Ladies and Gentlemen

Good Evening.

It is my pleasure to be here to share this significant milestone in your professional life with all of you. My heartiest congratulations on your promotion.

Singapore’s crime rate is low. Drug abuse is also under control.

Low crime, however, does not mean no crime. Just recently, Police solved two major cases – an extortion attempt and a kidnap within four days while CNB smashed a drug syndicate and seized nearly thirty five kilograms of heroin with a street value of about five million dollars. We are proud of these achievements. Your commitment, professionalism and collective efforts have contributed significantly towards making Singapore a safe and secure best home.

In his National Day Rally speech, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong outlined a vision of a New Singapore that will be the best home for us to raise our children, a warm and safe home with a good heart and sound values. PM Goh also stressed five key thrusts for Singapore to rise up to the challenges and propel our economy to the next higher level:

• Be global;
• Be enterprising;
• Be innovative;
• Restructure; and
• Expand our talent pool

Whilst it may not be readily apparent, these strategies are particularly relevant to the Home Team. How so?

First, Be Global. The Home Team must adopt a global outlook. This is especially in view of the large number of visitors, including transit passengers passing through Singapore. We are increasingly susceptible to the spill-over effects of events happening elsewhere in the world. The recent attack on the World Trade Centre towers in New York has sent reverberations around the world. This horrifying incident sends a clear message - that we must keep abreast of transnational crime trends and other issues of safety and security, so as to put ourselves in a better position to handle them should anyone threaten us.

This is also a crucial time for regional cooperation, and the Home Team has been doing just that. For instance, CNB’s collaboration with the Narcotics Department of the Royal Malaysian Police has dealt a serious blow to drug suppliers. However, we should be aware of global developments. We must also stay in touch with other developments around the world such as new technologies and global trends affecting our areas of work so as to enhance our ability to keep Singapore a safe and secure place for families and businesses.

Second, Be Enterprising. The Home Team needs thinking and enterprising officers with the courage and willingness to deal with any situation on the ground. The public would expect you to respond quickly to situations as and when they arise. You need to pre-empt and prepare beforehand, and act with good judgement when the need arises. Good judgement comes with experience and relevant training.

Third, be innovative. The ever-changing environment brings with it new challenges which requires new responses. The Home Team has turned many bright ideas from our officers into reality.

Let us continue to pursue the innovative spirit – always in search of new ideas and new ways of doing things rather than simply follow how things have always been done. For this, we need to think, together, out of the box.

Fourth, restructure. We cannot afford to continue doing things the same way forever as the public and our own expectations change. We must therefore build new capabilities, redesign our work processes and put in place systems that make us even more effective and robust. The focus today is on a community-based approach. The SPF’s Neighbourhood Police Centres and SCDF’s Satellite Fire Posts are good examples of re-engineering in action by basing emergency service operations right inside the community heartland.

And lastly, upgrading our talent pool. Your career is our future. The Home Team’s total human resource framework, comprising areas of pay, benefits, learning and development, and work environment, ensures that the Home Team remains a choice employer which offers satisfying careers that provide the best returns on our human capital. The HUS Career Review recommendations implemented this year offers you extra career advancement opportunities via the multiple track career structure and improved employment terms comprising pay adjustments, retention benefits in the form of the INVEST Retention Plan and retirement fund in the form of the INVEST Retirement Plan.

You can expect a satisfying career in the Home Team as we will also focus our attention on initiatives to enhance work-life effectiveness. On your part, you must continue to do your best to continue to earn the nation's trust and investment. You must do your best to deliver effective and efficient service to the public so that the association of the Home Team brand name with solid reliability and professionalism remains strong.

I notice your loved ones are with you today to share in the joy of your promotion. Let me take this opportunity to thank them as it is only with their understanding and support that our Home Team officers have the peace of mind to excel in their work. I am confident that together we can help achieve the vision of a New Singapore where it will be the best home for our loved ones.

Thank you.