Commissioner of Police (Singapore)


The Commissioner of Police is the top-ranking police officer of the Singapore Police Force. Assisted by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, he reports to the Minister for Home Affairs.
The post was created with the passing of the Police Act in 1857, in response to calls for a full-time dedicated police officer to helm the police force in response to escalating cases of violent crime in Singapore during that period. Thomas Dunman thus became the first police commissioner, and the first full-time superintendent of police, with a salary of 800 rupees per month.
When the Straits Settlements became a Crown Colony in 1867, the role of the police commissioner was expanded to include that of the entire Straits Settlements, with the title changed to that of Inspector-General of Police. This lasted until the Japanese Occupation of Singapore in 1942, before the post was restored as the Commissioner of Police in 1946 with the return of the British and the gradual instatement of local rule.
The President of Singapore, on advice from the Singapore cabinet, appoints the Commissioner of Police and can revoke his or her appointment.

Commissioners and Inspectors-General of Police

Commissioner of Police, Straits Settlements Police