H O O K E D - An Interview With NUS Campus Security

An Interview With NUS Campus Security

Written by Tracy Wong and Loh Huilin

Here in HOOKED, we feel that expressing our gratitude for the stupendous effort and hard work put in by our campus security personnel is a task long overdue. So, we are going to do it the best way we know, by interviewing Mr Lim Yeow Khee, the assistant manager of the Campus Security Division in the Office of Estate and Development.

        These individuals remain on the periphery of our vision on campus. Their ubiquitous blue uniforms and handy walkie-talkies readily identify themselves as security personnel from afar. We are appreciative of their presence, but prone to feeling impatient and occasionally irritated, when we are required to submit to their security checks, on our way to the concert halls in the University Cultural Centre.

        Then, there are those random occasions when some of us are waylaid by them along the deserted corridors around campus, subjected to their seemingly superfluous or abstract questions, depending on your mental framework during those instances. Their generic question of "What are you doing here?" can either irritate you by its redundancy or thrust you into an introspective mood not unlike Sophie in Sophie's World.

        Their presence on campus hardly registers on our minds, and the value created from their presence is often neglected. Most of us think nothing of spending late nights on campus and feel as safe and secure on campus as we feel at home. Yet few of us are able to put a face to the seemingly faceless people who are behind the security system of NUS - NUS Campus Security.

        Several minutes into the interview with Mr Lim, the role of the NUS Campus Security becomes very apparent and of discernable paramount importance to the NUS population as well.

        The Campus Security works round the clock, providing a 24-hour security service aimed at protecting the university against crime, fire and other forms of emergency.

        They are also the ones who enforce traffic rules and regulations in the university and provide traffic control during NUS events. In addition, they also develop strategy enhancements and design training for staff to enhance their crisis management skills.

        The Campus Security is adept at dealing with orthodox forms of crises. Mr Lim meticulously went through the list of all these forms, which ran the gamut from theft, loss of property (such as laptops), assaults to illegal parking along the main roads.

        First-time perpetrators of the latter offence will be issued warnings and/or fines. More serious instances, during which significant traffic rules are flouted, will be reported to the traffic police, while severe non-traffic offences are reported to the police. The Campus Security is adamant about enforcing the appropriate punishment where it is due, so would-be perpetrators, you have been forewarned.

        Piqued curiosity prompted us to ask Mr Lim if they had ever come across any instances of scams or cons. Perhaps in tacit acknowledgment of the general human inclination for sensational news, an amused-looking Mr Lim informed us that they did indeed encounter such an incident in May last year.

        "There was a student who went around preying on victims who were studying alone. He would ask to borrow their handphones for a short while. Once he had gotten their handphones, he would run away with them."

        The student was detained last year.

During the interview, Mr Lim was quick to reiterate the ease of accessibility of the Campus Security to the NUS population anywhere around campus, courtesy of the Emergency Call Points (ECPs).

        These unobtrusive yellow beams that are installed around the main fringes of the campus, can effectively serve as pivotal points of contact between the NUS population and the Campus Security, during emergency situations.

        The ECPs provide SOS communication as each of them has a siren, which serves to scare off perpetrators when activated. People can also communicate through the intercom with security officers, in the face of a crisis. Hence, if you are trapped in a helpless situation and you have no idea what to do, do make use of these call points.

        The same applies to lifts as well. Intercoms are installed in the lift for people to communicate with security personnel if they happen to be trapped.

        The NUS Campus Security has also installed close circuit TVs for surveillance and card access systems to prevent unauthorised entry. With the use of modern technology, the security of our school is certainly heightened by a significant notch.

        It was apt for us to conclude by questioning if a substantial combination of brawn and brain is required for the job of security personnel.

        This question is apparently quite a cliché in the security service, which explains why Mr Lim burst out into a shout of laughter and wearing the same amused expression on his face, proceeded to list the standardized requirements for a job in the security service.

        One should have at least ‘N' level academic qualifications, PC literate and able to draft reports. It would definitely be an added advantage if an applicant has a driving or riding licence. Most importantly though, the applicant must possess character traits that are in sync with his/her aspired vocation, such as integrity, honesty, professionalism in his/her work, as well as firmness in thought and in action.

        Although the Campus Security personnel generally do not find themselves thrust into life-threatening or critical situations, an applicant should still be mentally and emotionally prepared in dealing with such situations. Hence, courage and bravery are traits that are not necessarily essential for the job, but desirable nonetheless. Contrary to popular belief though, the Campus Security are less prone to hiring fierce-looking staff.

        In the words of Mr Lim, "We wouldn't want to hire someone who looks too stern. These security personnel are, after all, dealing with lecturers and students."

        By the end of the interview, it was highly evident to HOOKED that our campus security team has been and will always be conscientiously watching out for our safety. They do not seek out acknowledgment or gratitude from the NUS population for their service and seem content enough remaining at the periphery of our vision on campus.

        Nonetheless, they are undeniably an integral part in the fabric of our NUS community and it would not hurt to be more cooperative during our direct interactions with them, as well as lightening their burden by being more aware of our surroundings, more tolerant of traffic rules and more careful with our belongings.

        The small things that we can do, we ought to, because security on a campus is a luxury that we have been handed to, on a silver platter. HOOKED

Images courtesy of:
http://www.cio-weblog.com/archives/secure_the_mobile_devices.htm http://www.nus.edu.sg/oed/services/csd/security/ecp.htm

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