Mr Goh Liang Kwang, Acting Commissioner of Police

Members of the NPCC Council

Principals, Officers

Ladies and Gentlemen

Good evening

It gives me great pleasure to be here this evening to join you in celebrating this year's NPCC Officers' Day. It is a special occasion, when we honour NPCC officers and volunteers for their unstinting commitment and hard work in contributing to the mission of the NPCC to develop its cadets into caring and responsible citizens.

Holistic Education

2.               The uniformed groups play an important role in our efforts to provide our children with a holistic and broad-based education. We want to encourage our students to participate more actively in CCAs. We want to give them ample opportunity to engage in activities that challenge both mind and body, through their CCAs or other school programmes. Activities which will instill in them  qualities of resilience, resourcefulness and teamwork, and which allow leaders of all sorts to be thrown up.    

3.               The NPCC is an excellent example of a CCA that provides students the opportunity to learn and grow, through challenging activities such as outdoor adventure training, camping and kayaking. The wide range of out-of-classroom activities in the NPCC training programme allows our students to develop not only physical discipline, but character and toughness of mind. These are important attributes to develop in our students. They are skills and habits that  will help them succeed in whatever they choose to venture into, and to contribute to society as responsible adults.

4.               The NPCC’s activities also opportunities to develop lasting friendships and  memories. What most of us remember with greatest fondness of our youth are the occasions for experiential learning  -  the fun and challenging times we had to together with our friends and teachers at camps and field expeditions, competitions and other out-of-class activities. As we train and work together and help each other, we push each other to go further than we would have thought possible. These experiences deepen our students’ sense of belonging to the Corps, and give them emotional roots in the school and country.

Community Involvement

5.               I am pleased to note that through the various Community Safety and Security Programmes (CSSP) organised by NPCC school units in collaboration with the Neighbourhood Police Centres in their area, more secondary school students now have a chance to undertake a larger  role in the safety and security of their school community. Some schools have in fact adopted police programmes like the CPA (Crime Prevention Ambassadors) Programme, to help their local community fight juvenile crime. 

6.               For example, Bedok North Neighourhood Police Centre (NPC) collaborated with the NPCC Units from Bedok Town, Damai, Bedok Green and Bedok North Secondary Schools to launch the Crime Prevention Ambassadors Programme in September this year. Ten cadets from each of these four NPCC Units will receive residential, in-house training from the NPC on public speaking and presentation skills, and will go through a comprehensive crime prevention programme to train them to carry out their role effectively. After their training, they will be appointed as Crime Prevention Ambassadors for a year. They will act as Bedok North NPC’s crime prevention student liaison officers in schools, complementing the role of the Police in crime prevention education in schools. They will also assist in the implementation of school-related Community Safety and Security Programmes. 

7.               Through such community involvement programmes, our NPCC cadets  develop their leadership abilities, as well as a greater sense of responsibility for their community. It is through the many opportunities such as this that we grow a sense of  civic consciousness in our young  -  a willingness to stand up for what they believe in and to be prepared to do something for the good of the larger community.

The Way Ahead

8.               The NPCC must continue to ensure that it remains relevant and takes into consideration the changing landscape in both the education system and the operational demands of front-line community policing. The NPCC has to  continue to attract students to participate in its activities. But it must also ensure that volunteers continue to come forward, serve and achieve excellence.

9.               To further recognise the contributions of the youth and adult volunteers in the NPCC, I am happy that a review of the current volunteer management system is already in its final phase. The review will help us  streamline the Route of Advancement for volunteers in the NPCC and ensure that members of the Corps can continue to contribute actively even after they leave the NPCC.

10.           The NPCC has also embarked on a review of its training syllabus, activities and methodologies, so as to ensure that its training programmes and activities continue to enrich the minds of the cadets,. I am confident that this will help steer the Corps towards providing high quality experiential learning to our cadets.

Award Recipients

11.           This evening, we will be presenting medals, clasps, promotion certificates and the Commissioner of Police Awards to deserving NPCC members, in recognition of their outstanding performance and contributions to the Corps.  Three officers will be promoted to the rank of DSP (NPCC) and 24 officers to the rank of ASP (NPCC).  These officers and volunteers have put in many years of service and contributed to the training of our young NPCC cadets.  

12.           There will also be 135 recipients for the Commissioner of Police Commendation and Testimonial certificates.  Such awards are usually given to officers with outstanding performance and service to the Singapore Police Force. Tonight we will also be recognising 93 officers for their outstanding performance in the NPCC. Each of you has contributed to achieving the vision of the NPCC through your dedication and hard work. Many of you have contributed to the NPCC for many years. In fact, three officers who will be receiving their 3^rd clasp have each served for 30 years and more.

Dedicated Officers

13.           One of the recipients of the 3^rd clasp is Mr Ang Siang Ka, OC of the Chung Cheng High School (Branch) unit. He joined the NPCC in 1973 and was immediately appointed the officer-in-charge of his school unit, a challenge he willingly took on as a young officer. In 1996, he was appointed Assistant Commandant of an Area for his outstanding performance, a post which he still holds today. He has accepted these extra responsibilities willingly over and above his duties as OC Unit and Head of Department in his school. Mr Ang has been in the NPCC for thirty years, but his passion and commitment to the Corps is still as strong, if not stronger, as when he first started.

14.           The NPCC is also grateful for the many volunteers who help run activities in the school units and at HQ. A good example is Mr Ang Foo Chang, an Honorary Instructor who has put in 14 years of service with the Corps. He started as a NPCC cadet and after he left school, volunteered his services to the NPCC Unit at Teck Whye Secondary School. He has been responsible for pushing the unit to attain the Silver award for Unit Overall Proficiency in 2001 and 2002. He has implemented several initiatives to challenge the cadets and make training more interesting, like kayaking for Sec 2 and Sec 3 cadets and roller-blading for Sec 1 cadets. Mr Ang has also shared his expertise with other units. He assisted Chestnut Drive Secondary School in their Adventure Training Camp and also Hillgrove Secondary School in their School Open House. 

Conclusion 

I would like to congratulate all the award recipients. Thank you for your contributions and investment of time and energy in the Corps.I urge you to continue to keep up the good work in inspiring our youths, and to bring the NPCC to even greater heights. I wish you all a pleasant and enjoyable evening.