NCJ Number
116019
Date Published
1989
Length
35 pages
Annotation
This study examines the components, implementation, and effects of the Singapore police's 1981 change from a reactive, incident-centered operational mode to full-scale community policing and draws lessons for policing in the United States.
Abstract
In its community-policing mode, Singapore has de-emphasized motorized patroling and emergency response in favor of intensive community involvement through the establishment of Neighborhood Police Posts; it has redeveloped foot patrols, organized a substantial proportion of patrol personnel from the emergency-response system and made them available for community problemsolving, and decentralized the command of patrol operations. It has enmeshed policing in a network of independent community organizations. Evaluation has accompanied all stages of Singapore's development of community policing. The pilot project of 1983-84 was evaluated in terms of police activity, impact on crime, and public opinion. Since then, the police have continued to monitor policing effects, contrasting areas with Neighborhood Policing Posts with areas not having them. Evaluation findings show significant but not dramatic improvements in public safety and public cooperation in a short period at small additional cost. Recognizing that community policing in Singapore has not fully expanded nor have its cumulative effects over time been measured, it is a reasonable venture for other police forces to consider. Program-related and process-related lessons for the United States are discussed. 5 tables, 62 notes.