Commercial and Industrial Security Corporation

Note: The abbreviation Cisco is not to be confused with Cisco Systems, an American computer networking company.

The Commercial and Industrial Security Corporation (Chinese: 工商保安机构), or CISCO for short, was a statutory board of the Government of Singapore, and the sole entity licensed to provide armed security services to any paying customer in Singapore. It has its roots as a department of the Singapore Police Force (SPF), but was branched out as an independent statutory board to relieve manpower constrains by empowering it with the abilities in conducting its own recruitment schemes tailored specifically for armed security services, and offering these services to paying customers. Armed officers, however, continue to train at facilities provided by the SPF, attending a 7-week residential training course at the CISCO Police Training School, which is adjacent to the Police Academy.

As of 1 June 2005, the statutory board was corporatised and its responsibilities transferred to CISCO Security Private Limited, a new government-owned company.

History

CISCO came into being in 1972 in the wake of a police employment scheme review by a committee led by Professor Lee Soo Ann a year earlier. It recommended that the Singapore Police Force's Guard and Escort Unit, formed in 1958, be hived of as a statutory board of the Government of Singapore.

At its dissolution, the Guard and Escort Unit had a strength of 1,600 police officers, who received the same training as their counterparts in police divisions, and are mostly deployed as guards in commercial banks. The new statutory board absorbed most of these regular officers, although the committee recommended the early retirement of 460 older officers, with an enhances pension scheme offered to them as compensation. A recruitment drive was also initiated on 1 April to recruit other police officers and boost its strength to 2,000.

CISCO, as a separate statutory board, became Singapore's only commercial entity offering armed security services. Its policemen continue to receive training at the Police Academy at Thomson Road, although over time, the course was streamline to fit their operation needs, and instruction was gradually taken over by fellow CISCO officers. CISCO police officers were dressed largely similar to their counterparts in the Singapore Police Force, and CISCO vehicles were also largely similar, except with the addition of a CISCO logo.

In the next decades, the company diversified its operations beyond the provision of armed guards, providing a range of security-related services, including enforcement, management, and consultancy services for not just physical, but also data and IT-related needs. The armed police operations were organised under the name of CISCO Auxiliary Police under the Product Division, together with the CISCO Recall Total Information Management Pte Ltd and other specialised departments.

Corporatisation

Over the years, the license to provide armed security services has been extended to other companies, including the Auxiliary Police Forces operated by PSA Corporation, Changi International Airport Services, Singapore Airport Terminal Services, and Singapore Technologies Kinetics, although these officers have their policing powers restricted to their areas of operation. In the wake of rising security concerns, the government decided to introduce greater competition in the armed security service industry.

As a result of measure to create a more level playing field, the CISCO Act was dissolved, and CISCO ceased being a statutory board, corporatised as a fully-government owned company, and coming under the same legislative and regulatory guidelines as the other Auxiliary Police Forces. The new company will not longer utilise the Singapore Police Force's crest, and changes will be made to the uniforms of its police officers, in line with its counterparts in the armed security industry.

To minimise disruptions during the corporatisation process, the Ministry of Home Affairs transferred all of its former statutory board's assets, liabilities, staff and contracts to the new company, and did not give it a moratorium since the statutory board has already engaged in commercial services. The new company took over all businesses the statutory board had engaged in, and is now liberated to enter or exit from contracts based on its own commercial interests.

On 1 June 2005, the corporatisation process was completed and the new CISCO Security Private Limited formed.

Uniforms

CISCO police officers wore the same dark blue police uniform as their regular counterparts, although distinctive differences could be noted as time progressed, and uniform reviews took place both on the regular and CISCO sides. The most distinguishing feature of CISCO officers is probably by their beret, as opposed to peak caps worn by regular land division officers. Name tags worn by CISCO officers have a white border, compared to the SPF's all-black tags.

Some uniform reviews undertaken by the Singapore Police Force were not fully implemented by CISCO, such as the change from combat long-sleeved tops to short-sleeved ones for regular police officers. The majority of CISCO police officers continue to wear the long-sleeved version, rolled up to elbow level. The adoption of embroidered ranks, cap badges, and collar lapels in place of the metal versions by the police force was only effected for ranks in CISCO.

Under the incorporation of CISCO in 2005, however, changes were made to the uniforms to further distinguish CISCO officers from regular officers in order to create a level playing field with other competing armed security companies. These uniforms were implemented on 15 June 2005.

Significant incidents involving CISCO officers

1990s

On 26 September 1995, Constable Jumat Katty, 37, foiled a rare case of armed bank robbery at a POSBank branch in King George's Avenue. At least two shots were fired at the officer, who suffered minor wounds from splintered glass on his cheek. No one was hurt in the incident. The officer was subsequently promoted to the rank of Corporal just a day later.

2000s

On 23 April 2002, 50-year-old officer, Constable R. Sathasivam, shot himself in the head after failing in his attempt to murder his estranged wife at her workplace in the Institute of South East Asian Studies. As a result of this incident, all officers were no longer allowed to commute on public or private transport from their workplace to the headquarters building in Paya Lebar, and are to report immediately between the headquarters and workplace via transportation provided by the security company.
On 7 March 2003, Lance Corporal Rahim Othman, 47, was murdered by his ex-colleague at the Bukit Panjang Telecommunications station where he was performing sentry duty. His assailant, Ismail Abdul Rahman, 37, who fired three shots into the officer's body and right thigh, surrendered himself three hours after the shooting to the police. The gun used belonged to LCP Rahim. Ismail was subsequently sentenced to death.
On 9 November 2004, a CISCO officer, Lance Corporal Mohamed Ghazali Arifin, 43, successfully prevented a robbery at the Maybank branch in Upper Bukit Timah Road by firing two rounds at Brian Khoo, 43, hitting him in the head and shoulder. Khoo survived, and was sentenced to four and a half years' jail and nine strokes of the cane.

References

Policing Singapore in the 19th & 20th centuries, 2002
Privatisation of CISCO
Amendment of the Singapore Police Force act

External links

Auxiliary police forces in Singapore | Singapore Police Force | Statutory boards of the Singapore Government

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