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- Jul 16, 2008
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Retention bonus for police
More police are needed in the rank and file now than before, yet they are leaving in larger numbers, drawn by the better salaries in the private sector. By the same token, fewer are signing on for law enforcement.
So to make sure they stay in the force for at least eight years, junior police officers will be paid a retention bonus of up to $30,000.
The carrot will be dished out in bite sizes from this year to younger corporals and sergeants.
In his written answer to a question filed by MP Ellen Lee in Parliament on Monday, Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng noted that the recruitment and retention of junior police officers had been 'adversely affected by the tighter labour market'.
The number of officers leaving the force had risen by 50 per cent, from 221 in 2004, to 332 last year.
Recruitment fell to 350 in 2005 from 419 in 2004, though it rebounded last year to 407.
Recruitment has been further beefed up, said Mr Wong. The pay package for officers has also been reviewed, with starting salaries for junior officers now ranging from about $1,600 to $2,200.
There is urgency in getting more police officers on board, as they face a greater workload from the ever-present terrorism threat, new casino regulation and a slew of large-scale events coming up.
While demands on the force have gone up, the numbers have not. There were 12,516 full-time officers in service last year, compared to 13,377 in 2004.
Over half are junior officers.
When contacted, the Home Affairs Ministry (MHA) said the retention bonus of between $20,000 and $30,000 would be paid to eligible Home Team uniformed officers - not just the police - 'at suitable points' between their third and eighth years of service.
The ministry also directed a committee of experts to study the fatigue levels of officers and whether more resources were needed.
This was done after questions were raised following serious lapses - including the escape of detained terror suspect Mas Selamat Kastari six months ago today - about whether Home Team officers were stretched beyond their limits.
Second Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam revealed some findings and measures in reply to questions in Parliament yesterday.
In some areas, 'officers felt over- stretched, strained and stressed'.
'Overtime and extra shift work were perpetually required, and officers have had to cancel their leave to return to work,' said Mr Shanmugam, who is also the Law Minister.
Some of the most taxing work required officers to deal with the general public, who can be 'extremely demanding, unreasonable or even abusive', he added.
To ease the shortage, Home Team agencies like the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority have started to re-employ retired officers. About 160 are expected to return this year.
To reduce human error, the committee recommended a 'near miss reporting system' to flag unforeseen mistakes.
'Identifying near misses allows problems to be surfaced and improvements to be made early,' said Mr Shanmugam, adding that many industries, like the aviation sector in the United States, already have them.
In addition, the ministry would be improving its 'after action reviews' to ensure lessons learnt from mistakes are thoroughly transmitted to all officers on the ground.
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More police are needed in the rank and file now than before, yet they are leaving in larger numbers, drawn by the better salaries in the private sector. By the same token, fewer are signing on for law enforcement.
So to make sure they stay in the force for at least eight years, junior police officers will be paid a retention bonus of up to $30,000.
The carrot will be dished out in bite sizes from this year to younger corporals and sergeants.
In his written answer to a question filed by MP Ellen Lee in Parliament on Monday, Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng noted that the recruitment and retention of junior police officers had been 'adversely affected by the tighter labour market'.
The number of officers leaving the force had risen by 50 per cent, from 221 in 2004, to 332 last year.
Recruitment fell to 350 in 2005 from 419 in 2004, though it rebounded last year to 407.
Recruitment has been further beefed up, said Mr Wong. The pay package for officers has also been reviewed, with starting salaries for junior officers now ranging from about $1,600 to $2,200.
There is urgency in getting more police officers on board, as they face a greater workload from the ever-present terrorism threat, new casino regulation and a slew of large-scale events coming up.
While demands on the force have gone up, the numbers have not. There were 12,516 full-time officers in service last year, compared to 13,377 in 2004.
Over half are junior officers.
When contacted, the Home Affairs Ministry (MHA) said the retention bonus of between $20,000 and $30,000 would be paid to eligible Home Team uniformed officers - not just the police - 'at suitable points' between their third and eighth years of service.
The ministry also directed a committee of experts to study the fatigue levels of officers and whether more resources were needed.
This was done after questions were raised following serious lapses - including the escape of detained terror suspect Mas Selamat Kastari six months ago today - about whether Home Team officers were stretched beyond their limits.
Second Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam revealed some findings and measures in reply to questions in Parliament yesterday.
In some areas, 'officers felt over- stretched, strained and stressed'.
'Overtime and extra shift work were perpetually required, and officers have had to cancel their leave to return to work,' said Mr Shanmugam, who is also the Law Minister.
Some of the most taxing work required officers to deal with the general public, who can be 'extremely demanding, unreasonable or even abusive', he added.
To ease the shortage, Home Team agencies like the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority have started to re-employ retired officers. About 160 are expected to return this year.
To reduce human error, the committee recommended a 'near miss reporting system' to flag unforeseen mistakes.
'Identifying near misses allows problems to be surfaced and improvements to be made early,' said Mr Shanmugam, adding that many industries, like the aviation sector in the United States, already have them.
In addition, the ministry would be improving its 'after action reviews' to ensure lessons learnt from mistakes are thoroughly transmitted to all officers on the ground.
[email protected]
