Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Lee Ting Wei’s career goal is to impact people’s lives positively — be it through shaping young minds or playing a role in national security. He eventually decided on a career with the SPF after taking part in the Home Team Associates Programme (HAP) in 2007, where he had the opportunity to experience a different side of Singapore through the eyes of the police. HAP is organised for A Level students who are keen to explore a scholarship with the Home Team. Students are offered an internship with one of the Home Team departments during the December school holidays. They get to visit the different Home Team departments to experience the operations first-hand before making a decision to apply for the scholarships. “I believe helping vulnerable people or crime victims will bring me fulfilment and maintain my passion for the career,” he says. When he was pursuing a Master of Engineering in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College London in the United Kingdom as a Singapore Government Scholarship (Singapore Police Force) (SGS (SPF)) recipient, he was invited to take part in a Vacation Attachment Programme (VAP) during every summer break when he was back in Singapore. The programme aims to help scholars keep up to date with the latest developments in SPF, and undergo attachments at various SPF departments to gain a better understanding of the organisation.

Developing capabilities

Currently an Investigation Officer at Central Division, ASP Lee’s work spans a wide range of crime, from theft and voluntarily causing hurt to unnatural death. The 28-year-old’s job involves going to the crime scene to survey the area, interview witnesses and collect evidence crucial for court proceedings. He is also often involved in cross-department projects to improve the SPF’s capabilities in the long run. With crimes getting more sophisticated these days, the SPF is hoping to attract those with specific deep specialisations in science, technology and engineering to join the Home Team in protecting Singapore. The Home Team Science and Technology Scholarship is a new scholarship introduced last year. Recipients will undergo foundation postings as uniformed police officers before being rotated to police operational, operations-technology and operations-science postings. Scholars get to develop science, technology and engineering capabilities in the Home Team, and integrate cutting-edge technologies into Home Team operations. ASP Lee, who is a trained chemical engineer, believes that science and technology play a big part in solving crime, as they often constitute independent evidence. “With the growing threat of cybercrime, technological forensics and capabilities will definitely play a big part in solving crime in the near future.”