More cameras, more police officers and better lighting. In Parliament today, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean announced moves to better police areas frequented by foreign workers in reaction to the Little India riot.
He said: “We intend to increase the number of troops from eight to 12 so that we can put a third Special Operations Command on standby.
“We will also increase the number of officers in each troop from 35 to 44. In total, we will add 300 officers to the SOC, doubling its current strength of deployable front-line troopers,” he said.
By 2016, all 10,000 HDB blocks will have police cameras. At the moment, 18,000 cameras that are installed at 3,300 HDB void decks and multi-storey car parks have deterred crime effectively, he said.
On foreign workers enclaves, he said since 2011, there are 81 officers deployed on weekends in Little India.
Post-riot, the police have stepped up its presence with an additional 20 to 30 police officers in Little India every weekend.
He added that there are 250 police cameras in Little India, and 88 more will be installed in public areas by December 2015.
In Geylang, this is his plan:
“There will be stricter enforcement of licensing and parking rules, and 252 more cameras installed in Geylang by end 2016, compared to the 47 existing ones.
“We will also be enhancing the street lighting at 36 back alleys in Geylang. For these congregation areas, Police will continue to conduct frequent patrols and enforcement checks to maintain law and order.”