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Coffeeshop Chit Chat - Angmo PR volunteered to be a policeman</TD><TD id=msgunetc noWrap align=right>
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Canadian fights crime in S'pore
He's one of 1,000 volunteer police officers who patrol the streets here
<!-- by line -->By Teh Joo Lin
http://www.straitstimes.com/News/Home/Story/STIStory_492883.html
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Volunteer Special Constabulary corporal Kay Dallon and Corporal Fazli Hamdan paying a house visit on Toa Payoh resident Tan Yong Khim, 81. The VSC is trying to attract more PRs like Mr Dallon. -- ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN
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Canadian, energy company director, permanent resident here. That pretty much describes Mr Kay Dallon.
But there's more: He is also a crime fighter on Singapore streets.
Mr Dallon chalks up about 40 to 50 hours a month as a Volunteer Special Constabulary (VSC) corporal, patrolling the Toa Payoh area alongside regular policemen.
The 37-year-old, whose family is in Canada, has handled cases from fights to noise pollution and disputes. Now into his third year as a VSC officer, he is attached to Toa Payoh Neighbourhood Police Centre.
Mr Dallon, who arrived here in 1997, said: 'Joining the VSC was a great opportunity as a permanent resident to make a contribution to the environment that many of us take for granted.'
Indeed, attracting more permanent residents who can interact well with the community to sign up as volunteer police officers is one way to boost the strength of the VSC. The force's strength has hovered in the region of 1,000 for the past few years. As of March last year, there were 1,001 volunteer officers.
Yet, in March 1996, there were as many as 1,700 officers in the force, based on news reports then.
In a recent interview with The Sunday Times, Assistant Commissioner S. Lakshmanan, the VSC commander, said the force is looking to grow to a strength of 2,500 in five years. This number will provide the 'ideal reinforcement' to the full-time police force.
The VSC, set up in 1946 with 150 men to help the depleted regular force restore order after World War II, has a rich tradition. It helped suppress riots during the pre-Independence period, among other duties.
These days, the VSC unit is fully integrated with the police force. Volunteers work with their full-time counterparts in patrols, drug ambushes and other operations. They staff the various land divisions and other units such as the Airport Police, the Traffic Police and the Police Coast Guard. They wear the same uniform and follow the same rank structure, carry the same weapons and possess the same policing powers as the regulars.
AC Lakshmanan said: 'My men and women do the work that regulars do, only on a part-time basis. That's the main difference.'
To ramp up its numbers, the VSC is intensifying its recruitment drive at places such as shopping centres, polytechnics and universities. It is considering a review of its entry criteria, such as welcoming those above 45 into its fold.
Given that six in 10 officers who leave the unit do so because of work and family commitments, the VSC has introduced flexible arrangements. For example, officers can ask for a temporary reduction in the hours they spend in uniform for the period that they are unavailable. Currently, junior officers serve a minimum of 16 hours a month; senior officers must clock at least 24 hours.
While efforts are being made to boost numbers, AC Lakshmanan made it clear that there will be no letting up in the 'stringent' standards one must meet to become a VSC officer.
'We cannot relax the criteria too much because we provide the same service as the regular force,' he said, adding that four in 10 applicants are rejected.
An applicant needs a minimum of three O-level passes, good eyesight and be certified medically fit before he can be considered for training. He also has to be a Singaporean or permanent resident and be proficient in English. About 45 per cent of the current personnel have at least A-level qualifications or diplomas.
Volunteer trainees undergo nine months of non-residential training in areas such as the use of firearms, police procedures and the law. Like regulars, they have to pass physical fitness tests too. On duty, they receive an allowance of $3.60 an hour.
Asked if the job should be made more lucrative, AC Lakshmanan said: 'We don't want officers coming in for the sake of money.'
To volunteers like Mr Dallon, passion - not money - is the consideration.
On the policing job, he said: 'It's quite gratifying. It's not always glamorous but we do it because we're sincere about contributing. We're doing our part to protect life and property.'
Asked if he faces problems communicating with Singaporeans, Mr Dallon said without a discernable accent: 'No lah, because I can speak Singlish very good one! Communication is a challenge but it's not insurmountable. So far, it's been very positive.'
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Canadian fights crime in S'pore
He's one of 1,000 volunteer police officers who patrol the streets here
<!-- by line -->By Teh Joo Lin
http://www.straitstimes.com/News/Home/Story/STIStory_492883.html
<!-- end by line -->
<!-- end left side bar -->
<!-- story content : start -->
Canadian, energy company director, permanent resident here. That pretty much describes Mr Kay Dallon.
But there's more: He is also a crime fighter on Singapore streets.
Mr Dallon chalks up about 40 to 50 hours a month as a Volunteer Special Constabulary (VSC) corporal, patrolling the Toa Payoh area alongside regular policemen.
The 37-year-old, whose family is in Canada, has handled cases from fights to noise pollution and disputes. Now into his third year as a VSC officer, he is attached to Toa Payoh Neighbourhood Police Centre.
Mr Dallon, who arrived here in 1997, said: 'Joining the VSC was a great opportunity as a permanent resident to make a contribution to the environment that many of us take for granted.'
Indeed, attracting more permanent residents who can interact well with the community to sign up as volunteer police officers is one way to boost the strength of the VSC. The force's strength has hovered in the region of 1,000 for the past few years. As of March last year, there were 1,001 volunteer officers.
Yet, in March 1996, there were as many as 1,700 officers in the force, based on news reports then.
In a recent interview with The Sunday Times, Assistant Commissioner S. Lakshmanan, the VSC commander, said the force is looking to grow to a strength of 2,500 in five years. This number will provide the 'ideal reinforcement' to the full-time police force.
The VSC, set up in 1946 with 150 men to help the depleted regular force restore order after World War II, has a rich tradition. It helped suppress riots during the pre-Independence period, among other duties.
These days, the VSC unit is fully integrated with the police force. Volunteers work with their full-time counterparts in patrols, drug ambushes and other operations. They staff the various land divisions and other units such as the Airport Police, the Traffic Police and the Police Coast Guard. They wear the same uniform and follow the same rank structure, carry the same weapons and possess the same policing powers as the regulars.
AC Lakshmanan said: 'My men and women do the work that regulars do, only on a part-time basis. That's the main difference.'
To ramp up its numbers, the VSC is intensifying its recruitment drive at places such as shopping centres, polytechnics and universities. It is considering a review of its entry criteria, such as welcoming those above 45 into its fold.
Given that six in 10 officers who leave the unit do so because of work and family commitments, the VSC has introduced flexible arrangements. For example, officers can ask for a temporary reduction in the hours they spend in uniform for the period that they are unavailable. Currently, junior officers serve a minimum of 16 hours a month; senior officers must clock at least 24 hours.
While efforts are being made to boost numbers, AC Lakshmanan made it clear that there will be no letting up in the 'stringent' standards one must meet to become a VSC officer.
'We cannot relax the criteria too much because we provide the same service as the regular force,' he said, adding that four in 10 applicants are rejected.
An applicant needs a minimum of three O-level passes, good eyesight and be certified medically fit before he can be considered for training. He also has to be a Singaporean or permanent resident and be proficient in English. About 45 per cent of the current personnel have at least A-level qualifications or diplomas.
Volunteer trainees undergo nine months of non-residential training in areas such as the use of firearms, police procedures and the law. Like regulars, they have to pass physical fitness tests too. On duty, they receive an allowance of $3.60 an hour.
Asked if the job should be made more lucrative, AC Lakshmanan said: 'We don't want officers coming in for the sake of money.'
To volunteers like Mr Dallon, passion - not money - is the consideration.
On the policing job, he said: 'It's quite gratifying. It's not always glamorous but we do it because we're sincere about contributing. We're doing our part to protect life and property.'
Asked if he faces problems communicating with Singaporeans, Mr Dallon said without a discernable accent: 'No lah, because I can speak Singlish very good one! Communication is a challenge but it's not insurmountable. So far, it's been very positive.'
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