Hi Art December 2010

I did not know where they came from and even did not hear their footsteps. Friendly and gently, the two policemen asked me to show my passport, but it happened that I did not take it with me. Then I told them that there was another monitor system at the entrance on the first floor, so I could not go through the passage without the password of the gate, not to say standing here. However, all of the explanation was in vain, and the only outcome was that they turned to speak Chinese, instead of official English, to me. Hence I had to go back to my residence fetching the passport. During the whole thing, they kept smiling to me, with several salutes at the parting. Within several months, the same thing repeated again and again: the police had been brought by me for 4 times, all in midnight, and for twice I saw the two policemen I had met before. However, although they were acquainted with me, they pretended we were completely strangers, and the process above was repeated again and again. For the last time even the manager of Singapore Tyler Print Research Institute was called in. Then I told staffs of the institute that I planned to sew the passport in my trousers, so that I could use it at any time without bothering them; otherwise it appeared that I did not come for visiting the studio but for examining the response ability of their police.

In Singapore, parents do not frighten their children using police. They never say such words as ‘If you kept crying I will call the policeman to teach you a lesson’, because the police here are so affable, neat and civilized that even children are not afraid of them.

Singapore police have promised that they will respond to calling on 999 within 10 seconds and reach the spot within 15 minutes; for letters, including emails, from the public, they have to make their replies in 5 workdays and announce the progress of the case in 7 workdays; the public should not be made wait over 15 minutes in the police station for their affairs.

Singapore police are trained in an advanced way. They have various training facilities such as online training system, CREATE information website, learning test center personal learning center and simulated police stations.

Singapore is a state with an adequate legal system, in which laws must be actually observed, law enforcement must be strict, and punishment is severe and unequivocal. For instance, for drunk-driving, the driver will be fined 1000 to 5000 Singapore Dollars or at most 6 months’ imprisonment; the repeated offense will incur a fine of 3000 to 10000 Singapore Dollars, or at most 1 years’ imprisonment, and the revocation of the driver’s license. A jay walker will be fined 500 Singapore Dollars and 1000 Singapore Dollars or 3 months’ imprisonment if he is charged; the repeated offense will incur a fine of 2000 Singapore Dollars or 6 months’ imprisonment. As to spitting on the ground, for the first time, the offender will face a fine of 1000 Singapore Dollars, 2000 for the second time and above 5000 for the third time. For cigarette disposal, people who have infringed the relative law will be fined 200 Singapore Dollars; and those who throw about bulky wastes have to be reformed through labor for 12 hours.

Covering 687.2 square kilometers and with a population of 4.84 million, Singapore has 8000 regular police officers, 1200 police officials, 3700 national service personnel, 24000 candidates as well as 1200 volunteers. All the regular officers are graduated from Police Academy. The police here, who rank first in the world, are dedicated, agreeable, industrious, ambitious, honest, earnest in public duties and efficient. Singapore is also the state with the lowest crime in the world.

Having finished my work lasting 4 months, I returned to China with my luggage. At the Capital Airport, the Frontier Inspection Officer, a man in his 30s or 40s, examined my passport with a frozen face and looked me up and down with his triangle eyes. At last he asked me coldly, ‘What have you done abroad?’

我不知道他们是从哪儿来的，甚至连他们上楼的声音都没察觉。两名警察态度很友好，文质彬彬地请我出示护照证件。当时我恰好没带护照，就告诉他们，一层入口还有一套监控措施，没有大门的密码，连过道也到不了，更不可能站在这儿。怎么解释都没用，唯一的作用就是让这二位从官方英语转换成了中文。我只好回住处取护照。从头到尾这两名警察一直面带微笑，离别时还多次敬礼。短短几个月内，同样的事情一再上演，深更半夜我把警察招来了四回。有两回还是同一拨警察，他们瞅我也面熟，但竟装作不认识，没见过，照原样又来了一遍。最后一次，把泰勒的经理也叫来了。后来我和泰勒的工作人员说，我准备把护照缝在裤子上，随时能用，免得老惊动你们，照这样下去我就不是来工作室访问，而是来考察你们警察的快速反应能力的了。

在新加坡，家长不会用警察来吓唬小孩，不会动不动就说再哭就叫警察了，因为新加坡的警察和蔼可亲，干净文明，小孩不怕。

新加坡警察向大众承诺，拨打999，必须在10秒钟之内作出反应，15分钟之内必须抵达现场，对民众来信包括电邮，必须在5个工作日内回复，7个工作日内告知案件进展，在警局办事不能让民众等待超过15分钟。

新加坡警察训练方式十分先进，有网上训练系统，CREATE资讯网站，检验学习中心，个人学习中心，模拟警局等等。
新加坡是个法制社会，真正做到有法必依，执法必严，处罚严厉明确。酒后驾车，罚1000——5000新币或6个月以下监禁；再犯，处罚3000——10000新币或1年以下监禁并吊销执照。乱穿马路，500新币，如被控上法庭，可处1000新币罚金或3个月监禁；再犯，2000新币或6个月监禁。随地吐痰，第一次1000，第二次2000，第三次5000新币以上罚金。乱扔烟头，200新币，乱扔大件垃圾，12小时劳改。

新加坡总面积682.7平方公里，人口484万，新加坡警察现有正规人员8000人，文职1200人，国民服役人员3700人，预备人员2.4万人，志愿人员1200人。正规人员都来自警察学院。新加坡警察敬业乐群，勤劳进取，廉政奉公，讲求效率，在全球竞争下排名世界第一。新加坡也是世界上犯罪率最低的国家。

四个月的工作终于结束，大包小包回来，到了首都机场过边检，里边坐一三四十岁的警察，黑着脸，把我的护照翻了个遍，斜着三角眼上下打量我好几遍，最后扔出一句：“出去干什么去了？”