15 Nov 2005

Singapore recruits students as crime prevention ambassadors

Spotted this on tomorrow.sg.
The Singapore police are recruiting students as young crime prevention ambassadors as part of efforts to reduce crime involving the youth.

"To reduce youth crime, particularly shop theft and rioting, the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) has been engaging students to act as Student Crime Prevention Ambassadors (CPAs)," Senior Minister of State for Law and Home Affairs Ho Peng Kee saidat the launch of the annual Festive Season Crime Prevention campaign on Sunday.

He said that the aim is to teach students crime prevention strategies and they in turn can become mentors for fellow students.

NCPC believes that peer influence exerts a strong influence on youths, guiding them to make sound choices in life, he added.

Starting next year, a new program will be rolled out at 32 schools, teaching National Police Cadet Corps (NPCC) trainees to stop crime.

"It consists of a 3-year program where NPCC Cadets would acquire crime prevention skills and knowledge and embark on school and community projects under the supervision of both the school officers and the police liaison officers from the NPCs," he said, adding that "this program serves to strengthen the link between the police and the schools, establishing NPCC as a platform for its youths to become efficient crime prevention police youth ambassadors."

Pointing out that over the first nine months of this year, there have been increases in incidents of housebreaking, robbery,snatch theft and handphone theft, he stressed that crime prevention is everybody's business.


Source: Xinhua

6 comments:

pleinelune said...

Funny... I was the one who posted this on tomorrow. :D

The news is sort of worrying though. Highly reminiscent of China's, and Germany's practice of using the youth to crackdown on dissention.

dfgd said...

I am sure that certain writers here will argue that it merely the police force encouraging the youth to be more aware of the law and more law abidding.

Does seem a little bit like "watch your fellow students" report any misdemeanour to the authorities, no matter how trivial you think it is. Seems rather Stalinist to me.

Anonymous said...

There is a difference ,though, between reporting one's parents for "petty buourgeoisism" and preventing a clear violation of the law. (shoplifting)

I wouldn't compare it with Stalinistic states to that extent.
Has anyone watch "equilibrium"? (christian bale)

Anonymous said...

there is Young PAP... will it turn into the Hitler Youth? LOL

Anonymous said...

Then we can run away from authoritarian govt and hitler youth. "No eyes to see"

Jon said...

They call it Student Crime Prevention Ambassador, I call it child labour. Tax payers not paying enough to oil the Police State?