Over 180 honoured for contributions
SSGT Darvina Halini Binter Deniyal singing during during the Ministry of Home Affairs' National Day Observance Ceremony. Photo: Don Wong
SINGAPORE — She sniffs out her own leads, investigates suspicious websites, lures pimps by posing as a customer and cracks down on online vice syndicates, on top of juggling training with the Singapore Women’s Football Squad.
This is all in a day’s work for Staff Sergeant (SSG) Darvina Halini Deniyal, who cracks vice-crime cases with the Criminal Investigation Department of the Singapore Police Force.
The 28-year-old is one of the youngest recipients of this year’s Minister for Home Affairs National Day Award, which were presented today (Aug 5) during the Home Team’s annual National Day Observance Ceremony. More than 180 recipients were commended by Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean for their contributions.
Some of SSG Darvina’s memorable cases include one involving a Mongolian prostitution ring, which she tracked for almost a year before nabbing about eight syndicates. She also arrested the kingpin, a 40-year-old Singaporean man. Said SSG Darvina of the award: “I feel happy because my hard work finally paid off.”
Staying one step ahead of the vice rings is the main challenge of her job, said SSG Darvina, who noted that more syndicate members are turning to operating on social media so as to avoid detection. “When they think outside the box, we have to think wider … and remain one step ahead of them,” she said.
In total, 69 members of the public, 12 Home Team volunteers and 104 Home Team officers received the Public Spiritedness Award, the Home Team Volunteer Award and the Individual Award, respectively. Three teams also picked up the Team Award.
Speaking to a audience of more than 600 people, Mr Teo, who is also Home Affairs Minister, said: “Today, we recognise and show our appreciation to these volunteers and public-spirited individuals for their efforts. It is this spirit of ‘semangat’ of community partnerships that keeps Singapore strong.”
Mr Teo also cited a “heart-warming” incident about two weeks ago, where concerned passers-by at the junction of Bendemeer Road and Boon Keng Road banded together to free a man who had been pinned under a heavy lorry.
Among the recipients of the Public Spiritedness Award is Ms Natalie Huang, who had helped in the arrest of an armed robber at Raffles Place in November last year.
The bubbly 32-year-old, who is an avid watcher of popular crime show CSI, had acted swiftly in calling the police as well as protected the crime scene by telling others to stand back.
Said Ms Huang: “I just wanted to make sure the integrity (of the scene) was kept intact. If someone took the knife or kicked it or threw it away, the police might not be able to (link it to the crime). I made sure it remained as it was, so the police could do their job and bring the man to justice.”
Mr Teo also urged greater partnership between the Home Team and the community in combating future security threats. “The threats we face today are different, but no less challenging than those that our pioneers faced in our early days — transnational crime, cyber-related crime and terrorism,” he said.
Correction: An earlier version of this report said: “Three Home Teams also picked up the Team Award.” This is incorrect. Three teams from the Home Team each won a Team Award. We also wrote that the recipients were commended for their acts of public spiritedness. This is wrong. They were commended for their contributions to Singapore’s safety. We also called the awards the Ministry of Home Affairs National Day Awards. The correct name is the Minister for Home Affairs National Day Awards. We apologise for the errors.
