Change of Command Ceremony

        To mark the upcoming leadership change in the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB)¹, a Change of Command Ceremony was held at the Police Cantonment Complex on 1 November 2022 where Mr Tee Chong Fui Sam took over the CNB Command Mace from Mr Ng Ser Song.

2.     Mr Tee Chong Fui Sam, 52, was earlier appointed Director of CNB (Designate) on 15 August 2022, and will be appointed as Director of CNB when Mr Ng Ser Song retires on 6 November 2022.

3.     Reflecting on his tenure as Director CNB, Mr Ng said, “I would like to express my deepest gratitude for having the opportunity to serve in this remarkable organisation. To my dedicated CNB officers, I wish you the best as you continue to enforce the law, and educate and engage the community in pursuit of our common vision for a drug-free Singapore. I leave the CNB family with fond memories and relationships with colleagues and co-workers that will continue forward. I have absolute faith that CNB will remain a formidable force that ensures a Singapore without drugs, where everyone can live, work and play safely. It has been my privilege to be part of the CNB family and serve alongside with a group of extraordinary men and women.”

4.     Mr Ng Ser Song, 60, who had led CNB for more than 10 years, will be retiring after a 35-year career in the Home Team. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Mr Ng for his strong leadership and guidance in CNB, and wish him all the best in his future endeavours.

CENTRAL NARCOTICS BUREAU
1 NOVEMBER 2022

¹ Announced on 12 July 2022 in a Press Release from the Ministry of Home Affairs http://www.mha.gov.sg/mediaroom/press-releases/leadership-change-in-central-narcotics-bureau/

ANNEX A – Photographs from the Ceremony

Photo 1 (CNB): A Change of Command Ceremony was held on 1 November 2022, where Mr Tee Chong Fui Sam (right) took over the CNB Command Mace from Mr Ng Ser Song (left).

Photo 2 (CNB): Mr Ng Ser Song making his address at the Change of Command Ceremony on 1 November 2022.

Photo 3 (CNB): Both Directors of CNB, Mr Tee Chong Fui Sam (left) and Mr Ng Ser Song (right), with Guest-Of-Honour Permanent Secretary (Home Affairs) Mr Pang Kin Keong (middle), at the Change of Command Ceremony was held on 1 November 2022.

Photo 4 (CNB): Mr Ng Ser Song with a CNB officer at the Change of Command Ceremony on 1 November 2022.

ANNEX B – More information on Mr Tee Chong Fui Sam

In his 27 years of service with the Home Team, Mr Tee Chong Fui Sam has held various appointments, including Deputy Commander of Clementi Police Division, Deputy Commander of Police Coast Guard, Commander of Airport Police Division, Commander of Traffic Police and Senior Director of the Joint Operations Group in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) until his appointment as Director CNB (Designate) on 15 August 2022.

During his last tenure in MHA, Mr Tee and his team strengthened Singapore’s preparedness and resilience for safety and security contingencies, ranging from civil emergencies, terrorism, national emergencies, to hybrid threats. He led the team to develop a framework and introduce laws to deal with foreign interference in our domestic politics, in particular through hostile information campaigns. He also led the secretariat team that supported the Homefront Crisis Executive Group and the Multi-Ministry Task Force to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under Mr Tee’s leadership, MHA further progressed the Security Industry Transformation Map. Notable initiatives included a revamp of the Security Agencies Competency Evaluation assessment framework, as well as an Industry Digital Plan and funding to support adoption of solutions. Mr Tee also pushed for progressive salaries and better working conditions for Security Officers and was instrumental in the amendments to the Private Security Industry Act in 2021. The amendments provided enhanced protection for Security Officers against abuse when performing their duties.

ANNEX C – More information on Mr Ng Ser Song

In his 27 years of service with the Home Team, Mr Ng Ser Song held various appointments, including Commander of Airport Police Division, Deputy Director of Criminal Investigation Department, and Director of Police Intelligence Department. Mr Ng was appointed as Director of CNB on 1 February 2012.

Mr Ng was a strong advocate of Singapore’s zero tolerance stance towards drugs and the harm prevention strategies that undergird it. His tenure in CNB saw impressive operational outcomes, including successful joint operations with international partners against overseas-based syndicates supplying drugs to Singapore. More than 20 drug syndicates were dismantled each year with record quantities of drugs seized in some of these operations. In April 2021, for example, CNB seized over 40kg of drugs including record amounts of cannabis and heroin with an estimated street value of more than $2.3million. This was a significant amount of drugs that was removed from circulation in Singapore – sufficient to feed the addiction of more than 12,000 drug abusers for a week.

Mr Ng also helped push through amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Act to enhance rehabilitation outcomes for drug abusers and CNB’s enforcement powers. This included the introduction of new laws to deter and penalise child endangerment. He also implemented a differentiated Drug Supervision Scheme by using business analytics to determine suitable intervention programmes based on the risk assessment of abusers, as well as the development of skillsets to enable CNB officers to better supervise drug supervisees and facilitate their reintegration into the community.

Under Mr Ng’s leadership, CNB leveraged social media and ambient marketing in CNB’s preventive drug education (PDE) efforts. Its efforts were recognised with accolades, such as the 2018 PR Awards for Best Use of Social Media and MARKies Awards 2018 for Best Idea-Content Marketing. CNB also saw the formation of the United Against Drugs Coalition (UADC) and Anti-Drug Abuse Advocacy (A3) Network, to spread and strengthen anti-drug narratives through co-creation efforts with the community.

During Mr Ng’s tenure, CNB elevated its international profile and thought leadership amidst a growing liberalisation of views towards drugs around the world. He pushed for more capacity building through regional workshops and joint training. Mr Ng initiated the ASEAN PDE Portal which was commissioned in 2018 and enables ASEAN countries to learn from one another to strengthen their PDE efforts. CNB’s anti-drug ribbon was also adopted as an ASEAN symbol for PDE.