evelyn Low, 29, was with the police human resources department in 2011 and also graduated from NUS’ Political Science department.
She then joined the social media team in February for a new challenge.
She said: “I specifically wanted to join the team as I’m an active user of social media. Plus, I’m seriously addicted to Facebook.”
She spends about five hours each day on the social network, including on weekends.
An avid fan of Lego and Star Wars, she said she watched the Star Wars movie prequels as a child and has been obsessed with the films ever since.
Miss Low has brought quirky elements from Lego and Star Wars into SPF’s social media platforms.
Her inspiration? Looking at the Lego figurines displayed on her office desk.
On May 4 (May The Fourth, or Star Wars Day), she uploaded a photo of Singapore police officers with the caption “Remember… The force will be with you, always”.
She said: “Besides my love for them, I think that Lego and Star Wars are fun and trendy, and appeal to a wide range of people, especially the young.
“When we (the team) brainstorm for ideas for videos and projects, I keep that in mind, so that the ideas fulfil our objective while still being fun and relatable.”
Showing her creative side on Facebook
Since she was in secondary school, Miss Winnie Loke, 30, has attended art classes because she loved doodling.
When she was bored during lectures at Temasek Junior College, she would draw on her lecture notes to pass the time.
She has lent her creative streak to the police’s Facebook page.
Miss Loke graduated with a degree in Maritime Studies from Nanyang Technological University.
She joined the Ministry of Home Affairs’ planning and logistics department for three to four years.
She joined SPF’s social media team in April 2016.
She created a video on SPF’s Facebook page this year to celebrate Father’s Day.
The team asked several police officers to be in the video and asked their children to doodle on paper and ice-cream sticks.
Miss Loke said: “They doodled in a separate room while their fathers were in the other.
“Once they were done, they had to surprise them with the sticks that they drew on and show their appreciation.
“It was one of my favourites as it was very heartwarming for me to see the fathers’ reactions when their children surprised them.
“It made me feel good about what my team and I had done.”
It was very heartwarming for me to see the fathers’ reactions when their children surprised them. – Miss Winnie Loke on creating a Father’s Day video featuring police officers
Police did Gangnam Style video
Phott: Shin Min
Ms Jaswinder Kaur, 28, joined the social media team in April.
She wanted to join the Singapore Police Force (SPF) because of her husband, whom she married last year.
Her husband is an Assistant Superintendent of Police at Bedok division.
She said: “Before we married, we knew each other for five years while I was studying Sociology and he Political Science at NUS.
“He repeatedly expressed his interest in becoming a police officer, but it so happened that I got a job in SPF first.”
She said being in the social media team allows her to create her own content and push her own boundaries.
One of the most challenging videos she had to make was one where members of the public and police officers had to dance to Gangnam Style by Korean singer Psy.
She said: “We had to choreograph the dance moves, write song lyrics from scratch and source the actors with no budget. But it was fun.”
Ms Kaur and the social media team said all this could not have been done it without their videographer Peh Ming Cheng, 32.
FOUR OTHER POPULAR GOVT FACEBOOK PAGES
1. Gov.sg
LIKES: 217,000
2. The Republic of Singapore Air Force
LIKES: 174,000
3. The Singapore Army
LIKES: 119,000
4. Singapore Civil Defence Force
LIKES: 77,000
This article was first published on Oct 17, 2016.
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