A neighbourhood police centre (NPC) is a small to mid-sized police station commonly found in Singapore. It was first introduced during the mid-1990s to replace the Singapore Police Force's Neighbourhood Police Post (NPP) system. Its concept of community policing is similar to the kōban system in Japan. It allows for police officers on the ground to perform more duties, particularly investigative work, which was previously in the hands of division-based officers. Unlike the NPP, the NPC operates on a 24 hours basis. History A feasibility study was established in October 1981 when some officers of the Singapore Police Force and then-Minister for Home Affairs Chua Sian Chin were sent to Japan to study the koban and train with officers on how the system worked. The NPP was then piloted in 1983 when Khe Bong NPP post was created with assistance from Japanese police officers visiting Singapore. The neighbourhood police centre (NPC) is a result of a review of the Neighbourhood Police Post (NPP) system initiated in 1996. While the NPP has helped to reduce crime rates since its introduction in 1983, and perceived positively by the general public, it was limited in its ability to offer greater convenience to the community due to their limited size and scope of duties in individual posts. The high number of NPPs entailed extensive resources spread over many installations, putting pressure on limited resources available to the police, particularly in terms of manpower. The limited scope of the NPP system was also seen as being less optimal in maximising the operational capabilities of individual police officers, and affecting its abilities to retain talent. Pooling the NPPs into larger entities known as NPCs was thus proposed as a solution, although it was not meant to completely replace NPPs. About two thirds of NPPs were planned to be retained so as to maintain convenience to the general public, although many will no longer operate round the clock. An intercom system was introduced to overcome this should public assistance be needed when the NPP is closed. With a larger pool of officers and resources, each NPC was able to provide more services in one location with the aim of reducing the time needed to close each case. Each NPC Officer was also expected to handle not only front-line duties, but also basic investigation work and administrative duties. NPCs would directly liaise with the community for joint programmes