New gov’t unit to resolve severe neighbour disputes

It will initially operate for one year in selected HDB estates.

A new government unit will be granted the authority to investigate and direct individuals to cease activities that disrupt their neighbours, Singapore’s Ministry of Law announced on 12 August.

The Community Relations Unit (CRU) will be empowered to intervene in severe cases of noise-related disputes that have not been resolved through other means. The program aims to assess the scope and resources needed to potentially expand the unit's operations island-wide.

It will initially operate for one year in selected HDB estates, starting with Tampines, and may expand to one or two additional towns.

The CRU will be an integral part of the Community Disputes Management Framework (CDMF) and will only step in after neighbors have exhausted all attempts to resolve issues independently.

The unit will be staffed by Community Relations Officers (CROs) with backgrounds in law enforcement and mediation, all of whom have passed rigorous background checks. Auxiliary police officers, known as Auxiliary CROs, will also support the CRU. Both CROs and Auxiliary CROs will identify themselves during their duties, and their identities can be verified through an MND webpage.