Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat speaking at the Singapore Police Force’s workplan seminar on May 24, 2024. (Photo: SPF)
SINGAPORE: The Singapore Police Force (SPF) will introduce a new Cyber Police National Service vocation later this year, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said on Friday (May 24).
Speaking at SPF’s workplan seminar, Mr Heng said the new vocation will allow the police to “better tap” the expertise of full-time national servicemen (NSFs).
These NSFs will be deployed to the Cybercrime Command and Anti-Scam Command to detect and disrupt crimes.
“At the same time, I hope that this experience will be meaningful to NSFs and inspire them to deepen their expertise in the field, which would position them to seize new opportunities in our digital economy after they (end their full-time national service),” said Mr Heng.
The police said they are setting up a new Cyber Ops Cell by the end of this year to “coordinate intelligence, investigation, operation, and disruption responses to cybercrime cases requiring real-time interventions”.
NSFs in the new vocation will be deployed as “cybercrime operators”, performing roles such as threat hunting and scam disruption.
Further details on the new vocation will be announced in August, said the police.
Last year, scams and cybercrimes made up more than 70 per cent of all crimes reported in Singapore, up from about 48 per cent in 2020.
“The volume and complexity of online crime will grow, as we make more digital transactions,” said Mr Heng.
NEW COMMUNITY INITIATIVES
The Deputy Prime Minister also announced two community initiatives to allow members of the public to “step forward and partner” with the police in tackling cyber scams.
The first is the Cyber Guardians on Watch programme. Participants will receive alerts and advisories from the police on cybercrime, and they can disseminate these to their families and friends.
“Our Cyber Guardians will, as a community, partner with the police to look out for potential criminal activities in cyberspace.
“They can take action by alerting the SPF or reporting suspected malicious activities to digital platforms for their immediate action,” said Mr Heng.
The police said these guardians will be educated to be “the SPF’s eyes and ears in cyberspace” and report suspicious activity relating to a range of cybercrimes.
The second initiative is the Cyber Crime Prevention Ambassadors programme. It will provide specialised training to equip volunteers with knowledge of the latest online crime trends.
They will also help the police engage and educate the public on cybercrime prevention measures at roadshows and community events.
“Just as the police could not be expected to be omnipresent in the earlier days when street crimes were prevalent, in today’s physical-digital world, it is impossible for the SPF to be everything, everywhere, all at once,” said Mr Heng.
“Community partnerships, the cornerstone of policing today, will be even more important in tackling cybercrime.
“These crimes tend to be less visible than physical crimes, and are best prevented by family and friends who can detect abnormal patterns of behaviour.”
