Police Coast Guard

The Police Coast Guard (Abbreviation: PCG; Chinese: 警察海岸卫队; Malay: Polis Pengawal Pantai) is the Marine Police division of the Singapore Police Force which also takes on roles of the coast guard typically handled by the military or as separate organisations in other countries. These include the enforcement of law and order in Singapore's territorial waters, and Search and Rescue operations in collaboration with the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority. Currently headquartered in Brani Regional Base at 11 Brani Way on Pulau Brani, Singapore, it traces a history of about 170 years.

History

Given Singapore's standing as a trading port since its founding in 1819, problems of piracy has accompanied its early maritime history until the 1840s when Temmenggong Daeng Ibrahim and his son, Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor, openly supported the British efforts to fight piracy. In 1866, the police's maritime operations were formally established with the building of a floating police station. Dedicated police patrol boats began patrolling the waters around the colony.

In 1916, the Marine Branch was set up, before being established as a separate unit in 1924 and renamed as the Marine Police. The new unit built its first headquarters near Cavenagh Bridge along the Singapore River, and had a fleet of about 26 boats and 238 officers. During the Japanese Occupation of Singapore, all vessels of the Marine Police were confiscated by the Japanese forces. After the war, the Marine Police saw rapid growth with the establishment of sub-bases at Tanjong Kling, Pulau Ubin and Pulau Tekong by 1951. In 1952, the fleet was boosted to 68 as a result of a reorganisation of the Police Force, and rose to 70 during the Konfrontasi with Indonesia in the 1960s in light of the increased operational needs.

With the attainment of independence for Singapore in 1965, the unit was upgraded in light of increased responsibilities for the new nation. It relocated its headquarters to the new Kallang Regional Base at Kallang Basin in 1970, and became known as the Marine Division.

The Marine Division underwent a major restructuring and was renamed as the Police Coast Guard on 13 February 1993, given its expanded roles in marine security responsibilies and capabilities, including preventing the intrusion of illegal migrants and foreign government vessels, and the guarding of the Horsburgh Lighthouse on the disputed island of Pedra Branca in the Singapore Straits. The PCG officiated the reorganisation of its operations into three squadrons, namely the Interceptor Squadron, the Port Squadron and the Coastal Patrol Squadron on 7 May 1993cite web|url=http://stars.nhb.gov.sg/stars/tmp/sj19930507s.pdf|title=Speech by Prof S Jayakumar, Minister for Law and Home Affairs, at the Formation Ceremony of the Police Coast Guard Patrol Squadrons and Naming of Coastal Patrol Craft on Friday, 7 May 93 at 11.00 AM at the Police Coast Guard Headquarters, Stadium Lane|author=Police Coast Guard|date=7 May 1993|format=PDF] and launched the Special Task Squadron (STS) on 22 January 1997cite web|url=http://stars.nhb.gov.sg/stars/public/viewHTML.jsp?pdfno=1997012105|title=Speech by Mr Wong Kan Seng, Minister for Home Affairs, at the Combined Ceremony for the Formation of the Pcg Special Task Squadron and the Naming of Coastal Patrol Craft on 22 Jan 97 at 10.00 Am at PCG Headquarters|author=Police Coast Guard|date=22 January 1997] .

On 20 March 2006, it relocated its headquarters to its current location at Brani Regional Base, due to the planned damming of the Marina Bay and Kallang Basin. The new Police Coast Guard headquarters at Pulau Brani was officially opened on 8 February 2007 by the Minister for Home Affairs, DPM Wong Kan Seng [ cite news | title = 220 illegal immigrants arrested in 2006, up from 158 in 2005 | author= Farah Abdul Rahim | publisher = Channel NewsAsia | date = 8 February 2007 | url = http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/257354/1/.html]

Incidents and accidents

* On 6 December 1984, Police boat PX-5 left its base in Jurong for routine patrol. En-route, SC Abdul Rashid Bin Mohammed Said shot SGT Chin Ah Kow in the head and threw his body overboard. [cite news | publisher = The Straits Times | date = 7 December 1984 | title = Sergeant feared dead and PC drowned in gun drama on boat ] PC Wahid Bin Ahmad and PC Shamsudin Bin Haji Ali were forced off the boat, and subsequently found near Pulau Senang, by which time PC Wahid had drownedcite journal | last = | first = | authorlink = | title = Obituary | journal =Police Life | volume =10 | issue =6 | pages =5 | publisher =Singapore Police Force | date= January 1985 | url = | doi = | id = | accessdate = ] and PC Shamsudin the sole survivor. SGT Chin's body was never found. [cite news | publisher = The Straits Times | date = 9 December 1984 | title = Boat murder suspect held in flat raid ]
*On 28 December 1999, petrol bombs hailed from an escaping speedboat hit a police boat off Sembawang, although no one was hurt. [cite news | publisher = The Straits Times | date = 28 December 1999 | title = Petrol bombs hit police boat ] The speedboat was attempting to smuggle in illegal migrants, and was later captured by the police. [cite news | publisher = The Straits Times | date = 7 January 2000 | title = Petrol-bomb attack on cops: Two nabbed ]
*On 3 January 2003, six officers led by DSP1 Tan Wee Wah Stephen aboard PH50 ("Hammerhead Shark") assisted in the rescue of crew on the striken Republic of Singapore Navy ship RSS "Courageous" after a collision with a merchant ship, "ANL Indonesia". All the officers were subsequently awarded with the "Pingat Keberanian Polis" [cite web | publisher = Ministry of Home Affairs | date = 8 October 2003 | title = News Release Police Medal of Valour for Rescue Efforts of RSS Courageous |url=http://app-stg3.mha.gov.sg/news_details.aspx?nid=689] .
*On 11 September 2004, a collision between a PCG boat and a cabin cruiser out on a fishing trip resulted in the death of a 47-year-old Prisons officer. His partner and colleague was rescued.cite news | publisher = The Straits Times | date = 15 April 2007 | title = Other patrol boat collisions ]
*In March 2006, A PCG craft PT34 rammed into an outrigger canoe with six crew members from the Singapore Paddle Club, resulting in injuries to three canoe crew members.
*On 13 April 2007, two Interceptor Crafts of the Special Task Squadron were on ambush duty off Tuas in the vicinity of Tuas Jetty, when a speedboat with six illegal immigrants and cartons of cigarettes intruded into Singapore's territorial waters at about 9.30 PM. The speedboat sped off when approached by the police, resulting in a five-minute chase which ended with a collision between one of the crafts and the speedboat near Pulau Merambong. PK 50 capsized, while the speedboat was completely wreaked. Two officers were rescued from the scene within minutes with minor injuries, while SI Mohd Khalid Bin Muhamad, 41, and SSGT Heah Khim Han, 29, who were trapped in the steering compartment, were missing. [ cite news | title = 2 Police Coast Guard officers killed in sea collision | author= Julia Ng | publisher = Channel NewsAsia | date = 14 April 2007 | url = http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/270316/1/.html] Their bodies were found on 14 April 2007 at about 8.15 AM. [ cite press release | title =Two PCG Crewmen Killed in the Line of Duty | publisher = Singapore Police Force | date = 14 April 2007| url =http://www.spf.gov.sg/mic/2007/070414_podied.htm | accessdate = 2007-04-14 ] Three passengers on the intruding vessels were also rescued, and a fourth man found dead. The rest of the passengers were still missing. [ cite news | title = 2 Police Coast Guard officers killed in sea collision (updated) | author= Julia Ng | publisher = Channel NewsAsia | date = 14 April 2007 | url = http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/270334/1/.html] The two officers were the first casualties for the STS and the PCG since the later's evolution from the Marine Division in 1993. It was also the first instance where a police boat has capsized and the first police fatalities as a result of a high speed chase. [cite news | publisher = The Straits Times | date = 15 April 2007 | title = Officer buried with honours ] Both officers were posthumously promotion to the rank of Senior Station Inspector and Senior Staff Sergeant respectively. [cite news | publisher = The Straits Times | date = 15 April 2007 | title = 2 coast guard officers die after sea chase ]

Mission and vision

The PCG has a Mission and Vision as follows:

;Mission

Our Mission is to ensure coastal security and maintain law and order within Singapore Territorial Waters (STW).

;Vision

Our Vision is to become a world class maritime policing agency dedicated to providing quality service and achieving high standards of professionalism and operational excellence. We will be a caring, progressive and cohesive organisation. We help build Singapore into our best home by preserving the security and integrity of our territorial waters.

Organisation

The Police Coast Guard is currently headed by Deputy Assistant Commissioner Teo Kian Teck. It operates from four regional bases around the island, namely the Brani Regional Base in the South, Gul Regional Base in the West, Lim Chu Kang Regional Base in the North, and Loyang Regional Base in the East. It also maintains a police post on Pulau Ubin. Each of these regional bases are organised similarly to the Neighbourhood Police Centres of the land divisions, and conduct patrols within their respective maritime sectors.

The fleet is organised into three main squadrons. The Interceptor Squadron consists of PC-class high-speed patrol craft able to control the movement of illegal immigrants along the Straits of Johor. The Port Squadron is made up of the newer generation PT-class boats (and previously the PX-class) with the primary task of ensuring the security of the Port of Singapore by responding to incidents and to project police presence. The third squadron, the Coastal Patrol Squadron, operates the PH-class Coastal Patrol Crafts to secure the sea passages in Singapore waters and ensure safe passage for legitimate users.

The PCG also has an elite unit known as the Special Task Squadron (STS), activated to conduct high-risk operations where speed and firepower are deemed necessary. They were instrumental in the capture of one of the three armed robbers who infiltrated into Singapore on Pulau Tekong in March 2004.

Operations

The Police Coast Guard conducts round-the-clock patrols in Singapore's territorial waters from its four regional bases, in an area of more than 200 square nautical miles (700 km²). It is also responsible for maintaining law and order on most of Singapore's islands, except those which are directly accessible by road from the main island, such as Jurong Island, Sentosa and Pulau Brani.

While piracy was the main source of concern leading to the establishment of the Marine Police, it has become almost a non-issue today with no cases of piracy in Singapore's territorial waters in the last decade. Crimes in the offshore islands or in the waters are also markedly low.

Maritime border control

The control of illegal migrants entering Singapore's waters has become one of the most visible roles of the PCG, however, aided in part by constant media reports on such arrests. On 17 August 2006, its arrest of 22 illegal migrants in four separate incidents was touted as the largest number arrested by the PCG in a day by the media [ cite news | title = 22 immigration offenders nabbed in four separate incidents | author= Joanne Leow | publisher = Channel NewsAsia | date = 18 August 2006 | url = http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/225612/1/.html] . While the number of intrusions has been drastically reduced in recent years with the acquisition of radar and other sophisticated night-vision equipment, the attraction of Singapore as a migrant destination continues to pose a constant operational challenge to the PCG.

Patrol Craft (1st Generation, PT Class)

The oldest generation of Patrol Craft in PCG service (as of December 2007) were built in 1984.

New Generation Patrol Craft (PC Class)

The New Generation Patrol Craft, also known as the Fast Response Craft, were delivered from the year 2002. There are currently 32 in active service.

Other

There are several other types of fast craft boats playing a supportive role.The following is a list of 2nd generation PK class vessels. They have been renumbered and are put into normal patrol operations.

Collaborations

The PCG has engaged in joint operations with the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) since the 1990s [cite web|url=http://stars.nhb.gov.sg/stars/public/viewHTML.jsp?pdfno=2000092704|title=Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Home Affairs and Singapore Police Force Joint News Release, 27 Sep 2000: Ministerial Visit to the Police Coast Guard and the Republic Of Singapore Navy|author=Police Coast Guard/Republic of Singapore Navy|date=27 September 2000] , as well as with foreign agencies. Alliances were forged with the Royal Malaysian Marine Police and the TNI-AL (Indonesian Navy). It is involved in the annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) programme with the United States Coast Guard, the RSN, and five other Southeast Asian countries. [cite web |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20051024092710/http://www.navyleague.org/sea_power/aug_05_24.php|title=Hidden Jewel|Author=Sue A. Lackey|publisher=Navy League of the United States|date=August 2005] In 2001, it was involved in a joint anti-illegal migrant operation with the Japan Coast Guard in Kanazawa [cite web | url = http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0WDQ/is_2001_May_21/ai_74937791 | title = Police, coast guard hold drill to stop illegal immigrants | publisher = Asian Political News | date= 2001-05-21 | accessdate = 2007-11-01] . The PCG also has collaborations with the Republic of Korea Coast Guard [cite news | first = | last = | author = | coauthors =| url =http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/291134/1/.html| title =Singapore, Korea coast guards to combat transnational crime| work = | publisher =Channel NewsAsia| pages = | page = | date= 2007-07-31 | accessdate =2007-08-01 | language = English] .

The PCG has collaborated with the National Police Cadet Corps to establish sea units in secondary schools. The first two units were set up in Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) and Springfield Secondary School in 2002, with the PCG's pool of reservists and Volunteer Special Constabulary officers providing training for the cadets [cite web|url=http://app.npcc.gov.sg/data/d_sea_unit.html|title=NPCC Sea Units Background|Author= |publisher=National Police Cadet Corps|date=9 October 2007] . The PCG also supports the Special Tactics and Rescue Unit’s maritime assault capability, which was launched on 2 February 2005 [cite web|url=http://stars.nhb.gov.sg/stars/public/viewHTML.jsp?pdfno=20050202998|title=Speech By A/P Ho Peng Kee, Senior Minister of State for Law and Home Affairs, at Commissioning Ceremony of the STAR Unit Maritime Assault Capability, 2 February 2005, 10.00 AM at Police Coast Guard, Pulau Brani Base|author=Police Coast Guard/Special Operations Command|date=2 February 2005] .

References

General

*"Policing Singapore in the 19th & 20th centuries", Peer M. Akbur, Singapore Police Force, 2002 ISBN 981-04-7024-X
* [http://www.a2o.com.sg/a2o/public/search/misasDetail.jsp?id=1998000396&siteIndex=2&keyword=pcg "English News - Five more illegals caught at sea trying to enter Singapore"] , Justyn Olby, Television Corporation of Singapore, 17 March 1998
* [http://www.a2o.com.sg/a2o/public/search/misasDetail.jsp?id=1998000342&siteIndex=2&keyword=pcg "English News - Coast Guard steps up fight against illegal immigrants"] , Justyn Olby, Television Corporation of Singapore, 18 February 1998

pecific

External links

* [http://www.spf.gov.sg/abtspf/pcg.htm#dept Singapore Police Force, Police Coast Guard]