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Singapore to hire auxiliary police from China, India, Philippines as local workforce shrinks
- Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said move necessary to meet the increasing demand for security services amid waning interest from Taiwanese applicants
- He added dwindling domestic workforce has also made it difficult to recruit officers in the city state
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Singapore is looking to expand the jurisdictions from which it recruits auxiliary police officers (APOs), as the number from Taiwan has fallen in recent few years, Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said.
In addition to Taiwan, Singapore is considering hiring these officers from India, China, the Philippines and Myanmar, he told parliament on Wednesday.
“We need to allow the Auxiliary Police Forces to recruit foreign APOs, to meet the increasing demand for security services,” he said.
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“[The Auxiliary Police Forces] face challenges in sustaining an adequate pool of APOs, given the shrinking local workforce, requirements such as physical fitness, and the job options Singaporeans have.”
He was responding to a parliamentary question from Sylvia Lim, Workers’ Party chairman and Member of Parliament of Aljunied Group Representation Constituency.
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Shanmugam said that the Auxiliary Police Forces will continue to hire Taiwanese APOs even though their numbers have continued to fall despite the generally positive working experience with them.
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