| 4. In which ways is the initiative creative and innovative?
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In July 2011, an inter-agency project team which comprised representatives from relevant public agencies was formed to enable the effective resolution of public feedback on animal-related matters via the use of the Design Thinking process which consisted of the following steps:
a. Elucidate desired future;
b. Discover the environment and users (stakeholder agencies and residents etc);
c. Identify problems and needs;
d. Test prototype solution; and
e. Design solution to meet user needs.
The result was the formation of the First Responder Protocol (FRP) for animal-related issues in January 2012, which AVA was the lead agency. An inter-agency workgroup on animal-related matters, comprising staff involved in operations and policy from the various agencies, also convened and met on a regular basis to form strong links between the various stakeholder agencies and to resolve teething issues in the implementation of operational procedures.
To augment its capacity for carrying out the FRP role, AVA had to develop new and streamline existing processes and procedures. AVA officers also had to undergo training in understanding the behaviour and characteristics of new animal species, such as monkeys and snakes, and how to catch them – which they are not required to do so prior to our role as First Responder. As the role of First Responder requires deeper interaction with the public, AVA officers have also undergone training on customer management and dealing with difficult customers.
AVA has also forged a public sector-private sector-people sector partnership to support our role as First Responder. Where feasible, AVA also tapped on the private sector to support our role as First Responder, for example, the delivery/collection of traps/trapped animals and catching of different species of stray and wild animals. In view of the more than 100% increase in the volume of public feedback on animal-related matters from 2011 to 2013, the contact centre which manned the 24/7 mainline on animal-related feedback was outsourced in Apr 2014. AVA also tapped on animal welfare groups (AWGs) for adoption of impounded stray animals and addressing animal nuisance issues.
AVA also made known its FRP role in the media to raise public awareness of the initiative so that more members of the public will be able to use this channel for the resolution of animal-related issues.
A flowchart depicting an overview of the FRP is attached.
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| 5. Who implemented the initiative and what is the size of the population affected by this initiative?
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Personnel from the National Parks Board (NParks), National Environment Agency (NEA), Singapore Police Force (SPF), Singapore Land Authority (SLA), Housing and Development Board (HDB) and the Public Service Division (PSD), AVA, Town Councils, as well as animal welfare groups contributed to the design and implementation of the initiative. The other stakeholders involved in the implementation are:
a. Members of the public;
b. Eco-experts/environmentalists.
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| 6. How was the strategy implemented and what resources were mobilized?
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To form a dedicated unit within AVA that handled animal-related issues, the following resources had to be acquired:
a. Funding for operating costs – about S$4 million in 2012 and 2013.
b. Manpower - increase in staff strength of 27 officers
c. Engagement of external experts for the building up of capacity in animal-related matters
d. Engagement of external contractors for the operationalising of the FRP (including call centre and animal control services)
e. Purchase of equipment (including animal traps)
A new structure was also created within AVA to better support AVA’s role as First Responder on animal-related matters.
Additional funding and manpower are provided by the Government of Singapore.
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| 7. Who were the stakeholders involved in the design of the initiative and in its implementation?
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With the establishment of the FRP on animal-related issues, the public can now call AVA at the Animal Response Call Centre, a 24 hour mainline to report animal-related issues. This has led to the following service level improvements from the perspective of the public/feedback provider:
a. One point of contact – From the perspective of the public/feedback provider, they need only contact one agency, i.e. AVA, for animal-related issues. Thus, the objective of improving public service by not having the public being “bounced around” from one agency to another is met.
b. Seamless service experience – Working with public agencies in a connected and coordinated manner provides a seamless service experience to the public. Such a seamless experience reduces lapses in service delivery due to better coordination of issues between agencies.
c. Timely response – In cases where the ownership of the issue is unclear, AVA takes the first step to investigate and verify the facts in the feedback, and where required, coordinate with relevant agencies to work together address the feedback.
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| 8. What were the most successful outputs and why was the initiative effective?
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The interagency workgroup on animal-related matters met on a regular basis, i.e. monthly during the initial phase and now quarterly - to monitor and evaluate the progress of the initiative. The workgroup also discusses ways to improve operations and interagency collaborations between the stakeholder agencies.
Quarterly updates on the progress of implementation and issues faced were also made to the Executive Committee overseeing public sector service excellence efforts, which was chaired by Head Civil Service.
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| 9. What were the main obstacles encountered and how were they overcome?
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Since taking on the role of First Responder, AVA has been receiving an increasing number of feedback on animal-related issues, mainly due to various media publications on the role.
Prior to the establishment of AVA’s role as First Responder, AVA received 7834 feedback from MOPs on animal-related issues. In 2012, with AVA as First Responder, the number of feedback received increased 22% to 9566. In 2013, the number of feedback received more than doubled from 2011 figures. In the first seven months of 2014, the number of feedback AVA received has almost reached the same number as the total feedback received in the whole of 2013.
Apart from the increase in number of feedback received, the scale and scope of work required to resolve each feedback has also increased due to the rise in public expectations.
To overcome the challenges faced, AVA has been increasing its capability and capacity in such matters. The officers have undergone training to equip them with new skills, such as managing difficult customers and catching/handling new animal species e.g. snakes. AVA aims to manage animal-related issues as upstream as far as possible to manage the volume of feedback downstream. For example, AVA is exploring with relevant agencies on “monkey-proofing” new residential developments to minimise human-monkey conflicts, as well as sterilisation to manage the population size of monkeys. AVA is also exploring the engagement of external consultants to study and better understand how best to manage the population of other animal species such as monitor lizards – before they reach tipping point and create extensive public safety and nuisance issues.
AVA is continuously looking to build up the capabilities of the private sector so that they can provide support to the First Responder role. The 24/7 contact centre was outsourced to the private sector with effect from 1 Apr 2014. The private sector is also supporting AVA in animal control operations to remove dogs, cats, monkeys, wild boars and other wildlife. AVA’s contractor is presently responsible for the delivery/collection of dog/cat/monkey traps, and trapped animals. AVA will also be tapping on the private sector to provide on-site surveillance and investigation services to address non-complex public feedback.
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