CID / CNB

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

A Profile of the CID

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is the premiere investigation agency in the Singapore Police Force. Its primary area of responsibility is major and complex cases that require special expertise. It is the staff authority for matters concerning police investigations. It also conducts research an present day legislation to check that it is still relevant and beneficial in the face of the law and order situation of the day.

Structure wise, CID comprises both staff and line elements. In January 1996, CID was reorganised along a team concept to meet new challenges in the fight against crime. The staff elements look into investigation doctrines and policies as well as research into new methods, tools and procedures before planning thier implementation.

The line elements are structured thus:

Major Crime Division:

Special Investigation Section

Organised Crime Branch

Specialised Crime Division:

Secret Society Branch

Gambling Suppression Branch

Anti-Vice Branch

Commercial Crime Division

Major Fraud Branch

Financial Fraud Branch

General Fraud Branch

With the present upgrading of the former Intelligence Division to the Police Intelligence Department on 27 March '96, the former CID Intelligence Unit was upgraded to CID Intelligence Division to assume the critical role of providing tactical intelligence support to CID branches.
At present, there are 81 Senior Officers and 246 Junior Officers in CID.

Investigation

Major operations are personally headed by Director CID who ensures that command and control, intelligence and resource allocation and tasking are coordinated efficiently. Supervisors at ground operation level and staff officers work directly with Director CID to plan and implement operations.

Intelligence

Intelligence is crucial to CID operations and the Department maintaines a large network of "listening posts" and "observation posts" all over the island to monitor underworld activities. Intelligence provides useful leads, as the following case illustrates.

A case of speed and efficiency

In October '95, a man armed with a pistol robbed a goldsmith's shop in People's Park. He fled with four gold Rolex watches worth $80,000, after discharging several shots and injuring a staff member of the shop in the process. He was picked up by his accomplice on a motorcycle in Eu Tong Seng Street from which they made a successful gateaway.

Director CID, Head Organised Crime Branch (OCB) and other investigators were on the scene within half an hour and a meeting was called at CID immediately after. With the help of the Intelligence Department and the Secret Society Branch (SSB) a suspect was identified. Surveillance units were despatched to his usual haunts and a massive manhunt was launched.

Within less than 24 hours of the robbery, the Inteligence Department established through its sources that the culprit and his accomplice were planning to escape to Malaysia via the Causeway.

A possible hiding place in Johor was identified but an operation mounted with the cooperation of the Johor Police came to naught. However a second possible hideaway in Kuala Lumpur was identified and raided with the help of the Malaysian CID resulting in the capture of both criminals.

The entire operation had been accomplished within 36 hours of the crime being committed.

CID - guardians of the community

Not all CID work is tough, nail-biting. TV-style actions. In addition to enforcement, CID takes a crime prevention approach to certain community problems such as illegal gambling, money-lending and vice, striving to minimise opportunities for such operators. In recent years, CID has adopted a pro-active, education-orientated approach to some of its operations, particularly in the area of youth problems where increasing juvenile delinquency related to gang activities poses a real threat.

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A Profile of the CNB

Effects of Drug Abuse

Drugs causes adverse effects physically and mentally to our body. A drug such as heroin which is taken by more than 90% of addicts arrested in Singapore is highly addictive. Other controlled drugs which are abused by addicts include opium, cannabis and psychotropic substances like Erimin and Up-John tablets. The abuse of drugs can lead to damaging effects on the body such as:

loss of appetite

weight loss

watery, bloodshot eyes

blurred vision

rapid and irregular heartbeat

breathing problems

damage to lungs and respiratory system

danger of getting lung cancer

damage to brain and liver

danger of contracting diseases like hepatitis and AIDS

coma

heart failure

death

Under the influence of certain drugs, a person suffers from hallucination and a loss of concentration. His mental state is dominated by feelings of confusion, fear, anxiety and depression. He cannot learn or memorise information and tends to slur his speech. He loses control of his balance and coordination and walks unsteadily. He also loses interest in personal appearance and hygiene.

ECSTASY ABUSE

The abuse of Ecstasy emerged in our local clubbing scene only in the last 2 years. It is closely associated with raves and house parties where young people dance into the night to "trance" like music.

CNB first received information on the abuse of illicit drugs including Ecstasy in the night entertainment outlets last year. Since then it has mounted operations and numerous raids at the various entertainment spots to flush out Ecstasy abusers, traffickers and pushers.

In May this year, Dir CNB also issued a stern warning to all night entertainment owners that they have a social and moral responsibility in stopping and preventing drug activities on their premises. This warning has worked as many nightclub operators have co-operated by providing regular information on and assistance in identifying Ecstasy abusers in their establishments.

Ecstasy abuse is a growing threat in Southeast Asia. In our case there is the added problem of Singapore being used as a transit country for the trafficking of Ecstasy.

Between Mar and Aug this year, CNB arrested 365 Ecstasy abusers and 32 traffickers. Four out of five of these abusers are actually first time drug offenders.

Unlike other countries Ecstasy abuse in Singapore is far from glamorous. Local yuppies being better educated are wise to the heavy penalties that follow the abuse and they refrain from experimenting with it.

A study of the profile of local Ecstasy abusers reveals that three-quarter of the abusers caught are blue-collar workers and unemployed people. More than half of them are between 20 to 30 years old. Blue-collar workers such as odd job labourers, hawkers and delivery men made up 48 percent of abusers; another 25 percent were employed. And 9 percent were businessmen or contractors, and students and national servicemen accounted for 4 percent of the total. Form this profile study, the abuse of Ecstasy locally is very much a low income working class problem.

Myths/Facts

Ecstasy is untraceable

Fact

A person who has abused Ecstasy would register a positive response in a urine test.

The active ingredient in every Ecstasy pill is amphetamine, which is a stimulant drug.

This mades it very easy to trace and detect the presence of Ecstasy consumption from the urine sample of anyone suspected to have taken it.

Myths/Facts

Ecstasy is not addictive.

Fact

Ecstasy is addictive as abusers do developed tolerance to the hallucinogenic effects of Ecstasy.

Tolerance occurs when a person needs higher doses of a drug to achieve the same effects as they used to get with smaller amounts.

Abusers who are addicted to Ecstasy often need to take more of the drug to experience the same effects as before.

Through time a physical dependence on the drug would develop. Aside from the physical dependence, abusers also develop psychological dependence on the drug. This occurs when abstinence from the drug amounts to compulsive craving for the abuser.

Myths/Facts

Known as a designer drugs, it is a 'soft' drug abused by glamorous people.

Fact

The law does not differentiate between a hard or soft drug. All controlled drugs, Ecstacy included, are illegal.

Far from being a less harmful drug Ecstasy is actually a "crazy drug" as it is capable of causing serious psychotic episodes.

The hallucinatory effects can be very unpleasant and they can be so intense that the person feels as if he is losing control and "going crazy". Acute Ecstasy poisoning (overdose) can also occur.

Ecstasy poisoning results in very high blood pressure, fast heartbeat and a very high body temperature.

Ecstasy abuse in Singapore is very much confined to low income working people. Yuppies steer clear of it because of the harsh penalties.

Myths/Facts

One cannot die from consuming Ecstasy.

Fact

Every Ecstasy abuser flirts with death as the body temperature can spiral upwards without being reversed. Although there is yet any death from Ecstasy consumption reported in Singapore, the possibility is real and cannot be discounted.

About sixty people have died from various side effects in the United Kingdom last year alone. The most famous case was the death of Leah Betts a teenage girl who took one Ecstasy pill at her eighteenth birthday party. The cause of death was water intoxication or a dilution of her blood. Betts had drank water to counter the dehydrating effects of Ecstasy abuse. However in the process her body reacted adversely and she went into coma and never came out of it alive.

Experts state that drinking just three litres of water after consuming Ecstasy is possible to cause water intoxication.

Myths/Facts

A first-timer caught for consuming Ecstasy will merely be fined.

Fact

Custodial sentence have been imposed by the Courts even for first-time offenders.

The penalty for consumption or possession of Ecstasy is a maximum of 10 years imprisonment, a $20,000 fine or both.

Apart from a jail sentence, those convicted of taking Ecstasy will be also be placed on two-years supervision with CNB.

During the supervision period he will have to report for urine testing at a CNB Supervision office very regularly. There is also the legal provision which requires convicted drug offenders to apply for overseas travelling through CNB.

A conviction for Ecstasy abuse thus means a painful criminal record for life, the embarrassment of frequent urine tests for two years after the jail term and being subject to overseas travel restrictions.

Source: The StraitsTimes Interactive, Tuesday, August 27,2002.

Biggest haul of Yaba seized this year

A total of 13,368 tablets were seized on Sunday. In the past four weeks, CNB has stopped four attempts to bring Yaba in Singapore.

By Karen Ho

OVERSEAS syndicates are trying to get construction workers here hooked on drugs.

In less than a month, they have made several attempts to try to flood the market here with cheap but potent Yaba pills.

The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) has managed to foil four such attempts in the past four weeks, seizing more than 31,000 pills.

The latest haul was the seizure of 13,368 of the red tablets on Sunday, the biggest this year.

The total number of Yaba pills seized in the first eight months of the year is almost 51,000.

This is more than double the whole amount that was confiscated last year, which was fewer than 20,000.

A CNB spokesman said that the drug was taken mostly by Thai workers.

It is also known as the poor man's Ecstasy because it costs about $10 a pill, compared with Ecstasy, which is sold for about $25 a pill.

Yaba consumption is a growing problem in Thailand, with more young schoolchildren being targeted by drug dealers.

As for Singapore, the pills are often smuggled into the country by Thai nationals on social visit passes.

On Sunday evening, two brothers, Thai nationals aged 26 and 28, tried to smuggle in more than 13,000 pills by concealing the drugs in the soles of their black boots.

But they were arrested by officers from the Customs and Excise Department who were making routine checks on passengers arriving here.

They spotted the two men behaving suspiciously and walking awkwardly as they tried to leave Changi Airport.

They were stopped and escorted to the Customs duty office where they were told to remove their boots.

When the soles were removed, the officers found the pills hidden underneath a layer of cotton wool inside each boot.

The pills, which weighed about 1.4 kg in total, had a street value of over $130,000.

The suspects have been handed over to the CNB for further investigations.

The CNB said that the two men were on their way to hand the drugs over to a 34-year-old unemployed Thai man later that evening.

At about 10.45 pm, CNB officers waited for him along Old Jurong Road, where the meeting was supposed to take place.

When he showed up, the man, who is an illegal immigrant, was arrested.

Under the law, those who traffic in more than 250 g of amphetamines will face the gallows.

According to the CNB, there is no discernible trend of Singaporeans consuming Yaba pills.

It noted that those who took such pills were mostly construction workers as they do physically demanding work.

'The drug gives them a boost so that they can work longer hours,' the spokesman said.

Workers also buy the drugs to get 'high' because they are relatively cheap.

They can also be consumed easily.

The CNB added that it would continue to step up action against both drug traffickers and abusers.

Source: The StraitsTimes Interactive, Tuesday, August 27,2002.

Thai cops arrest S'porean with Ecstasy pills

BANGKOK -- Police in southern Thailand arrested a Singaporean man suspected of drug trafficking and seized a record haul of 20,250 Ecstasy pills, officials said on Tuesday.

Neo Say Chuan, 47, was arrested after police followed him to a hotel room in the southern town of Hat Yai, 930 km south of Bangkok, and confiscated the pills -- a record amount of Ecstasy for a single raid, officials said.

Police alleged that Chuan had brought the drugs in from Switzerland and was planning to sell them in Malaysia.

The accused was in police custody pending trial, and faced a maximum penalty of death. -- AP