Debated in Parliament on 6 Feb 2013.
Mr Sitoh Yih Pin asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs whether the Police can consider installing surveillance cameras in
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Potong Pasir HDB blocks to deter loan sharking and other illegal activities.
Police has already been deploying mobile cameras in public housing estates, including Potong Pasir, to help fight and deter crime. Separately, as part of the roll-out of the Community Policing System (COPS), Police aims to progressively install police cameras across all 10,000 HDB blocks and multi-storey car parks by 2016.
Since April last year, Police has installed police cameras in 350 HDB blocks. All Town Councils, including Potong Pasir Town Council, will have some blocks within their towns installed with police cameras by the end of this year. In identifying specific locations to deploy the police cameras, Police will consider its operational needs and also take into account inputs from the Town Councils.
While cameras can help deter crime and capture valuable footage to aid investigations, they are not sufficient on their own. Under COPS, Police will strengthen the Neighbourhood Police Centres with additional resources to tackle local crime concerns and enhance community engagement. The community also needs to remain vigilant and actively partner Police in keeping their neighbourhoods safe.
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