Privatizing in Singapore, is it better?

Somehow, security is privatized to Cisco, a government linked company. Is is better?

Every Chinese New Year, you can find a lot of security guards that look like police officers in Chinatown Singapore. Instead of retaining more professional police officers, security is outsourced and security companies are making a lot of money.

Its not easy to find patrolling police officers in Singapore, but you can definitely see CISCO or other security guards around.

Are private security better than the police?

There are constant traffic blocks in Chinatown during Chinese New Year to regulate traffic. The traffic is sometimes not so packed but the paths are blocked anyways. And the security guards (or auxiliary policemen) are simply following orders.

There seems to be a Volunteer Special Constabulary but from the people I've met, they felt that joining the security companies provide more benefits and they get to do their part at these events anyways. However Cisco and many of the security companies in Singapore can hire foreigners.

Certis CISCO Security Private Limited, is one of the five commercial Auxiliary Police forces authorized to provide armed security officers to government organizations as well as private companies or individuals in Singapore. It has its roots as a department of the Singapore Police Force (SPF), which branched out as the Commercial and Industrial Security Corporation, a statutory board with a monopoly over most areas of the local private armed security industry.

With this setup, a private company can make $$$ providing security to banks and events, where the police force (which is part of their duty). Does this drive up costs of events and services?

Incidents (CISCO) is not free of controversial...

Since its inception, CISCO officers have been involved in a number of incidents. Several CISCO constables and Lance Corporals have been shot and killed while on duty, and others injured.Several officers has also been involved in some high-profile incidents, such as a gun-snatching incident and an attempted bank robbery by a CISCO officer in Bukit Timah. One Lance Corporal prevented a robbery by firing two rounds at a robber. On 22 December 2011, a CISCO guard committed suicide using service pistol at Vivocity after duty at a Citibank there. He was a relief officer. On 29 January 2013, another CISCO police officer shot himself at the Supreme Court. In July 2013, a senior police officer was arrested on suspicion of a brutal double murder in Kovan. The incident may be related to missing items in CISCO safe deposit boxes. Documents revealed that the senior police officer had been neck-deep in debt.

The difference between Cisco and Singapore Police Force is that Cisco which is kinda like the police hires foreigners and is totally for profit.

Its seems like Privatizing is a common thing. Singapore's public transport systems SMRT, SBS are all private companies, but the government is paying for upgrades and infrastructure while they raise fares and reap in the profits.

Is Privatizing beneficial for Singapore?

-- Robin Low