Vigilant residents help fight loan sharks

ALL content used in this not-for-profit blog remain the property of their respective owners.
http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/Story/A1Story20121015-377581.html

Extra hands may make light work, but in the fight against loan sharks, extra eyes and ears go a long way, too.

Besides tough enforcement and greater public awareness, the community's involvement has also played a significant role in the fall in cases of unlicensed moneylending and harassment.

These were the sentiments of members of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Home Affairs and Law whom my paper spoke to yesterday.

"When someone is pressed by these moneylenders, it affects the whole community who will want to keep this nuisance under control," said Mr Alvin Yeo, a member of the GPC and MP for Chua Chu Kang GRC.

In the first half of the year, there were 5,228 cases of loanshark activities and harassment, a drop of 21.3 per cent compared to the same period last year.

The number of arrests has also risen by 21.8 per cent in the same period.

In Ang Mo Kio, where the number of cases has fallen by 31 per cent this year compared to last year, vigilant residents are the added "eyes and ears", said Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Tan Boon Heng.

The commanding officer of Ang Mo Kio South Neighbourhood Police Centre told my paper that under initiatives such as the Neighbourhood Watch Groups (NWGs) and Citizens on Patrol (COP), residents can swiftly alert police when they spot suspicious characters.

The roles of NWGs and COP groups were recognised yesterday with awards and an exhibition at the Cheng San- Seletar Division's NWG Day.

There are about 600 COP groups and 2,400 NWGs islandwide, said DSP Tan. COP groups, which have between 10 and 20 members each, are trained by the police on safety and observation skills, and they help augment police patrols.

NWGs, comprising of three to five residents who are immediate neighbours, help provide tip-offs on possible crimes.

DSP Tan hopes to grow further the number of NWGs in Ang Mo Kio from 420 to 600.

He said: "My mission is to turn the community into policemen and (for) policemen to be a part of the community. Singapore will be very safe if...NWGs and COPs are everywhere."