SINGAPORE — The extra help roped in by the Traffic Police to beef up enforcement on the roads issued more than 3,600 summonses in nearly 2,200 operations from April to last month.

The top offences: Illegal U-turns, flouting traffic signs, failing to form up correctly when turning, and beating red lights.

These violations contributed to nearly half of the 3,612 tickets handed out by the 50 or so Aetos auxiliary police officers, who have been hitting the roads since April, said the Traffic Police yesterday. Other violations include stopping beyond stop lines, remaining in yellow boxes and failing to give way to pedestrians.

Auxiliary police officers do not have the same powers as the Traffic Police — they cannot catch speedsters, for instance — but can help tackle other routine violations, such as jaywalking, cycling on the pedestrian footway and heavy vehicles entering restricted zones.

Each day, at least nine auxiliary police officers arm themselves with video cameras and cover between 15 and 20 locations about which they have received complaints.

When TODAY trailed one such officer yesterday morning, for example, six heavy vehicles were spotted in the span of 45 minutes entering a residential area along West Coast Way that prohibits vehicles exceeding 2,500kg in unladen weight.

Later, four drivers were caught on camera beating the red light within two hours at West Coast Road.

At a media briefing yesterday, Superintendent of Police Choy Chan Hoe, who is the Commanding Officer of the Traffic Police’s Patrol Unit, said the deployment of auxiliary police officers enhances the Traffic Police’s presence on the roads.

The objective is to encourage road users to abide by road traffic rules and adopt safe driving habits at all times.

Supt Choy added: “We hope that the enhanced presence will prevent and deter motorists committing traffic offences, and make the road safer for everyone.”

Asked if more auxiliary police officers will be deployed, or whether the one-year contract with Aetos will be extended, Supt Choy said the current numbers are sufficient, but a review will be done after the contract expires. He added that the Traffic Police is looking to grow the number of its patrol officers, from close to 200 to 210 by the end of the year.