Singapore to hire auxiliary police officers from India, China, Philippines, Myanmar
Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam told parliament on Wednesday said this was being done as recruits from Taiwan has fallen in recent months
Two Auxiliary police officers patrolling the street Little India, Singapore. File photo: iStock
Singapore is planning to hire auxiliary police officers (APOs) from India, China, the Philippines and Myanmar.
Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam told parliament on Wednesday said this was being done as recruits from Taiwan has fallen in recent months.
Four countries
As a result, the home affairs ministry is considering expanding the jurisdictions where APOs can be recruited from.
These potentially include Asian countries including China, India, the Philippines and Myanmar, Channel News Asia reported.
"We need to allow the Auxiliary Police Forces to recruit foreign APOs, to meet the increasing demand for security services," the Today newspaper also quoted the minister as saying.
Job challenges
"(The Auxiliary Police Forces) face challenges in sustaining an adequate pool of APOs, given the shrinking local workforce, requirements such as physical fitness, and the job options Singaporeans have."
Singapore has been hiring APOs from Taiwan since 2017.
Use of firearms
As of November 2023, Singaporean APOs made up about 68 per cent of the total number of these officers. The remaining 32 per cent are Malaysians and Taiwanese.
On the risk of letting non-Singaporeans carry firearms, Shanmugam said, "The misuse of firearms by APOs is extremely rare and is not more prevalent among non-Singaporeans."
(With agency inputs)