Islam Empire of Faith - 1335 Words

In the movie Islam of Faith Part 1, the narrator starts off with the translation of azan to highlight the strong words and the strength of faith. The movie talks about how Islamic civilization has been one of humanities grandest achievements. It was muslims scholars who reclaimed the ancient wisdom of Greeks while Europe were in the dark ages. They who served the seed of the renaissance 600 years before Divincci. From the way we heal the sick to the numerals we use for counting,. Cultures have been shaped by Islamic civilization. A world wide power founded on faith a spiritual revolution that will shake the nations of three continents and launch an empire. This all started by the birth of single man, his name was Muhammed. Muhamed†¦show more content†¦People soon realized that it had to be written down so that it wouldn’t be corrupted and original message maintained. The Quran is a revelation of spiritual teaching of both ethical and social guidance. It was revealed and remains in Arabic. With words alone the quran delivers its vision to the faithful. As Mohammed followers grew so did the opposition. People were skeptical. â€Å"Look if you are prophet, where is your miracle.† The quranic answer to this question is that the quran is your miracle. This wasn’t enough for the oppositional tribes, and the idea of an after life left them exteremly skeptical. Out of all the things included in the Quran this left the people not to believe the most. To the non believers his dismantling to their heritage and customs deeply unsettling. It was a threat to their social order, ancient traditions and economic threat. As mohammed followers increased, business suffered as pilgrims worried for their safety left town. The tribal leaders decided that Mohamed and his message must be removed. They planned his assignation. They demanded his uncle to remove the clans protection from the prophet. His uncle refused and battle lines were drawn. Mohammed followers were left to starve, those without clan protection were tortured and killed. When Khadiga and his uncle died, it was an opportunity for his enemies to kill him. Mohamed then went to Yathrid to settle tribal rivalries in exchange for a safe place for him and his people. ItShow MoreRelatedIslam: Empire of Faith647 Words   |  3 PagesIslam: Empire of Faith is a pretty general documentary about a large history of Islam in such a short viewing time. Sometimes the moving picture media can have a different effect than the static reading media. I think this is a great counter to the normal textbook learning that occurs during class. While reading about the beginning Islam, I felt more of an oppression of Muhammad as he was trying to get his word of God out to the people around him. When he left Mecca it was not pleasant but it didn’tRead MoreThe Movie, Islam Empire Of Faith And Islam Essay2407 Words   |  10 Pagesinto two parts, one about the documentary we watched in class before and the lecture we had learned. For the first part, we watched the movie, Islam Empire of Faith and it talked mainly about Muhammad, how Islam was formed, and the ottomans. I never really learned anything about Islam but I frequently heard some rumors about the Middle East and the Islam but when I watched the movie, I felt I learned a lot from the movie because there were a lot of important information and I am surprised to knowRead MoreIslam, The Ottoman And Safavid Empire1528 Words   |  7 PagesIslam, the Ottoman and Safavid Empire Every empire that has ever been created constantly evolves. They will grow or they will diminish. Many empires cease to exist and some even start over under a different name. Throughout history, faith and religion have been at the core of almost every successful empire. There are a lot of factors that play into their faith. Two of the greatest empires to ever exist were the Ottoman and Safavid Empire. The Ottoman Empire was so large that it spanned from the IranianRead MoreA Discussion Of Faith Rose Surrounding The World Trade Center1630 Words   |  7 PagesAfter the Brussels massacre that took place on March 22nd, a question of faith rose surrounding the sanctity of the Islamic faith. In an article meant to expose answers to this very question John Kasich brings up a point that when people claim France is at war with Islam, they actually should be referring to radical Islam. This point pulled further controversy as those who were not Islamic began to wonder if the faith condon ed suicide bombings in the name of expelling infidels and bringing theRead MoreInformative Speech Outline1074 Words   |  5 PagesAchaemenid Empire, Iran’s history when Islam enters to it and Iran in present time. Transition: how great was Persia? And when Persia was at the peak of glory? Body I. Iran’s history during the Achaemenid Empire. A: we were peaceful people during the history and the evidence for this is the first human rights document word (Cyrus Cylinder) by Cyrus the Great one of the Achaemenid Empire king. 1. What is Achaemenid? Achaemenid Empire was the greatestRead MoreIslam s Influence On The Middle East And Beyond1711 Words   |  7 PagesBefore it completed 100 years of its origin, Islam had expanded across the Middle East and beyond. The rate and success of Islam s expansion were nothing short of breathtaking. Due to Muhammad’s alluring message, personal charisma, political ingenuity, and his ability to appeal to his followers; their loyalty and devotion laid the foundation to Islam’s great conquest. When the Muslim armies swarmed through the Arab frontier, their experience with the terrain and their self-determination allowedRead MoreThe Rise And Further Development Of Islam741 Words   |  3 PagesWith the rise and further development of Islam, the Middle East emerged as a key world region. The religion not only dominated the Middle East but was also spread to the West, Southeast Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa as it gained followers and influence. Why was the s pread of Islam so quick, extensive, and influential? What was it about Islam that appealed to so many individuals and converted such a large geographical part of the world? This can further explained by the process of globalization andRead MoreIslamic Religion And The Islamic World959 Words   |  4 PagesAs the Islamic religion rose, both the Persian, and Eastern Roman Empire began to collapse. In the seventh and eighth century, the rise of Islamic religion began to quickly move to rule the territories, taking over to create what is now a very important change in Islamic history. The rise of Islam began in the Arabian desert, showing great change for Islam as a religion, as well as the nature of the Islamic empire, but eventually this great rise began to collapse. The events that took place, is consideredRead MoreIslam Change over Time Essay1324 Words   |  6 PagesIslam Change Over Time The spread of Islam throughout the world was among the most significant worldwide movements in history. Beginning as the faith of a small community of believers in Arabia in the seventh century, Islam rapidly became one of the major world religions. The core beliefs and culture of this faith is the belief that Muhammad (570-632), a respected businessman in Mecca, a commercial and religious center in western Arabia, received revelations from God that have been preservedRead MoreEssay on Islam: A Religion and Culture1630 Words   |  7 PagesIslam: A Religion and Culture Islam is one of the oldest religions in history dating back to about 600 AD. It began when a man named Muhammad heard a voice from the heavens instructing him to proclaim the word of god. Currently there are over 800 million followers of the Muslim religion. The main text of the religion is the Quran which is said to be the word of God, or Allah as called in Muslim. Within the Quran, The five pillars of Islam are proclaimed along with many other concepts very unique

Banning Tobacco Price Promotions, Smoking Related Beliefs...

Banning tobacco price promotions, smoking-related beliefs and behavior: Findings from the International Tobacco Control four-country cohort survey Abstract Purpose: We examined how prohibiting tobacco price promotion at the national level influenced smoking-related beliefs and behaviors. Method: We used data from the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation project four-country cohort. Smokers and recent quitters at wave 8 (N = 4,114) were included in multivariate logistic regression models to examine associations between exposure to price promotions at waves 7 and 8 (conducted in 2008-2009 and 2010) on smoking-related beliefs and behavior at wave 8, stratified by whether the countries allow (United States, Australia) or ban†¦show more content†¦Conclusion: Differential associations emerged between exposure to price promotions and smoking-related beliefs across ban- vs. no-ban countries. Frequent exposure to promotions repeatedly predicted smoking-related beliefs and subsequent smoking behaviors in no-ban countries. Adopting price-promotion bans could eliminate effects of tobacco price promotions on smoking. Key words: International health, Smoking behavior, Smoking-related beliefs, Tobacco-control policy, Tobacco promotions Introduction Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable deaths and illnesses. Worldwide, the burden of tobacco exceeds six million deaths and half a trillion in economic loss annually. Tobacco-related deaths are projected to reach 7.4 to 9.7 million by 2030. To combat tobacco-use epidemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) enacted a Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) that included six tobacco-control strategies to guard against both demand and supply arms of tobacco use. Abbreviated as â€Å"mpower,† these strategies include monitoring tobacco use and prevention strategies; protection against tobacco smoke; offering cessation aid; warnings against tobacco-related risks; enforcing advertising, promotional, and sponsorship bans; and raising taxation on tobacco products. , Advertising, promotional, and sponsorship ban remains the least adopted â€Å"mpower† strategy. Only 24 countries (covering a mere 10% of the world’s

Public Administration Dichotomy Free Essays

string(182) " the Japanese experience and to emulate the success of the Koben system led to the institutionalisation of community policing as the new policing strategy and philosophy of the SPF\." RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 56 COMMUNITY POLICING IN THE CONTEXT OF SINGAPORE Jarmal Singh* I. INTRODUCTION Singapore has grown in many ways over the last 40 years to become a city-state that enjoys a high level of economic growth, political stability and most importantly, a sense of safety and security. We will write a custom essay sample on Public Administration Dichotomy or any similar topic only for you Order Now It was not a smooth journey, as the country experienced its turbulent periods in the 1950s and the 1960s, characterised by problems of political instability, communist insurgency, secret societies, unemployment and communal riots. Today, Singapore’s crime rate is low by international standards and has declined successively for 9 years from 1989 till 1997. Crime rate has only edged up slightly by 5. 2% in 1998 when the entire South East Asia region plunged into financial and economic crisis. The rise was mostly attributed to theft of handphones and cash cards, and immigration offences. Amidst the rapid modernisation of society, much of the transformation from the old crime-ridden town to a safe city today can be attributed to the Singaporean government’s tough stance towards criminals and criminality in the form of strict laws and heavy penalties. Apart from the strict laws and rigorous enforcement, the improvement of the social and economic situation helped to control crime. Over the past 15 years, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) has made two significant innovations in the area of policing in light of social and economic changes. The first being the introduction * Deputy Director Operations, Police Headquarters, Singapore Police Force, Republic of Singapore. of a community-based policing strategy through the Neighbourhood Police Post (NPP) system in 1983 and the shift towards community-focused policing through the creation of Neighbourhood Police Centres (NPCs) in 1997. Prior to 1983, policing strategies were reactive in nature. Police services were dispensed centrally, mainly through the 8 police stations existing at the time. Each police station served a very large area and these areas were patrolled by cars. Impacted by urbanisation, social and economic transformations, the police were faced with rising crime and a loss of public contact and support. The SPF then realised the importance of fostering closer police-community relations in an effort to prevent crime. By re-orienting a patrol strategy that was skewed towards the motorised mode to one that was community oriented and emphasised foot patrol, it is felt that the police could create a heightened sense of presence and visibility to deter crimes. The Neighbouhood Police Post (NPP) system, adapted from the Japanese Koban System, was introduced in 1983. Eight NPPs were set up as a pilot in a constituency, with a view to assess the impact and success of the system in Singapore’s environment. The trial was a success. By 1993, the entire set of 91 NPPs was set up throughout the island. This was accompanied by falling crime and increased sense of safety and security amongst the public. However, in view of rising expectations of both the public and police officers, and the need to address new challenges arising 126 RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 56 IV. SPF’S ADOPTION OF THE COMMUNITY POLICING STRATEGY The key strategic driver for the SPF’s adoption of the community-oriented policing model was to establish and leverage community support for our own law enforcement policies and strategies in the face of a changing operating environment. The key changes in the operating environment were as follows. A. Increasing Crime Trend (1974 to 1983) Firstly, although the crime rate in Singapore was low by world standards, there was a disturbing trend of an overall increase in all types of crime (except violent property crimes) for the period 1974 to 1983. Analysis revealed that 70% of such crimes were house-breaking, theft of vehicles, and robbery which could have been prevented. The promotion of community-oriented policing would help the SPF to battle crime, as improved policepublic relationships should result in a higher level of crime prevention awareness and greater public co-operation with the police. B. Change in Population Distribution Secondly, the population distribution was changing. In the 1960s, before the creation of the Housing Development Board (HDB), the bulk of Singapore’s population was concentrated in the centre of the city. However, as a result of the HDB success in providing low cost public housing, about 84% of Singapore’s population shifted from the city area to new towns and estates all over the island. These new public housing estates comprised mainly of high rise buildings and these lessened the opportunities for the public to interact with the police. The SPF could no longer simply rely on the 8 divisional police stations for efficient and speedy service. There was a pressing need to develop a new, efficient response system that could cope with the changing operating environment and at the same time, offer opportunities for meaningful police-public interaction in a densely populated, urban environment. This spurred the SPF to develop the decentralised system of the NPP to serve the needs of the urban population better. C. Rising Public Expectations Thirdly, the general population was increasingly affluent and educated. This raised two challenges for the SPF. One was to meet rising public expectations of the police service. The other was stiff competition from the public and private sectors for quality recruits. The nature and prospects of police work was deemed by the younger generation as comparatively unappealing. Community-oriented policing addressed these two challenges by raising the quality of police services through attracting better quality officers seeking job challenge and satisfaction in the enhanced job scope. D. Learning From the Japanese Koban System At this stage, the SPF was in search of a successful community policing model. This was found in the form of the Japanese Koban (or police post) system. In Japan, the high crime clearance rate of 60% was due to the trust and co-operation that the public had with the police. Statistics also indicated that 80% of the Japanese public readily provided information to help the police arrest offenders. The desire to learn from the Japanese experience and to emulate the success of the Koben system led to the institutionalisation of community policing as the new policing strategy and philosophy of the SPF. You read "Public Administration Dichotomy" in category "Papers" 28 112TH INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSE VISITING EXPERTS’ PAPERS V. THE NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICE POST (NPP) SYSTEM A. Study Team In November 1981, a team of Japanese experts was invited to help implement the Koban System in Singapore. The Koban system was to be adapted for use in the Singaporean environment, with varying social settings and attitudes of the populace. With the recommendation of the Study Te a m t o e s t a b l i s h o n e N P P p e r constituency, 8 NPPs were first established on 1 June 1983 in the 8 onstituencies in one police division. The second phase of implementation began with the setting up of several NPPs in two other police divisions. Positive public response to the NPP system lead to the acceleration of the final implementation phase ending in December 1994. There are now 91 NPPs throughout the island. One division was merged with neighbouring divisions so that manpower saved could be deployed to the frontline, to meet the needs of the new system. B. Purpose of the NPP system The NPP system was implemented in Singapore with the following objectives: †¢ To i m p r o v e p o l i c e – c o m m u n i t y relations in Singapore; †¢ To prevent and suppress crime through the co-operation of and support from the community; and †¢ To project a better police image and win the confidence of the public in the police with more community-oriented services. C. Infrastructure / Location NPPs are the most familiar police contacts of the community within their neighbourhood. They are kept small to be personal, but big enough to make an impact in the community. The area of coverage of each NPP is based largely on the political boundaries. The average population covered by each NPP is about 35,000. Being the most familiar police contacts, the NPPs have been located where their services will be demanded most. Factors such as the number of households and population are taken into consideration in setting up and locating NPPs, to reach out to the widest possible section of the population. D. Oganisational Structure A NPP is manned by a team of about 12 29 112TH INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSE VISITING EXPERTS’ PAPERS in crime prevention. Another effect of the NPP system is the decentralisation of police functions from the divisional level to neighbourhood level. The police at the frontline are more empowered with greater autonomy and discretion to discharge their duties. This has expedited police response to crime incidents and improved quality service. The decentralisation principle has also enabled the police to penetrate deeper into the society and thereby effectively pre-empt criminogenic conditions. It is possible for the police to tap valuable information about the people and the conditions that are causing criminality. Community policing has shifted its emphasis from car patrols to foot and bicycle patrolling. Together with house visits, this has brought the police very much closer to the community. The increased visibility of the police in the neighbourhoods has helped to deter crimes and eliminate the general fear of crime in society. This is also noted in the decreasing crime rates each year. With community policing, the public has also become more aware of its role and responsibility in crime prevention and detection. The number of public-assisted arrests had steadily increased from 33. 6% in 1992 to 34. 8% in 1993 and 36. 1% in 1994. That is about 1/3 of the total arrests made! The close co-operation is not only reflective of the high level of public spiritedness but also the evolving partnership between the public and the police in crime busting. The SPF has strengthened the trust of the public in the police. Two surveys conducted in 1987 and 1991 confirmed that: †¢ NPPs have created more and closer contact with the public; †¢ NPP system has increased the confidence of the general public in the police; †¢ NPP system has had a positive impact on the image of the police. Community policing and the NPP system has brought the police services to the community, helped Singapore achieve a low crime environment, and enabled SPF’s to reach out to the public. There is ample evidence that the community policing strategy and the NPP system in Singapore is a success. The 1996 Global Competitiveness Report ranks Singapore the safest city in the world in terms of its resident’s confidence that their person and property are protected. VII. BUILDING ON THE COMMUNITY POLICING STRATEGY The NPP based system of community policing has served the SPF well for 14 years from 1983 to 1997. In 1996, the SPF initiated a review of its operational strategy. The review was driven by the realisation that the future would not be built through perfecting the past, no matter how successful it had been. More importantly, the SPF must ensure that the success of the NPP system itself does not become a limiting force that stifles growth and innovation in meeting new policing challenges and public needs. As the SPF enters the new millennium, being the sole provider of policing services, the organisation owes its fellow citizens to further improve the already low-crime environment and strive to make Singapore even safer than it already is. Policing must be done smarter and more effectively than before. It is also clear in the SPF’s vision to become a strong service organisation by 31 RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 56 making continuous improvement to work processes to meet rising public expectations. At the same time, the SPF wants to offer every officer within the organisation a more enriching job scope and experience that stretches the officer’s abilities and helps maximise their potential. Since the implementation of the NPP system, the SPF has retained its traditional, rea ctive policing capabilities (namely, fast response patrols and investigation teams) in its 7 land divisions. Only the 91 NPPs that report to these police divisions have evolved along the direction of developing community-based policing capabilities. Community-based policing has also been refined incrementally over the past 14 years. One recent innovation is the doctrine of ‘problem-solving’, under which NPPs initiate the resolution of certain community law and order problems that arise from simple systemic causes. The problem-solving approach makes community policing more effective because it is proactive and pools the whole community together in a concerted effort to ensure a safe, peaceful and cohesive society. An example of a good problem-solving case is that by Hong Kah South NPP. The NPP used to receive many complaints about coffee-shop patrons consuming beer, after midnight, even when the coffee-shops in question were closed. Residents complained about the incessant noise pullution, littering, vandalism (often vulgar words written on walls), urinating in public places, and fighting. The coffeeshop patrons’ unruly behaviour caused sleep deprivation to the residents, dirtied the neighbourhood and created a sense of public unease (especially to young ladies returning home late at night). Aware that repeated one-off responses to such incidents is not an operationally effective solution to the problem, Hong Kah South NPP adopted the following solution. A. Co-operation with Coffee-shop Owners Mindful of the need to maintain good rapport and act in partnership with community resources to resolve local community problems, Hong Kah South NPP officers sought the co-operation of the owners of the problematic coffee-shops in the following areas: (1) Stop the sale of beer and start preparations to close half-an-hour before the end of the stipulated licensing time, so that ample time is given to the patrons to finish their drinks. 2) Stack up the chairs and chain them up, before closing the coffee-shop. (3) Remove all empty bottles from the tables to prevent their use as weapons. B. Dialogue Sessions with Coffeeshop Owners Based on the recommendation of Hong Kah South NPP, regular dialogue sessions with the coffee-shop owners are conducted at the Division Headquarters. Besides crime prevention advice and police recommendations, there is also sharing of good practices between the coffee-shop owners. This is effective in exerting peer group pressure on the owners of problematic coffee-shops to follow the good example set by their counterparts. The above measures were successful in curbing the problem. Residents now enjoy restful nights, the neighbourhood is pristine in appearance, and a sense of peace and security prevails. 132 112TH INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSE VISITING EXPERTS’ PAPERS VIII. NEW OPERATING ENVIRONMENT The SPF is expected to work in an increasingly complex environment, with forces that affect community safety and security arising from a multiplicity of causes. These complex social ills are characterised by seemingly intractable problems such as juvenile delinquency, spousal violence, the link between substance abuse and property crime, or the law and order problems posed by foreigners working in Singapore. The SPF’s traditional tool of effective enforcement can no longer, by itself, adequately address these challenges. The doctrine of problem-solving, which is targeted at simple systemic causes, and analysed and solved at the level of the NPP, is also impotent in the face of higher-order social dysfunction. In addition, the SPF must continue to meet the rising public expectations of its service standards, as well as its ability to enhance safety and security. A recent survey, commissioned by the Service Improvement Unit (SIU), revealed that one area where the SPF failed to provide high levels of satisfaction, but which was highly important to the public, was the ability of the police to help solve the problems that have been brought to the attention of the NPPs. In October 1997, the SPF made another significant and bold move to re-design the NPP system in a bid to strengthen its community policing approach, in light of the changing environment and factors. A system that can carry the strengths of the previous NPP system, like tapping on local knowledge to solve crimes, and at the same time can enable the SPF to grow and address key policing needs, ensures its continued relevance. The Neighbourhood Policing Centres (NPCs) system has been created to enhance the community policing approach by: †¢ Strengthening the SPF’s front-line operating system; †¢ Building a strong service organisation; †¢ Increasing community involvement and responsibility for its own safety and security; and †¢ Optimising the value contributed by each police officer to the policing process. IX. NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICE CENTRES A. Changes to NPP System In order to deliver decentralised, flexible, integrated and community-focused capabilities, the existing structure of land divisions and NPPs will be modified. At the centre of the new operating system is the Neighbourhood Police Centre (NPC). The existing seven police land division will be reconfigured into six policing regions. Reporting to each of these regional commands will be the NPCs. NPCs will be the sole vehicle for front line policing to ensure the community’s safety and security. In the redesigned system, NPCs will be accountable for the total outcome of policing in the community. A short summary of the key differences between the NPP system and the NPC system is given in the below figure. 133 RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 56 NPP System †¢ Community policing post with limited services †¢ Disparity in workload due to electoral based boundaries †¢ General services to attract residents and establish points of contact †¢ Low value tasks and narrow job scope †¢ Compartmentalisation of services with many officers each performing a separate task †¢ Lower priority on proactive work †¢ Community-based policing NPC System †¢ One-stop total policing centre provding the full range of policing services †¢ More efficient pooling of manpower resources to serve the community †¢ Focused on services that are critical to safety and security †¢ High value, board job challenge, better quality officers †¢ Integrated service process with one NPC officer handling the entire service process †¢ Dedicated resources for proactive work †¢ Community-focused policing B. One-Stop Total Policing Centre Today, the areas policed by NPPs vary significantly. Some NPPs have jurisdiction over areas with 2,000 households, while other NPPs serve up to 5,000 households. NPCs will however serve areas of similar residential population sizes. On average, each NPC will serve about 100,000 residents. The size of each NPC is kept to between 100-120 officers, with administrative overheads, such as personnel and logistical support borne by the Regional Command Headquarters. It also ensures that the NPCs are not so large as to present a cold and impersonal image to the public. A total of 32 NPCs will be created by the year 2001 to serve an indigenous population of 3. 2 million in Singapore. NPCs, as centres of total policing, have a variety of policing options, ranging from reactive patrols and investigations, to proactive policing activities. These 32 NPCs islandwide will be supplemented by at least another 66 NPPs, with each NPC managing between 1 to 4 NPPs. With the creation of NPCs, the current 91 NPPs would be re-distributed to achieve a balance of easy accessibility to police counter services for the public and an optimal number of NPPs to be deployed in the NPC system. The emergence of the NPC as the sole vehicle for the provision of policing services means that NPPs cease to be sub-units of a larger police unit. The officers manning each NPP will come from the NPC itself. NPPs therefore represent service points only, with the deployment of patrol, investigative and pro-active policing resources based on the overall needs of the entire NPC area of operations. Each of the six policing regions will have a dedicated Regional Command Headquarters to oversee police operations. Six Regional Commands will replace the existing seven police divisions. These Regional Commands will comprise the command and support elements for the region. They will also include specialist investigation units, focusing on investigations into serious crimes and other investigations likely to lead to prosecution in court. Each Regional Command will house a NPC to serve as the frontline service point for public interaction. 1 A DGP is a development plan that defines and builds a particular township. In the plan, each town’s boundaries are clearly mapped out. 134 112TH INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSE VISITING EXPERTS’ PAPERS C. Relationship to Development Guide Plans (DGPs) Unlike the current NPP boundaries which are linked to political constituencies that may change after a General Election, NPC boundaries are based on Urban R e d e v e l o p m e n t A u t h o r i t y ’s ( U R A ) Development Guide Plan1 (DGP) areas for the following reasons: (a) The DGP areas, being geographicallybased, provide additional leverage by creating a sense of territorial ownership for the community. This will enhance the community’s identity. (b) Each DGP area also has an expressed vision, which further reinforces a coherent identity for the communities living within that area. (c) DGP areas are permanent, unlike electoral boundaries. Over time, distinct identities can emerge for different communities, without being interrupted by changes in constituency boundaries. Each NPC operates out of police facilities sited within its area of operation. Facilities for the NPCs could be co-located with other community agencies. A single edifice, representing all the community agencies for that area, will tity for the comm the sense of community identity and permanence. As NPCs or NPPs are the means through which the SPF engages in community-focused policing, they can easily blend into a building that encompasses community clubs, community libraries, and service points for other community agencies. Most NPCs would be sited at 0. 0heart of 0. 0residential area in photing geilities commonmay other 135 12TH INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSE VISITING EXPERTS’ PAPERS The shift to a community-focused model fundamentally alters the SPF’s operating strategy. Successful policing will no longer be measured solely in terms of falling crime rates. As the focus shifts from the police to the community, what matters to the community, for example, its level of safety and security, will determine the success or otherwise of the police mission. Arising from this, it will no longer be appropriate for formulaic approaches to be applied uniformly across the different communities. Police units operating in different communities must develop customised solutions tailored to meet the needs of, and which take into account the constraints on, each community. The need for specific, custom-made and workable solutions will redefine the required levels of operational competence. These demands will fuel the need to develop, at the organisational level, learning competencies so that each customised solution enhances the quality of the future solutions. An operating strategy that is focused on the community also entails a skillful management of relationships between the police and the individuals, grassroots organisations and volunteer groups that form part of the community. Structurally, the SPF will be empowered and decentralised, so that at the front-line, police officers can ‘broker’ for total solutions in response to community law and order concerns. Such an approach also has other benefits, in particular, by providing opportunities for individual participation in improving the quality of life in their community, so that emotional bonds to the community are strengthened. It therefore forms an inportant element in the overall Singapore 21 vision to build a civil society with strong community ties and active citizenry. It is also an integral part of the Government’s strategy to gradually lower the community’s level of dependency on the authorities and to engender shared responsibility for social problems and their solutions. This is done through a new initiative known as the Community Safety and Security Programme (CSSP). A CSSP is an action programme jointly drawn up by the grassroots leaders, residents and the police. It consists of the profile of the community and its needs, the key agencies involved and the action plans to tackle the community problems affecting the safety and security of the neighbourhood. Through CSSPs, the NPC system aims to shift the community’s mindset from what the police are doing about safety and security to what we can do together. One CSSP is crafted for each precinct / constituency and each differs from another, since different communities in different neighbourhoods might not share the same concerns. The CSSP aims to get the residents more involved and be responsible in taking actions to address the safety and security concerns affecting their neighbourhoods. The driving belief is that each citizen can make a difference to society. G. Optimising the Contribution of Each Police Officer The SPF currently has a regular component of nearly 8,000 officers and 1,000 civilian staff. With falling birth rates, the size of new cohorts joining the workforce grows smaller each year. As an organisation competing within a limited pool of labour resources, the SPF must be attractive and challenging to bring in the best talents. Whilst the SPF may face the challenge of attracting the best talent to join the organisation, it has to contend with retaining officers over the medium to long term. 137 RESOURCE MATERIAL SERIES No. 6 SPF Commissioner, Khoo Boon Hui, during one of his dialogue sessions with NPC officers said â€Å"†¦ That is why not only do we have to take care of those who are with us, but to get the best people to join us †¦ one of the main motivations of why we are going into the NPC system, †¦ is to bring our officers to match the expectations of the job, and to be proud of what we do. ’’ Through the NPC system, the SPF is able to redesign its front-line jobs so that it can continue to recruit quality manpower from each graduating cohort. At the same time, in line with the national policy of continuous upgrading, the SPF also needs to upgrade the qualifications of its officers after they have entered the service. Redesigning jobs to create viable and attractive front-line careers in the NPC system will serve to enhance the credibility of the SPF as an institution, and instill trust in the ability of the police to carry out their tasks effectively. The educational profile of police officers serving the community must be kept high to match the broad rise in educational qualification of the society. This will enable the SPF to meet new job demands, greater challenges and the expectations of the public. H. Organisational Structure In order to fulfil its role as being community-focused, and responsive and flexible to the needs of the community, police officers in the NPC operate in an empowered and self-directed fashion. They work as a team, rather than as individual officers. The basic unit in the NPC is a group of three front-line officers, led by one group leader. This group of four officers is selfdirected, and undertake the entire range of policing responsibilities of the NPC. Each group is also responsible for nurturing and building a network of community relationships within a precinct of about 1,200 – 1,500 households. As this group is deployed as an operational entity, it will facilitate the process of team learning, a key lever of change and innovation in the redesigned system. An average of 5-6 such groups form one team, which is led by a team leader and one assistant team leader. Each NPC have four teams, reporting to an NPC commander. Each NPC comprise, on average, 100 regular officers. With another 15 full-time national servicemen attached to the NPP, the total strength of the NPC will be about 115 officers. X. NPC IMPLEMENTATION PHASES As the NPC system is a major change for the entire the SPF. It involves major re-organisation. Many of these changes will take some time to implement. A phased implementation approach has been adopted: Pilot Phase Oct 1997 1st pilot: Queenstown NPC created in Central West Region. Apr 1998 Another 3 NPCs, namely Bukit Timah NPC, Bukit Merah West NPC and Jurong East NPC were created in same region. Phase I Jun 1999 6 NPCs in West Region to be created. Phase II Jun 2000 4 NPCs to be created in North, North-Eastern and East Regions. 138 112TH INTERNATIONAL TRAINING COURSE VISITING EXPERTS’ PAPERS Phase III Jun 2001 SPF believes that its policing changes are set in the right direction. Our success will depend on our willingness to learn and change the way we operate. Our commitm ent and passion to learn collectively as a team, from the top police chief to the front-line officer, may turn out to be the most significant success factor in our journey into the new policing environment presented by the next millennium. 8 NPCs to be created in Central-Western Region. In Commissioner Khoo’s words, â€Å"A pilot is not to test whether the system will succeed or not. It is a pilot in the sense that we allow officers more leeway to improve the system, to share experiences, resolve operational problems and tell us what is wrong. ’’ XI. PRELIMINARY NPC’S RESULTS A recent review of the pilot phase implementation has shown positive results and all the NPC objectives are largely met. A large majority of the officers felt that they had stronger working relationships with their team mates, between teams, supervisors and key officers. 74% of the officers were confident of their abilities in performing the various aspects of NPC duties (information technology systems, procedures and investigative duties). 81% of the officers rated the facilities in the NPC to be much better than their previous workplace (NPPs and Land Divisions). Compared to one year before the NPC was set up, one-third of the residents in the precincts felt that the safety in the neighbourhood now was â€Å"much better†. Two-thirds of the residents felt that the police had at least made some improvements to increase security in the neighbourhood with the creation of NPCs. XII. CONCLUSION The community policing framework in Singapore has been shifted to uplift the professionalism in front-line jobs and getting the community more involved in safety and security matters. The re-design of the NPP system builds on the achievements the SPF has made over the past few years – community policing, empowerment and quality service. The 139 How to cite Public Administration Dichotomy, Papers

Diuretics Versus Beta Blockers as the First Step in Drug Therapy

Question: Discuss about the Diuretics Versus Beta Blockers as the First Step in Drug Therapy. Answer: Introduction Arterial hypertension affects millions of people worldwide. The condition is associated with high incidence of cardiovascular outcomes. Therefore choosing the right kind of medication warrants health and economic favour. The two most widely prescribed drugs which are used as first line drugs are diuretics and beta-blockers which functions. Beta blockers are drugs that targets beta-adrenergic receptors and acts by blocking the action of adrenaline. Such drugs are used commonly as a first line drug to treat hypertension, arrhythmia, angina, migraine as well as anxiety. By blocking the action of adrenaline the heart beat is reduced thereby reducing the pressure exerted on the arterial walls and improving blood flow. The activity of beta-blockers depends upon the chemistry of the drug. Some of the beta blockers are Acebutolol, Bisoprolol, Nevivolol, Propanolol, Metaprolol etc. The prescription of beta-blockers, however, is not considered till other medications such as diuretics, are considered ineffective. Although there are advantages of using beta blockers, there are associated side effects of the drugs that need to be accounted. Some of the side-effects are tiredness, weight gain, insomnia, depression and to some extent shortness of breath . The drug is not prescribed for patients with asthma as it might trigger adverse reaction. Moreover, this class of drug is known to promote imbalance in lipid profile temporarily. Diuretics, unlike beta-blockers, do not block androgen but rather helps in expelling excess salts and water from the body. Release of sodium into the urine leads to increased dispense of water thereby reducing the fluid volume in the blood vessel and finally leading to decreased pressure on the arterial walls. Three types of diuretics are usually prescribed by physicians which are thiazide, loop diuretics and potassium-sparing diuretics . The present article presents the advantages and disadvantages of using these two classes of drugs for management of hypertension based on research articles available in the public domain. Sources and selection criteria In order to select suitable scientific studies on the use of beta-blockers and diuretics as first line drugs a thorough literature search was conducted on NCBI PubMed, Google Scholar and pharmaceutical-journal.com. Search terms beta-blockers and diuretics, hypertension first line drugs, beta-blockers first line drugs and diuretics first line drugs were used to arrive at lists of articles before choosing few important and relevant ones. The search was limited to publications between 2000 and 2017. Major decisive factors for selecting research studies were involvement of a large population, randomized control trials, meta-analysis and clinical trials. Weightage were given if follow up was considered in the study subjects. Impact factors and reputation of the journal in scientific community was also considered for the selection of research articles. However, research publications which are conducted by pharma companies or sponsored by pharma companies were not selected as there are high possibility of getting a biased report. Methodology and results The search for clinical trials, meta analysis and RCTs resulted in many relevant research reports. However, 3 reports on meta analysis were selected for the study. The three selected literatures were based on comparison of diuretics and beta blockers, meta analysis on beta blockers alone or meta analysis on diuretics alone. According to Cochrane review of beta-blocker a clear indication of insignificance of the class of drugs on its ability to manage hypertension and a higher efficacy of calcium channel blocker is indicated (5). This is seen with a similar observation by Lindholm et al.,which accounted for 105951 subjects it was observed that beta blockers increases the risk of stroke by 16% as compared to other drugs. It also increases the mortality rate by 3%. Out of the beta blockers, medication with atenolol has the highest risk of stroke(6). Many clinical trials endorses the use of diuretics, thiazide in particular, for management of hypertension. In MRC trial with a large population it was observed that diuretics with or without beta blockers has the potential to reduce incidence of stroke as compared to the placebo control group. In a landmark clinical trial consisting of 33357 subjects above 55 years of age it was observed that there is no significant difference in the non-fatal myocardial infarction in groups with different medications but showed a reduced risk in long term use (7). The most important clinical trial on diuretics is perhaps the ALLHAT trial in which the choice of diuretics is kept as primary compared to other classes of drugs (8). This may be due to the efficacy and cost factor that plays an important role. Thiazides are used as monotherapy (9) however, it is seen to be much more effective in combination with other drugs (10). The efficacy also depends upon various factors such as age, race as well as renal health. It is recommended that instead of increasing the dose of thiazide for control of blood sugar a second drug should be coupled to obtain most efficient control (11). This is because thiazide is also seen to be linked to renal abnormalities in the long term. Diuretics on the other hand has significantly reduced the number of stroke and heart attacks when used a first line drug for management of hypertension(12). However, loop diuretics are not seen to reduce blood pressure significantly (13). Therefore, efficacy of managing hypertension largely depends upon the type of diuretic Advantages and disadvantages In a meta-analysis by Lindholm et al., it was observed that beta-blockers used as primary drug to manage hypertension is associated with higher risk of stroke when compared with other antihypertensive drugs (6). The study analysed data obtained from randomized control trials of a collection of beta-blockers. The study further adds that the efficacy of beta blockers as antihypertensive drugs is suboptimum and does not reduce risk of mortality or myocardial infarction.(14, 15) Both the type of drugs are not tolerated and both functions worse than other antihypertensive drugs. It was observed that patients on beta blocker tends to withdraw from the course in twice the numbers compared to diuretic patients (16). On the other hand, thiazide medication is seen to cause nephrotoxicity in the long run and even leading to renal carcinoma. Therefore, the question remains as to which drug should be preferred as first line drugs for hypertension management. Discussion It is estimated that more than of the adult population of the world are hypertensive and finding an effective drug with minimum unwanted side-effect will be of utmost importance. Beta-blockers and Diuretics that are prescribed as first line drugs to control hypertension have shown efficacy in management of the condition. Many of the patients with high blood pressure depends upon either diuretics, beta blockers (17), ACE inhibitors, calcium antagonists or angiotensin receptor blockers. The unwanted outcome of beta blockers is evident from the LIFE trial which states that approximately 1,25,000 strokes are preventable in a period of 5.5 years in the European Union just by replacing the drug with angiotensin receptor blockers. In a similar study of ASCOT-BPLA replacement of beta blockers with calcium antagonists resulted in reduction of stroke by 23% (18). A comparison between placebo and beta blocker treated patients showed that there is no statistical reduction in blood pressure. With increase in the prevalence of hypertension in both developing and developed nations it is mandatory to set a specific guideline for management of the condition. As for instance despite the fact that beta blockers are less effective and promotes higher risk of strokes and cardiovascular abnormalities the use of the drug has remained high for the past 10 years in Germany with a 54% of the patients taking the drug. Comparatively, diuretics is the second most common drug with 48% of the patients using it (19). Although there has been an increase in number of hypertensive patients, the average mean of systolic and diastolic blood pressure has dropped by approximately 5 mmHg. This indicates efficacy in managing the disease by medications. The present research is further limited because of the availability of meta-analysis data that combines studies from latter part of the 20th century. A significant literature source is available from this period which is easy to be missed unless curated properly. Conclusion With reference to the analysed research studies on beta blockers and diuretics it is observed that diuretics remains a first preference for management of hypertension. This is because the use of the class of drug is seen to be far more efficient than the beta blockers as it reduces chances of stroke and heart attacks much efficiently than beta blocker (20). However, the choice of the type of diuretics also matters as it was observed that thiazide diuretics are far more efficient than loop diuretics. A significant number of studies were conducted around the 1970s and 1980s and did not qualify our study criteria and had to be excluded from our analysis. However, the studies had significant information as a large population was analysed and is representative. It would have been more conclusive had there been meta-analysis based exclusively on more recent publications. The result of the study is also justified by the number of supportive evidence resulting in similar conclusions as those studies in the 1980s with more recent observations. It would have been more interesting had there been few more publications that studies the efficacy of different types of diuretics although we know that diuretics are a better choice over beta blockers. 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