The Public Transport Security Command (TransCom) is a specialised

transit police Transit police (also known as transport police, railway police, railroad police and several other terms) are specialized police agencies employed either by a common carrier, such as a transit district, railway, railroad, bus line, or another mas ...

unit of the

Singapore Police Force The Singapore Police Force (SPF) is the national and principal Police, law enforcement agency responsible for the prevention of crime and law enforcement in the Republic of Singapore. It is the country's lead agency against organised crime; hum ...

(SPF). It was first established as the Police MRT Unit (PMU) in 2005 as a component unit of the Special Operations Command in response to the need for greater security in public transport operations in

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

influenced by security concerns at the time. On 15 August 2009, the unit was upgraded into a separate specialist division and took its present name.

History

In April 2005, during the annual Police Workplan seminar of the Singapore Police Force in April 2005,

Minister for Home Affairs An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

Wong Kan Seng Wong Kan Seng ( zh, s=黄根成, j=Wong4 Gan1 Sing4, p=Huáng Gēnchéng; born 8 September 1946) is a Singaporean former politician who served as 5th Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore between 2005 and 2011 and currently is the chairman of Unit ...

announced plans to set up a specialised unit. The unit was called the Police MRT Unit (Abbreviation: PMU; ; ) and was part of the Special Operations Command. Officers began operational patrols on the Mass Rapid Transit network from 15 August 2005. Plans to enlarge the PMU into an independent unit within the SPF was announced in 2008. The transition was completed on 15 August 2009 when the unit was upgraded took its present name, reflecting its expanded role to police the entire public transportation network in Singapore. In 2008, it shifted from its base at Queensway Base to the former Geylang Police Division headquarters building.

Manpower and equipment

TransCom draws its manpower from the regular as well as the conscript full-time national servicemen (NSF) resources, with the build of officers amongst the selection criteria. Taller and well-built officers are chosen to project a tougher presence. Officers are trained to conduct policing work in confined and crowded spaces, and are familiarised with the MRT system's operations. In 2007, the unit began to include

Volunteer Special Constabulary The Volunteer Special Constabulary (VSC) in Singapore comprises volunteers from the general public. VSC officers are imbued with equal powers of a regular police officer to enforce law and order in Singapore. They wear the same police uniform as p ...

officers in its ranks. Each TransCom officer is armed with a

revolver A revolver is a repeating handgun with at least one barrel and a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold six cartridges before needing to be reloaded, ...

T-baton A baton (also truncheon, nightstick, billy club, billystick, cosh, ''lathi'', or simply stick) is a roughly cylindrical club made of wood, rubber, plastic, or metal. It is carried as a compliance tool and defensive weapon by law-enforcemen ...

, set of

handcuffs Handcuffs are Physical restraint, restraint devices designed to secure an individual's wrists in proximity to each other. They comprise two parts, linked together by a Link chain, chain, a hinge, or rigid bar. Each cuff has a rotating arm whi ...

and portable radio. Regulars, as well as selected NSFs, are trained in the use of the

Taser Taser (stylized in all caps) is a line of handheld conducted energy devices (CED) sold by Axon Enterprise (formerly Taser International). The device fires two small barbed darts intended to puncture the skin and remain attached to the targe ...

, as a less-than-lethal option to defuse situations where lethal force would not be deemed necessary. Officers are dressed in dark blue tactical uniforms similar to those worn by

Police Tactical Unit A police tactical unit (PTU) is a specialized police unit trained and equipped to handle situations that are beyond the capabilities of ordinary law enforcement units because of the level of violence (or risk of violence) involved. The tasks of a ...

officers. Officers initially wore blue-coloured

beret A beret ( , ; ; ; ) is a soft, round, flat-crowned cap made of hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, wool felt, or acrylic fibre. Mass production of berets began in the 19th century in Southern France and the north of History of Spain (1808 ...

s, but were given light grey-coloured berets on 30 December 2009, with the dual purpose of signifying their distinction as an independent department and increasing visibility during operations.

Operations

TransCom officers currently operate in pairs or larger groups in and around stations and trains on the MRT network. These patrols, which may include the inspection and searching of suspicious packages and persons, are deliberately kept random to retain an element of surprise for greater operational effectiveness. Initially deployed only on the MRT system, TransCom Officers now have their area of operations extended to the bus interchanges and terminals, which were previously patrolled by Neighbourhood Police Centre officers.

References

{{Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore) Counterterrorism in Singapore Special Operations Command (Singapore) Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore) Transit police departments