Thomas Dunman

Thomas Dunman (1814–1887) was an Englishman who served as the first Commissioner of Police in Singapore, Straits Settlements from 1856 to 1871.

History Born in the United Kingdom in 1814, Dunman had Anglo-Saxon origins from the town of Dunham in Norfolk, England.

Dunman came to Singapore in 1840 as an assistant in the merchant firm Martin Dyce & Co. He entered the police force in 1843 as both a Deputy Magistrate and the Deputy Superintendent of Police. He was made Superintendent of Police in 1851, and Commissioner of Police on 1 January 1857. He was respected by leaders of the European community, and supported by influential Muslim Malays leaders, Straits Chinese leaders and the local Indian community.

During this time, Singapore was flooded with immigrants who often entered though illegal means from non-British controlled part of Malaysia such as Kuala Lumpur, and as stowaways on ships from India and Southeast Asia. Some of these immigrants smuggled items such as opium for sale in Singapore's illegal opium dens. It is because of this that opium merchants and organized criminal societies like the "Triads", or the Chinese as "black societies" , saw Singapore as a seaport of vices where they could become wealthy or hide their illegal gains. Murders, Sex trafficking, and human trafficking of Chinese coolies, which the Chinese referred to under the euphemism of "selling piglets" also plagued the colony. These issues were further exasperated by the small size of the colonial police force; the entire force having only 18 men in 1831. Morale in the force improved and the crime rate in Singapore decreased under his leadership. and Dunman Lane in the Katong area of Singapore are named after Thomas Dunman, as are Dunman High School and Dunman Secondary School.

Dunman's Green park in Singapore was also named after him, however it was renamed Hong Lim Green in 1876 and then Hong Lim Park in 1960.