- Thomas Dunman
Thomas Dunman (born
1815 ) was the first Commissioner of Police inSingapore from1856 -1871 . Dunman Road and Dunman Lane in theKatong area of Singapore are named after him.Born in the
United Kingdom in 1815, Dunman came to Singapore in1840 as an assistant in the merchant firm Dyce & Co. He entered the police force in1843 . He was made Superintendent of Police in1851 , and Commissioner of Police in1856 .During his time heading the police force, Dunman was known for being on good terms with the people of various classes and communities within Singapore, and thus able to gain assistance and first-hand information regarding what was happening in the city. He was respected by leaders of the
Europe an community, and supported by influential Malays and Indians, who often felt powerless to prevent Chinese gangs from roving into their districts, assaulting people, and robbing homes and businesses. [http://www.photius.com/countries/singapore/national_security/singapore_national_security_public_order_and_int~1587.html] He improved the efficiency and training of the police force. Among the measures he introduced were improved pay and working hours for policemen, setting up training programmes and night classes for members of the force, and creating a pension scheme for retired policemen. Morale in the force improved and the crime rate in Singapore decreased under his leadership. [http://library.thinkquest.org/12405/maintain.htm]Dunman retired from the police force in
1871 , and spent the next few years on his coconut plantation, Grove Estate (in what is now the Mountbatten area of Katong).Dunman was the founding president of the Tanglin Club in
1865 .
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