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Help fight crime on your daily commute

This article is more than 12 months old

Police are recruiting the public to keep a lookout for crime on public transport

The police are reaching out to commuters to help fight crime on public transport.

The Public Transport Security Command (TransCom) launched the Riders-On-Watch (ROW) scheme yesterday at the Woodlands Police Division.

Commuters who sign up as ROW volunteers will help keep a lookout for suspicious characters or items on their daily commute.

They will receive the latest crime information affecting public transport, and also real-time alerts to help look out for persons-of-interest through SMS.

ROW hopes to recruit 3,000 volunteers by year's end.

In 2018, an average of 7.54 million trips were made on buses and trains daily.

TransCom hopes the community will become its eyes and ears to keep a lookout for potential threats on public transport.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Koh Wei Keong, Commander of TransCom, said that with increasing ridership and limited resources, the police cannot be everywhere.

He said: "As ridership goes up, there are actually more opportunities for crime. We have to be vigilant, and also tap on the community to help us to deter such crime."

More details can be found on the Singapore Police Force website.

TransComs officers will also be approaching members of the public during their daily patrols to encourage them to sign up.

Posters will be put up at public transport nodes such as bus interchanges and MRT stations.

Members of the public can also register as ROW volunteers by scanning a QR code on the posters.

PUBLIC SPIRITEDNESS

Fifteen riders were presented with Public Spiritedness Awards for helping the police on public transport.

Three of the recipients, Mr Alvin Tan, 39, Mr Rob Abrams, 41, and Mr Kenneth Chan, 42, helped nab a molest suspect at Somerset MRT station on June 14.

Mr Abrams and Mr Tan had exited the station near Orchard Gateway when they noticed a scuffle between a man and a woman.

The woman had confronted the man, who then punched her in the face.

Mr Chan, a hairstylist, was working in his salon during the incident and heard the commotion.

He helped the two men apprehend the suspect.

The trio pinned the man down to prevent him from escaping.

Other recipients included Mr Paul Teow, 35, and Mr Julia Suner Giralt, 27, who caught a man taking upskirt videos at Hillview MRT station on March 6.

Another recipient, Mr Muhammad Iesa Abdullah Leong, 45, helped apprehend a man who had taken upskirt videos of a woman at Tampines MRT station on March 19.

COURT & CRIME