The Police are a constituted body of persons empowered by the state to enforce the law, protect people and
their property, and limit civil disorder. Police activities vary in different situations, but the predominant ones are concerned with the preservation of order. It is commonly associated with police services of a state that are authorized to exercise the police power of that particular place within a defined legal or territorial area of responsibility. Police forces are usually structured and funded by some level of government. The level of government responsible for policing varies from place to place, and may be at the national, regional or local level. Some countries may have several police or police-like organizations, each serving different levels of government and enforcing different subsets of the applicable law while other countries use a centralized system of policing. Police Authorities all over the world may have the same duty: to enforce the law. However, the Police system may vary in every country. This paper will then examine and discuss two (2) Police Systems which are situated in Singapore and South Africa. Overview Singapores Police Service is called the Singapore Police Force or SFP. It is the main agency tasked with maintaining law and order in the city-state and was formerly known as the Republic of Singapore Police. Singapores Police Force has been ranked consistently in the top five positions in the Global Competitiveness Report in terms of its reliability of police services. As for South Africa, their national police force is named South African Police Service or the SAPS. Their Constitution gave them the responsibility to prevent, combat and investigate crime, maintain public order, protect and secure the inhabitants of the Republic and their property, uphold and enforce the law, create a safe and secure environment for all people in South Africa, prevent anything that may threaten the safety or security of any community, investigate any crimes that threaten the safety or security of any community, ensure criminals are brought to justice and participate in efforts to address the causes of crime.
MISSION AND VISION Singapores Police Force has a mission- to Prevent, Deter and Detect Crime. As stated on their website:
In this dynamic and rapidly changing environment, the Singapore Police Forces core function is to protect the people who live in Singapore from crime and all manner of criminal harm. Crimes in SPFs context include terrorism and public disorder. In order to achieve this, we apply the strategies
of Prevention, Deterrence and Detection. As crime is generally defined by the inclusion of two key ingredients: mens rea (the guilty mind), and actus rea (the guilty act), the twin strategies of Prevention and Deterrence act to deny these two key ingredients of crime; the former strategy stops the criminal intent from being formed, while the latter denies opportunities for the criminal act to be realised. The final strategy of Detection is a mitigating strategy that reduces the damage resulting from the crime.
Their vision is to be a force for the nation- To make Singapore the safest place in the world.
In aspiring to be a Force for the Nation, it is the goal of the Singapore Police Force to make Singapore the safest country in the world. As a force for the nation, SPF strives to ensure the security, survival, and success of Singapore.
South Africas Police Service generally has the same concept with Singapore as for their Mission and Vision. It also aims to protect the citizens of the state, uphold and enforce the law.
The Constitution of the Republic of South African, 1996 (Act 108 of 1996) lays down that the South African Police Service has a responsibility to
prevent, combat and investigate crime; maintain public order; protect and secure the inhabitants of the Republic and their property; and uphold and enforce the law.
create a safe and secure environment for all people in South Africa. prevent anything that may threaten the safety or security of any community investigate any crimes that threaten the safety or security of any community ensure criminals are brought to justice; and participation in efforts to address the causes of crime.
To fulfil in the Mission of the South African Police Service, all the members are subjected to a Code of Conduct. The official Code of Conduct of the South African Police Service was introduced on 31 October 1997. The Code of Conduct is a written undertaking which each member of the South African Police Service is obliged to uphold, in order to bring about a safe and secure environment for all people of South Africa. Every member of the South African Police Service must make the Code of Conduct part of their code of life, principles and values.
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE & CURRENT OFFICIALS SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE (SPF)
Appointment
Rank
Abbreviation
Name
Commissioner of Police
Commissioner of Police
CP
Ng Joo Hee
Deputy Commissioner (Policy)
Deputy Commissioner of Police
DCP
T Raja Kumar
Quality Service Manager
Deputy Assistant Commissioner
DAC
Kuldip SINGH
Staff departments Department Abbreviation Director
Administration and Finance Department
A&F
SUPT Jo Choo
Commercial Affairs Department
CAD
Tan Boon Gin
Criminal Investigation Department
CID
DC Hoong Wee Teck
Manpower Department
MPD
SAC Tan Hung Hooi
Operations Department
OPS
SAC Lim Kok Thai
Planning and Organisation Department
P&O
AC Tan Chye Hee
Police Custodial Department
PCD
AC Jarmal Singh
Police Intelligence Department
PID
SAC Ng Ser Song
Police Logistics Department
PLD
DAC Stephen Teng
Police National Service Department
PNSD
DAC Tan Chong Hee
Police Technology Department
PTD
Kan Siew Ning
Public Affairs Department
PAD
AC Ng Guat Ting
Security Industry Regulatory Department
SIRD
DAC Jessica Kwok
Service Development and Inspectorate Department
SDI
DAC Kuldip Singh
Volunteer Special Constabulary
VSC
AC (V) S Lakshmanan
Traffic Police Department
TP
AC Cheang Keng Keong
Training Command
TRACOM
SAC Zuraidah Abdullah
National Police Cadet Corps
NPCC
SUPT Mohd Redhza bin Abdul Rahim
Line units Line units Abbreviation Commander
Ang Mo Kio Police Division
'F' Division
AC Keok Tong San
Bedok Police Division
'G' Division
DAC How Kwang Hwee
Central Police Division
'A' Division
DAC Daniel Tan Sin Heng
Clementi Police Division
'D' Division
DAC Melvin Yong Yik Chye
Jurong Police Division
'J' Division
DAC Wilson Lim Hock Lee
Tanglin Police Division
'E' Division
DAC Lu Yeow Lim
Airport Police Division
AP
DAC Sam Tee Chong Fui
Gurkha Contingent
GC
DAC Ross Forman
Police Coast Guard
PCG
AC Hsu Sin Yun
Public Transport Security Command
TransCom
DAC Gerald LIM Han Ming, PK
Security Command
SecCom
DAC Lim Chee Pheng
Special Operations Command
SOC
AC Anthony NG Kin Hian
SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE
MANDATE
TRANSNATIONAL CRIME The concept of transnational crime, from a criminological perspective, originates from the mid-1970s when the United Nations used the term in order to identify certain criminal activities which transcend national jurisdictions. The United Nations defined it as offences whose inception, prevention and/or direct or indirect effects involved more than one country. These are crimes that have actual or potential effect across national borders and crimes which are Intra-State but which offend fundamental values of the international community. The term is commonly used in the law enforcement and academic communities.
Transnational crimes can be grouped into three broad categories involving provision of illicit goods, illicit services, and infiltration of business and government affecting multiple countries. Examples of these crimes listed included, among others, money laundering, terrorist activities, theft of art and cultural objects, theft of intellectual property, illicit arms trafficking, aircraft hijacking, sea piracy, insurance fraud, computer crime, environmental crime, trafficking in persons, trade in human body parts, illicit drug trafficking, fraudulent bankruptcy, infiltration of legal business, corruption and bribery of public or party officials. It is a continuing progress being made by states and international organizations in developing measures to combat this type of criminality as it has extended with the development of globalization. Transnational crimes are distinct from international crime, which involves crimes against humanity that may or may not involve multiple countries. The crime itself involves crossing a border. Not just a crime that is committed across borders. The international community is confronted with an increasing level of transnational crime in which criminal conduct in one country has an impact in another or even several others. problems of weakened states and transnational crime create an unholy confluence that is uniquely
challenging. When a criminal operates outside the territory of an offended state, the offended state might ordinarily appeal to the state from which the criminal is operating to take some sort of action, such as to prosecute the offender domestically or extradite the offender so that he or she may face punishment in the offended state. Given the limits on the exercise of extraterritorial enforcement jurisdiction, states have developed mechanisms to cooperate in transnational criminal matters. The primary mechanisms used in this regard are extradition, lawful removal, and mutual legal assistance. Singapore is a member of the ASEAN Ministers who commits in combating Transnational Crimes. It has considered and endorsed the SOMTC Work Programme 20132015. The Work Programme includes policy guidelines and activities on the eight areas of transnational crime terrorism, illicit drug trafficking, trafficking in persons, arms smuggling, sea piracy, money laundering, international economic crime and cybercrime. Just recently, the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMTC) had set policy directions to strengthen ASEAN's commitment and cooperation in combating transnational crime. It provides direction to the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC). The AMMTC is held to help ASEAN Ministers coordinate strategies and law enforcement efforts against criminal syndicates engaged in activities related to these crimes. Singapore takes the lead for cybercrime within the AMMTC/SOMTC, and is working with other ASEAN member states towards the creation of a Cybercrime Working Group to serve as an ongoing platform for ASEAN member states to coordinate their approach in dealing with cybercrime. In South Africa, crime in general has become a national concern since the demise of apartheid. High murder rates and significant property crime rates have led to South Africa being referred to as the crime capital of the world with some comparative justification. While the focus on crime in South Africa has often been on the extraordinary levels of violent crime; global, regional and domestic factors have contributed to a growing awareness of the implications of transnational organized crime. Globalization has resulted in more coordinated efforts by many countries to enforce laws and has led to a harmonization and creation of a number of legislative and law enforcement tools to combat transnational crime. These
include UN efforts against drug trafficking, organized crime, human trafficking, money laundering and extradition agreements. Globalization has led to increased and easier cooperation and coordination of anticrime efforts in South Africa by, for example, creating Interpol or, more continentally, the African Unions Revised AU Plan of Action on Drug Control and Crime Prevention (2007 2012) and, regionally, the growing concern among regional police agencies over the epic proportions of cross-border crime led to the formation of the Southern African Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization (SARPCCO) in 1995. Global efforts to stop crimes such as piracy and slavery in the past have proved fruitful and it is possible that such efforts (alongside new approaches) could hold the key to stemming transnational organized crime. Within South Africa, the end of isolation brought with it an opening of borders to an unprepared and changing police force, which led to an increase in transnational crime. However, with the correct policies, efficient management and multilateral efforts, there is no reason why transnational organized crime should not be limited and reduced.