Some say the neighbourhood’s not very exciting

And that’s the way it should be. When it comes to the lengths in keeping their neighbourhood safe, Citizens on Patrol (COP) members Santosh and Ekta can go on for miles.

Details

Helping the Community

Citizens on Patrol

Made new friendships

“When we move out between eight to ten in the night, the neighbourhood is quiet. Other than the market, we do not see people around. Some are just sitting, chatting — it’s not very exciting,” Santosh says. “And that’s the way it should be.”

A heartland affair

A commitment to patrolling may seem alien to some, but husband- and- wife Santosh and Ekta find their motivation in giving back to the community. “It’s a good way for us to contribute to our neighbourhood. It’s small, but it’s how we can give back by making sure our neighbourhood is safe. We also get to interact with the neighbours and make new friends.”

For Ekta, her communal spirit comes from a similar place of love. “I love cooking for my family, taking care of them. I don’t think that’s very different from patrolling, I’m just taking care of a bigger family.”

Santosh, with his wife Ekta, are living up to their duties as COP members, safeguarding their community’s way of life

The gift of giving back

The couple first came to know about COP through a colleague who posted about it on WhatsApp. They looked it up, thought it would be fun as an outdoor activity — and signed themselves up.

And yet, there’s more to patrolling than stopping on the heels of your trainers to chitchat. To qualify to patrol, Santosh and Ekta had to undergo training to become equipped with basic crime prevention, SGSecure and Community Emergency Preparedness skills. “They are important skills to have and better prepare us to respond appropriately in the face of various scenarios, such as alerting the Police when we observe suspicious activities or persons.”

Most evenings the COP members patrol their neighbourhood while keeping an eye out for their neighbours and their surroundings, sharing crime prevention advisories, helping some with directions, and some who just need a little push on their bicycles. They also discover new places within their neighbourhood; places they’ve never been to, even after having lived there for years.

“TV can wait”

As Santosh and Ekta live up to their duties as COP members, they’ve become friendly faces the community trusts to safeguard their way of life. Interactions with their neighbours also keep the couple going.

“You get to meet people from different walks of life,” Santosh shares. “Some of them you have common interests with, some you learn from. Since being part of this programme, my attention to detail has improved. I start to see what I normally wouldn’t notice.”

On the other hand, Ekta finds it a break from the ‘dummy box’: the television. “I like having someone to talk to, a live person than a dummy box that I can always pause and return to after my walk. Yeah, the TV can definitely wait.”

Find out more about Citizens on Patrol at https://www.sg/opportunities/keep-fit-and-trim-with-citizens-on-patrol

Meet a group to share your passion for good at https://www.sg.