From March 1, all Singapore police officers (this includes everyone — volunteers, NSFs, NSMen, regulars and auxiliaries) will have a new warrant card that you should familiarise yourself with.

Why bother, you might ask — well, we doubt you'd like to be accosted by a fake police officer, would you?

Here's what it looks like, front and back:

More importantly, though, if a police officer asks you for identification or any personal information, he or she should first show you this as his/her authorisation. And when you receive it to inspect, tilt it and look for the word "POLICE" and five police logos in a vertical row on the right:

You'll see the version on the left, with the officer's face replacing the silhouette. The image on the right shows you the symbols you should see when you tilt the card.

It's a holographic security feature that's been added to all police warrant cards, so you can verify his or her authority to search you or ask you for any information.

Here's what the auxiliary police officer card will look like:

It will bear the same holographic details, though:

Just so you're aware, here's what the card for police officers currently looks like:

So now you know. Don't fall prey to imposters, hor. And if you come across a police officer who can't show you this card, you should call the (real) police on him.

Top photo courtesy of Singapore Police Force.

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