Casino Cops Get Ready for Action

The new multi-million dollar casino developments in Singapore require a new task force of specially trained security officers.

A dedicated police unit is to investigate casino crimes in Singapore. Regular readers of Jet Casino’s news pages will have enjoyed the frequent updates on the massive multi-million dollar casino developments in Singapore.

Resorts World Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands are both due to open this year bringing casino gaming to Singapore for the first time since the colony’s independence decades ago.

The controversial decision to allow developers Genting and Las Vegas Sands to build the resorts – which include four hotels, casinos, shopping malls, and a theme park - was given the green light because it was believed the man-made attractions would entice visitors to the region.

Now Superintendent Michael Ang, former director of security at The Venetian in Macau, has been named head of the Casino Crime Investigation Branch (CCIB) of the police's Criminal Investigation Department.

Singapore is one of Asia’s safest cities and officers have been sent overseas to Macau and Las Vegas to bone up on potential crimes related to casino gaming.

"Left to themselves, casinos naturally invite vice, loan sharking, drug dealing, money laundering, theft, fraud (and) cheating, and are bright shiny targets for organised crime," said Acting Commissioner of Police Ng Joo Hee in his opening address at CCIB's launch at the Police Cantonment Complex yesterday.

“The Singapore Police Force has spent the past five years quietly - but methodically - learning, planning and preparing, and has adopted the best practices from international jurisdictions,” he added.

CCIB head Michael Ang, 40, explained the need for such a task force: Police officers need specialised skills to nab offenders in this arena. "How many people in Singapore understand what gaming is all about? If you ask a general investigator to do it, I think there'll be a problem," he told reporters.

CCIB officers mostly have three years of investigation experience before joining the branch, and already have dealt with secret societies or gaming offenders in their line of work in CID.