CRIMES INVOLVING POLICE AND CIVIL DEFENCE OFFICERS

Dr Lee Tsao Yuan asked the Prime Minister, for the Presidential elections, whether Singaporeans who are overseas will be allowed to vote at Singapore's missions overseas.

Mr Wong Kan Seng (for the Prime Minister): The matter of overseas voting was last raised in Parliament in October 1998. There is no change to the Government's position that we are not yet ready to introduce such voting. This is because the limitations of the various forms of overseas voting remain.

We estimate from experience that only about 3.5% of electors are likely to be overseas on polling day for various reasons. They are dispersed in many countries and many locations within them. We have only 26 missions, which means that many electors will not live or work close enough to one of these missions to go there to vote, especially in large countries like the United States or China. Voting in our overseas missions would probably not effectively reach the majority of these Singaporeans.

There are no plans to introduce overseas voting in the forthcoming Presidential Election. However, the Government recognizes that this is not a static situation. With globalization, more Singaporeans will work abroad and the case for overseas voting may change.

Mr Zulkifli bin Baharudin asked the Minister for Home Affairs whether the recent incidents of crimes involving the police and civil defence officers reflect an increasing trend of crimes amongst officers in the force.

Mr Wong Kan Seng: There is no consistent upward trend in the number of Police and Civil Defence officers committing corruption and other criminal offences.

As at 26th June 1999, 21 Police officers have been charged in court for corruption and criminal offences as compared to 33 in 1998, 29 in 1997, and 34 in 1996. As for Civil Defence officers, the numbers are 1 in 1998, 4 in 1997 and 2 in 1996 for various offences. None was charged for corruption. There is 1 case under investigation this year.

The number of police officers charged in Court for corruption and criminal offences averaged about 28 per year from 1995 to 1998. This makes up less than 0.4% of the Police Force strength (strength to-date is 7,417). Nevertheless, these cases are still of concern. The harm caused by a few rogue officers goes far beyond the numbers they represent. A single case is one case too many.

The Commissioner of Police has given the assurance that such officers will be systematically weeded out and charged in Court. They will be held fully accountable for their actions even if it means having to make their acts public. Such transparency clearly demonstrates the Police's determination to eradicate corruption and criminal acts. We cannot allow public confidence in the Police to be eroded because of the acts of a few rogue officers. The Ministry of Home Affairs places a high premium on honesty and integrity for all its officers. Police has implemented a range of enhanced measures aimed at eradicating corruption and criminal acts in the Force. These include:

(a) Better preventive measures;

(b) Stronger detection mechanism; and

(c) Proactive co-operation with CPIB.

The situation is well under control. The Ministry of Home Affairs and its departments are fully conscious of the trust and respect accorded to them by the public. The exemplary conduct and behaviour of officers contribute to this trust and respect. We will continue to uphold the high standards and values that we have set for our officers.