Noise sensors may be used to help resolve severe neighbour disputes under proposed laws

A new government unit may utilise noise sensors to resolve serious neighbour disputes, said the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, Ministry of Law and Ministry of National Development in a joint statement on Monday (Aug 12).

The Community Relations Unit (CRU) will deal with severe cases of neighbour disputes involving noise and hoarding, should the Community Disputes Resolution (Amendment) Bill be passed in Parliament.

"This dedicated Community Relations Unit will have regulatory powers and use technology to investigate and abate severe neighbour noise nuisances," Municipal Services Office senior director of operations Yap Yeow Chern told the media on Monday.

One way of resolving such disputes involves the use of noise sensors.

Each sensor, which has eight microphones, can be used to pinpoint the direction, timing and intensity of noise generated.

With their approval, these noise sensors will be placed in complainants' homes and along common corridors for three to seven days.

Sensors deployed in common areas will also be accompanied by a sign that informs the public of its function.

To safeguard privacy, noise sensor data will be transmitted in real-time to Singapore-based servers for processing only. Raw recordings of the sounds collected by the sensor will be expunged immediately.

These sensors will be used as confirmatory tools following initial investigations to determine the origin of the noise. The data collected will serve as "objective evidence" and help officers validate noise complaints.

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CRU pilot to operate in Tampines

A pilot of the CRU will run for a year in HDB estates of one or two towns, starting with Tampines.

This will help agencies assess the resources required to run the unit and whether it can be sustainably scaled up island-wide, the ministries said.

The CRU currently has 15 members, including Community Relations Officers (CROs). 

These officers have experience in law enforcement and basic mediation and have also passed background checks. On the ground, the CROs will be supported by auxiliary police officers.

The CRU was established to encourage more people facing neighbour disputes to attend mediation, as well as to address a "very small subset of severe cases", Yap explained.

"We have found that sometimes the residents will evade us - there have been cases where frontline agencies visit the suspected units and the noise dies down miraculously.

"When the agencies leave, subsequently, the noise comes back again," he said.

With the CRU, officers will be able to enter a residence to gather evidence with the consent of the owner, occupier or with approval from the Director-General of Community Relations.

They will also be able to take statements from neighbours and other residents, issue mediation directions to require residents concerned to attend mediation, issue advisories and warnings as well as require the removal of nuisance-causing objects.

Dealing with 'severe, recalcitrant nuisance-making' cases

In the first half of 2024, the authorities said they received 2,160 reports of neighbour disputes per month.

While 90 per cent of the cases can be resolved with good communication and mediation, the remaining 10 per cent of severe cases could not.

For severe cases of hoarding in homes, the CRU can apply for a Community Disputes Resolution Tribunals (CDRT) order - which takes into consideration evidence collected by the CRU - to declutter the unit.

As a last resort for "severe, recalcitrant nuisance-making", the housing board may also be allowed to consider compulsory acquisition of flats as a deterrent.

Both abovementioned instances can only be considered after all other options have been exhausted.

"These enhancements will strengthen, not replace, the ability of the community to come together early and resolve their differences as good neighbours," the ministries explained.

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khooyihang@asiaone.com