Debated in Parliament on 8 Jul 2019.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) how many residents have joined the community volunteer police force to help maintain community security since the scheme was launched; and (b) what are the plans to encourage more residents to join the scheme.
The Volunteer Special Constabulary (VSC) has about 1,000 officers. VSC officers perform frontline policing roles alongside regular officers, and are required to serve a minimum of 16 hours each month. To prepare them, VSCs undergo six months of training.
To create more opportunities for the public to volunteer with the Police, a new vocation under the VSC, known as the Volunteer Special Constabulary (Community) [VSCC], was launched on 13 April 2018. VSCC officers are deployed in the community to project Police presence in areas with high human traffic, among other roles. Compared to VSC officers, VSCC officers serve a lower minimum monthly commitment of eight hours, and can be deployed after completing a shorter training of nine weeks. Today, we have more than 140 trained VSCC officers, and more are currently undergoing training.
Recruitment for both VSC and VSCC is done on a regular basis. For example, recruitment roadshows are held regularly in the community, such as at community events, shopping malls, and Institutes of Higher Learning. Later this year, the Police will launch a volunteer recruitment publicity drive to create more awareness of the various volunteering opportunities.
PAPERCUTS