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By Mr Tan Jong Lek, Vice President of the Japanese Cultural Society, Singapore
There are many commentaries and reports about the various contributions of our founding Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew. This time round, I would like to share some of his thoughts on the subject of public security. Lianhe Zaobao reported on 6th April that at the Community Policing System (COPS) rollout at Marine Parade Neighbourhood Police Centre, the former Prime Minister Mr Goh Chok Tong has highlighted the contributions of the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew towards bringing the quality of the force and strengthening the cooperation between the police and civilians. Mr Lee Kuan Yew had even suggested referencing the Japanese Koban System. How does the system work? How did Singapore take reference from it and integrate into our society? What is the outcome today after over thirty years? I did a little of research and compilations, and would like to share and discuss with everyone.
In the Safe Cities Index published earlier this year by The Economist, one of the authoritative magazines on economics, it has overall rated Tokyo 1st, Singapore 2nd, Osaka 3rd, Stockholm 4th, followed by New York and Western cities till the 10th, thereafter Hong Kong at 11th, Taipei 13th, and finally followed by Western cities filling up till the 20th. In terms of ‘Personal Safety’, Singapore has topped the world.
A Japanese friend who resides in Singapore for many years once jokingly said that, “If a person only travels between Japan and Singapore, he will think that the world is such a safe and peaceful place.” This sentence might seem to be true on the surface, but it also highlights a blind spot, that is in terms of safety, Singapore and Japan are after all not at the same level when comparing to many other cities.
However, was our public safety really that good in the early 1980s? Unfortunately, crime rates were rising in Singapore at the rate of about 30%. What has Singapore done to overturn the situation?
The 1980s was the beginning of our successful industrialization, and Japan at that time was enjoying a period of high growth brought by the economic boom during the 1970s, showcasing its post-war miracle in all aspects. Mr Lee Kuan Yew saw from Japan’s development that the spirit they had towards the constant pursuit of superior quality is one of the approaches of becoming successful. This kind of spirit not only extends to manufacturing and quality management, but also embodies the various aspects of our lives and society, which could benefit the newly independent Singapore. Therefore, Mr Lee Kuan Yew pushed the trend of “learning from the Japanese”.
I was studying in Japan back then, where not only I had the opportunity to experience the highly developed society and environment of Japan, I was also fortunate to welcome the then Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew during his visit to Japan as an overseas student at the newly constructed Embassy of Singapore located in the Roppongi District of Tokyo.
Furthermore, many of the 1982 graduates, who belonged to the same batch as me and who returned to Singapore, were dispatched to the Singapore Police Force for their National Service. It might be due to the excellent public security and the implementation of the Koban System in Japan, the authorities thought their experience there could assist Singapore in carrying out the same system, which led them to the police force.
In 1981, the then Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew invited Japan for cooperation to push the Koban System. Subsequently, experts from Japan came to analyse the condition in Singapore, and within the following years saw a series of exchange visits of officials-in-charge from both sides. The then Minister for Home Affairs Mr Chua Sian Chin also proposed the idea of getting the police and civilians to cooperate and fight crime together. It was decided in 1983 to first establish the Neighbourhood Police Post, something that is similar to Koban, in some parts of the area. The Neighbourhood Police Centre system was later introduced in 1997.
Prof. S. Jayakumar, who was the Minister for Home Affairs from 1985 to 1995, recalled about an incident that left a deep impression when he was visiting Japan: “one Koban officer told me that if parents bring a little kid saying their pet cat has gone missing, and the child is crying because of the missing pet, the police officer has to drop whatever he is doing and try his utmost to try to find the cat because if he succeeds, he has would have won over that family. The child and parents would then consider the policeman as friend”
This clearly demonstrated the wisdom of ‘capturing the heart of the people than capturing the city’.
The Japanese Koban System began from the early years of the Meiji era. The Meiji era (1868 to 1912) was the period where Japan started to learn from the West and was determined to attain self-reliance. The specialities of the Koban System are firstly, police posts are established in urban areas (different compared to the police stations in rural areas which are known as “Chuzaisho”). Secondly, it is formed by 3 or more policemen who will take turns to guard the doorstep of the police post 24 hours. Thirdly, it is situated near the residences so that they will be able to react to incidents fast, conduct patrols as and when necessary as well as to visit households and communicate with the residents.
Some good qualities of the Japanese Koban System can be introduced to Singapore. For example, conducting tight and precise patrolling, diminishing barriers and increasing interactions between the police and the civilians, getting help from the residents during police investigations, promoting residential activities, having a clear picture of their jurisdictions, being well prepared to respond to emergencies and so forth.
In a society that has maintained high level of safety for a long time and one that has even become a global role model, would the people living there be able to sit back and relax? That is definitely not the case, as losing vigilance would be the biggest enemy towards public security.
However, is the Koban system a wonder drug that could solve all the problems? That is not the situation as well. The main focus when incorporating it into Singapore should be on the spirit of “keeping the police and civilians together as one family”, and taking into consideration of our circumstances, such as adapting to the multi-racial composition of residences in our public housing.
To carry out the spirit of “keeping the police and civilians together as one family”, the police force must go deeper with the residents and make friends with them. This does not only involve improving the quality and quantity of the police force’s resources, but also towards National Education and moral qualities. Otherwise, an incident similar to the 2013 Little India Riot might take place again in another manner elsewhere, which could tumble the reputation of Singapore. After the Little India Riot took place, the authorities have took up a series of preventive measures, which is worthy of recognition. Nevertheless, in terms of strengthening the contacts and communications between the police and civilians, is there still a need and room for improvement?
* Article reproduced with permission from Mr Tan Jong Lek and was first published in Lianhe Zaobao, 4 May 2015
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