Monday, March 25, 2013

A Policeman's Code Of Conduct

Why on earth is the Commissioner of Police blowing his own trumpet in nearly two full pages of the Sunday Times? Has it to do with global brand consultant FutureBrand that was appointed last August for 18-months and at an undisclosed price to taxpayers to polish up the image of the Singapore Police Force? Executive director Ms Sarah Reiter heading the McCann-Erickson WorldGroup consultancy was formerly chief of planning at Ogilvy in Jakarta. Ng Joo Hee, 43 when he was given the top job in 2010, said "FutureBrand is not the cheapest (of 8 bidders)" and had done work for Australian Federal Police and the United States Army. Their website boasts of Singapore clients like Jurong Town Corporation, Republic Polytechnic, International Sepak Takraw Federation, Asia Sports, Rotary Engineering, and Markono (formerly Kin Keong Printing Pte Ltd).

Ng itemises four areas that may have kept him awake at nights: Terrorism, loan shark harassment, molestation on public transport and "errant motorists". The last three definitely have been hitting the headlines recently, but hasn't Mas Selamat Kastari been locked away? While on the subject, when will we ever get to know how he made it across the Straits of Johore?

On paper, Ng makes a better by-election candidate than a colorectal surgeon. This guy has degrees from Oxford and Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. For the humble beginnings angle, we are told his parents were hawkers (running a sundry shop in Tanglin Halt). All we need is an uncle to help out in financing  renovation for his first HDB flat, and the branding exercise is complete.

Another lady, security consultant and former intelligence analyst Susan Sim, who has known (presumably not in the biblical sense of the word) the commissioner for more than 20 years, calls him "a warrior philosopher".

Then there's this curious bit of personal philosophy that sticks out. Apparently he encourages his MBA wielding commanders to "imagine having competition", his personal imagined competitors being Hong Kong Police, NYPD, Metropolitan Police in London, and the Shanghai police. Imagine internecine paranoia, an enemy in every corner office.

Then there's this curious bit about an unsolicited commentary on another law enforcer. "Boon Gay has been found not guilty... but certainly his acts are reprehensible," he says. "He has broken every one of our values and he has tainted the whole police force by his behavior and that is very disappointing." Wow, that's gotta be judge, jury and executioner pronouncement on a fellow officer who has been proven innocent by our legal system.

One year ago in January 2012, prime minister Lee Hsien Loong had said of former Central Narcotics Bureau Director Mr Ng Boon Gay and former Singapore Civil Defence Force Commissioner Mr Peter Lim, "If he did wrong, he must be punished; if he did nothing wrong, he must be exonerated." Even during those early days, there was loose talk both Ng and Lim were collateral damage of "friendly fire" from within the ranks. It must be tough to do your job, if you have to look over your shoulder while looking after the safety of the people.

22 comments:

  1. //He has broken every one of our values and he has tainted the whole police force by his behavior and that is very disappointing." Wow, that's gotta be judge, jury and executioner pronouncement on a fellow officer who has been proven innocent by our legal system.//

    Sounds like we now have officer who are policing morals too.

    So instead of addressing credibility issue, they go out and hire Branding experts for image make-over. Form over substance, business as usual.
    How about coming clean with Shane Todd investigation, instead of "the intent is not NOT to tell"..or "investigation is still ongoing". With excuses like these, how to gain trust when the people these days only read about important cases like this on foreign press?

    As for Met Police of London, cue how an ex-MP was brought to jail for speeding violation and getting someone (his wife) to take the fall for him end up?..tsk tsk.. between SPH investigative journalism vs SPF credibility issues, they both take the same dodgy repute.

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  2. Another guardian who will do the bidding of the global elite at the expense of the working class?

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  3. Has any of our values been broken with the treatment of the filmmaker who filmed the fulminations against the police by the PRC bus workers?

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  4. When government departments cannot solve problems but instead seek image gurus to spin stories, when (ex) chief investment officers are not making money in sing dollar terms yet keep appearing in MSM double-page spreads talking "strategies" instead of returns, you know it has become a "make-believe world". It is George Orwell's animal Farm and 1984 all blended into one. The line between propaganda and fact is no longer important - every piece of charcoal can be spun into gold, and money laundering centre now masquerade as financial powerhouse. These folks are playing with fire, for that dot called Cyprus, the money laundering centre in the middle of Mediterranean, was destroyed in the last 7 days. He said "It would be stupid of us to chase the rich away...", subsitute Russian oligarchs with Indonesian, Indian and Chinese corrupt officials, you see the parallel? what do you think?

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    Replies
    1. Just look at where we stand in relation to our public debt compared to USA and you know where we are heading.

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  5. Now they know they are overpaid were the causes of needing all these indirect taxes, like levies, COE, ERP, GST, levies, high rental, casinos revenues, CPF locked up scheme, handout schemes$$$$, which need taxes to pay for it etc,?

    With the massive $260 billions, should go back the basic like the first generation of leaders, thrifty, serve with a passion and the reasonable pay like the Nordic countries ministers, New Zealand or Swiss ministers level of pay to reduce the high cost of living which affect everything?

    Slowly the ministerw pay should people reduce by themselves after they realise they were overpaid, which might feel ashame compare to the bottom 20 percents living from hand to mouth, which some are in debted, with many credit companies willing to help them?

    So that it is reasonable to serve the country, $150,000 in a public office is not unreasonable, mind you this is a public office not a private office, the bottom 20 percent had been sacrifying to pay them why not now they realise their pay is in the range many time about the advanced minister pays, take actions to slowly reduce so that the bottom can enjoy better pay and less need for cheap foreign workers and develop the local and home grown companies long term planning?

    It is likely they feel it is a burden to have such scheme which might overtax the public and raise prices? Now the likely to feel they need to match or follow the pay of advanced minister, as our first generation leaders served with passions and reasonable pay, quite well off compare to the bottom 20 percent which had negative growth due to inflations?

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  6. "...It must be tough to do your job, if you have to look over your shoulder while looking after the safety of the people."

    SQ cabin crew faces this everyday.

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  7. i suggest future PR publicity stunt to include such topic;

    "i enjoyed having plain porridge with a single black olive as the side dish"

    with such humble beginning add-on... might win more sympathy from the public

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  8. Ngs, Chans prominent in the armed forces.
    mordern day saburais lacking bushido

    Wiki: "...to mean "those who serve in close attendance to the nobility,"

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  9. Sinkies at around their 50s stand a damn good chance of seeing the ultimate fate of Sin in the hands of the many philosophers running it.

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  10. Angry Singaporean3/25/2013 9:25 AM

    No matter how you dress up shit, it will still stink.

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  11. What special code is he talking about? Does it include backstabbing one's former colleague? For goodness sake, NBG was not guilty as charged. If there is one thing he has broken, it has to be public trust in SPF's competency. Now NJH should come clean, why is SPF afraid of videotaping when statements are taken?

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    Replies
    1. Even lawyers are not allowed to be present during interrogation. SG government has no respect for human rights.

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  12. "Why on earth is the Commissioner of Police blowing his own trumpet in nearly two full pages of the Sunday Times?"

    No doubt to me that the mysterious death of Shane Todd and relentless pursue of the matter by John Kerry, the US secretary of state, has to do with it. For months, the govt do nothing and suddenly when the Shane Todd reach the highest authority in USA, more PR about the police comes your way.
    But Kerry is not stupid and definitely does not take the SHIT of moving on without full disclosure of what really happen to Shane Todd.

    PR fails big time again.

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  13. This is why I think the PAPig Millionaires will never leave Singapore voluntarily.

    They will very quickly lose all their money.
    Based on their historical track record with OUR tax & CPF money.

    http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4858156/Paradise-cost-Agony-of-expats-caught-up-the-in-Cyprus-crisis.html

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  14. Self-praise must be the worst kind of PR, never mind whether comes from a global brand.

    PAP together with help from the Shit Times are infamous for this, including giving themselves a self-pat from time to time just like those self awards they give to themselves & their corporate clients.

    In reality, they need all this PR to cover for their big time blunders messed up by their incompetent Ministers. Afterall the public is footing the bill, not PAP nor the Ministers.

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  15. Wow, looks like we are copying the Malaysian morality police.......

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12466875

    http://travel.usatoday.com/hotels/post/2011/05/man-falls-to-death-16th-floor-hotel-room-malaysia-islamic-morality-police/170767/1

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1240510/Malaysian-police-arrest-52-unmarried-Muslim-couples-hotel-rooms.html

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  16. oh blimey .... he's great, under his watch, even taking photo of a flood may become a criminal offense.

    in the future will taking a dog for a walk be an offense too? ... and not tidying the poo?







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  17. I think this Ng will crash the pap if he joins them. which is kind of obvious that he will.

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    1. "I think this Ng will crash the pap if he joins them."

      Well.
      Let's hope he does join them.
      Get rid of two birds with one stone/vote.

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  18. Indirect taxes need to pay them the 10 times the level of the ministers of New Zealand, Swiss, Finland, Sweden etc. affect everything, so companies need to mitigate the cost to hire cheaper foreigners, so locals at the losing end? The best solutions is to lower their pay to that of the advanced countries ministers levels, so that don't need to hire so many foreigners, which affect the future of the children or those worry about giving births?

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