Commissioner of Police (Singapore)

The Commissioner of Police is the head of the Singapore Police Force (SPF). The Commissioner is assisted by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, and reports to the Minister for Home Affairs. The current Commissioner of Police is Hoong Wee Teck.

The position was created with the Police Act of 1856 (and passed 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 was appointed as a Deputy Magistrate and Superintendent of Police in 1843, before he assumed responsibilities as the first full-time Commissioner of Police in June 1857.

When Singapore, Malacca and Penang became Crown colonies of the British Empire in 1867, the role of the police commissioner was expanded to include that of the entire Straits Settlements, with the title changed to Inspector-General of Police. This lasted until the Japanese occupation of Singapore in 1942, before the position was restored as the Commissioner of Police in 1946 with the return of the British and the gradual instatement of self-governance.

The President of Singapore has the power to appoint the Commissioner of Police on the advice of the Cabinet.