Seeing the crying mother on her knees, this MHA Uniformed Scholarship holder realises the extent of disruption that illegal narcotics can create in the lives of offenders and their loved ones

As a child, Deputy Superintendent (DSP) Stephen Lim always thought that a law enforcement operation would include battering down barricaded doors and cuffing criminals.

But what he saw on his first Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) raid turned his perspective upside down. The then-undergraduate and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) Uniformed Scholarship recipient was back with the CNB on an internship stint during his term break.

Contrary to what he was expecting, there were no battering rams, flashing lights and teams of officers in full assault gear. Instead, the team of narcotics officers wore plain clothes but was as serious and committed to the mission at hand. 

What stood out the most to him, however, was the noise – or lack thereof. 

The air was quiet, not filled with the sounds of flashbangs and yelled orders to “get down”, but rather, the sobbing from the mother whose son was being arrested for suspected drug consumption, and of her other children calling out for their brother as he was led away. 

As the sound of footsteps faded away down the corridor, it was replaced with comforting words conveyed by the CNB team to the mother.

DSP Lim heard the CNB officers reassure the offender’s mother that this was the start of her son’s recovery and that she can be part of his rehabilitation by keeping in contact with him during his time in a Drug Rehabilitation Centre.

“That really changed my view on law enforcement,” recalls DSP Lim, now 30 years old and six years into his CNB career. “To a teenager, you only think about kicking down doors and looking cool. But the role as a Narcotics Officer has a myriad of dimensions which holds profound significance.”

Throughout his childhood, DSP Lim found the action-packed stories of his aunt and uncle – both officers with the Singapore Police Force (SPF) – riveting. 

With his interest ignited, DSP Lim heeded the call and applied for the MHA Uniformed Scholarship, which covers a recipient’s studies at universities locally or overseas. The recipient will embark on a career with the Home Team upon graduation. 

During the scholarship interview and job preview session at CNB, he was drawn to a meaningful career as a Narcotics Officer.

“It was a bit of an enigma to me at the time, what the CNB did and how it operated,” he says.

The CNB operated more “behind-the-scenes” and often in plain clothes – this aroused his curiosity and interest to find out more. 

He was also impressed that a compact outfit like CNB, was responsible for keeping the entire nation safe from illicit narcotics.

“That realisation really drove home the point that the CNB and its officers really punch above its weight,” says DSP Lim. “We may be small, but we have such a large impact on both the national drug landscape, as well as beyond Singapore’s borders. 

A career with diverse roles

Besides drug raids and enforcement operations, CNB officers like DSP Lim are also involved in the review of policies and processes to transform the organisation and ultimately, better the effectiveness of the bureau towards achieving its mission of a drug-free Singapore.

One of DSP Lim’s key accomplishments has been the creation of the Narcotics Response Unit (NRU) at the bureau.  

“CNB may be small, but we have such a large impact on both the national drug landscape, as well as beyond Singapore’s borders.”

– Deputy Superintendent Stephen Lim, recipient of the MHA Uniformed Scholarship (CNB)

Thanks to DSP Lim and his team’s efforts, the management of drug cases has been streamlined. The centralisation of the function means that officers need not be on stand-by at the various land divisions round the clock to receive cases. 

This change not only improved work efficiency, but also the work life of this group of officers.

Contrary to belief that a uniformed career is specialised and officers cannot take on other roles, DSP Lim shared about the various “opportunities to explore work areas  outside your area of specialisation”.

For example, DSP Lim is also a Career Ambassador, a role which requires him to visit schools , institutes of higher learning and major job fairs to create awareness of the varied career opportunities at CNB to students and potential scholarship applicants. 

In 2023, DSP Lim was also in the organising committee of the CNB workplan seminar. Together with his committee members, he put together the event where the agency’s direction for the year is mapped out and communicated to all the officers. 

At CNB, the developmental opportunities for officers extend beyond the agency too. 

During the Covid-19 pandemic, DSP Lim applied for and secured a secondment to the Ministry of Health (MOH) in response to a call for public officers to assist the national efforts. 

With support from the CNB management, he joined the MOH Crisis Strategy Operations Group, and played a key role in rolling out vaccinations for young Singaporeans and also coordinated cross-ministry efforts involving the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Social and Family Development. 

His work, which included making proposals to the Multi-Ministry Taskforce, was especially critical at a time when effective and timely policy decisions were essential to address the evolving situation.

This experience may have arisen out of special circumstances but it gave DSP Lim a unique opportunity to contribute to Singapore.  

Complexity beneath the surface

His current posting as a staff officer in CNB’s Policy, Planning & Research Division has also made him acutely aware of the legislative arena that the Bureau operates in.

“As an 18-year-old, all I saw was the action,” he says. “What I didn’t know  were all the laws, what policies we needed to follow, or the level of research and planning that had to be done before any operation.”

“Action follows from legislation. Taking on this role as a staff officer allows me to be part of the policy discussions, legislative efforts and plans to operationalise drug policies well.”

For instance, what policies need to be in place to ensure that Singapore’s society stays free from the scourge of drugs yet at the same time maintaining the country’s competitive edge as an international hub? 

These are the type of competing interests that DSP Lim and his CNB colleagues need to consider as part of their work in policy-making. 

Besides action and legislation, research also plays an important role in supporting the CNB’s mission.

Currently, DSP Lim leads the research team in identifying critical areas that can strengthen Singapore’s anti-drug narrative. 

One study the team completed recently was a collaboration with KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, looking into the impact of drug abuse on the mothers and their unborn children.  

“Strong research is an integral part of CNB’s overall strategy to counter the plethora of disinformation online and to educate the public and our loved ones about the harms of drugs,” he says, adding that such studies create awareness of the harm drugs can inflict on abusers and their loved ones.  

And every policy or research that they commit to paper is ultimately driven by a concern for the betterment of Singapore. After so many years, DSP Lim has never forgotten his first raid, and the sight of that mother crying on the floor of her house. 

“If I could go back, I would tell her not to worry,” he says. “I would reassure her that it would be better that her son gets the help he needs to kick the drug habit so that he can come back stronger.”

“When someone turns away from drugs, it’s always a good day,” he finishes.

About the Ministry of Home Affairs Uniformed Scholarship DSP Stephen Lim received the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) Uniformed Scholarship in 2012 and went on to complete his National Service before reading Business Administration at the National University of Singapore. He joined the CNB full-time in 2018 after graduation and completed the Senior Officer Basic Course, a nine-month residential training, at the Home Team Academy.  If you are passionate, like DSP Lim, about contributing to our cause of a Singapore without drugs where everyone can work, live and play safely, we invite you to be part of the CNB family. Apply for the MHA Uniformed Scholarship and select CNB as your choice of Home Team Department to serve in, so that you too can enforce, educate and engage others for a drug-free Singapore.  Upon your return from studies, you can look forward to learning and developmental opportunities through a roadmap comprising operational and staff appointments. You will also have opportunities to be considered for Home Team and public service-wide leadership programmes.

This article is brought to you by the Central Narcotics Bureau.

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