Meet the Bulgarian volunteer who has patrolled S’pore’s streets for years, fixing issues with a hands-on approach

Volunteer in Singapore patrols streets to repair or report issues and hazards, hoping to inspire youth

Having lived here for 17 years, Zhivko Girginov is no stranger to Singapore’s complaint culture.

In an exclusive with MS News, Mr Girginov observed that locals tend to complain about “almost everything, including very minor issues”.

So instead of simply airing his grievances on a Facebook complaint group, the Bulgarian has taken a more hands-on approach to addressing everyday problems.

For example, he can be found sticking high-visibility tape around sharp points of metal drain covers along Sims Avenue to help prevent passers-by from getting hurt.

This way, cyclists could notice it and avoid having their tyres punctured.

Volunteer project began with clearing abandoned bike-sharing vehicles

Mr Girginov, who works in the education sector, adopts a hands-on approach when it comes to dealing with minor public problems in Singapore.

In 2017, he founded the Volunteer Bike Patrol during the initial boom period for bike-sharing services in Singapore.

Bikes were being thrown everywhere — blocking paths, damaged, abandoned, even thrown into drains, canals and in the sea waters — and after some time people were beginning to accept the disorder as something normal.

Mr Girginov brought up the Broken Windows theory, which proposes that people would become used to visible signs of neglect, leading to further disorder.

As such, he began to patrol for abandoned bicycles to clear from the streets.

Volunteer patrols streets with hands-on approach to solving issues

The patrol evolved into the Volunteer Community Patrol (VCP), which has a broader scope.

Mr Girginov described VCP as an independent grassroots volunteer initiative.

Volunteers walk around in public areas and look for issues such as safety hazards, damaged objects, obstructions, and more.

He claimed that VCP’s distinguishing factor from other groups is the hands-on approach.

We do not only raise awareness or report issues. If something is minor, safe, lawful and within our capability, we may take a simple practical action ourselves.

One example came from a patrol on 23 Sept.

Mr Girginov found a public sign along Tanjong Katong Road which had fallen over onto the grass due to snapped legs.

He placed it back upright using zip ties to ensure it did not fall over again.

More serious hazards reported to the authorities

“If it is more serious, technical or potentially dangerous, we report or escalate it to the relevant authority,” he explained.

On the same patrol last month, Mr Girginov came across concrete steps near Block 410 Eunos Road 5 which had badly cracked.

The significant damage posed a trip hazard for elderly residents or anyone who did not notice it.

Such an issue would (clearly) require more than just zip ties. So Mr Girginov opted to make a OneService report instead.

Participation on the patrols is informal and entirely voluntary.

Typically, Mr Girginov patrols by himself, but one or two others would join in now and then.

VCP volunteers do not receive pay, but he provides them with bottled water and items such as gloves and plastic bags.

The patrols are not on a fixed schedule, and have been reduced of late due to the haze.

Girginov warns against taking Singapore’s efficiency for granted

But what exactly motivates someone to spend hours walking around in Singapore’s hot climate to look for issues to fix?

Having lived here for so many years, Mr Girginov felt that Singapore has a complaint culture even for very minor issues.

“What I find less constructive is when the first response is to post a complaint online and wait for it to attract enough attention that the media eventually picks it up,” he explained.

Instead, he encouraged people to assess the issue they see and think about the “most useful” response.

Sometimes that meant reporting it yourself or performing a small action. And sometimes, he said, it meant recognising that the “problem” may not be important enough to be an issue.

Singapore functions very efficiently, life here is so safe and convenient, but I think it is important not to take that for granted.

Volunteer hopes to inspire youth to solve issues they find in the streets

Mr Girginov asserted his view that societies should not depend solely on the government or enforcement from above.

Rather, communities should have a degree of self-regulation from within.

He hopes to inspire Singapore’s youth to understand that they can benefit the community through their own small actions.

“It can begin with noticing what is around you and doing something useful and responsible about it,” he said.

As shown on their Facebook, VCP patrol actions can be as simple as tidying up a flag.

Happy that VCP volunteers are role models for children

After years of patrol, members of the public have even started recognising Mr Girginov and the VCP volunteers.

He told MS News that people initially assumed they were a government service.

Mr Girginov clarified that VCP is not meant to be a policing or security force in the community, which people eventually realised.

We quite often get smiles, thumbs-up or short words of encouragement from people passing by.

His favourite reactions are when parents point out the efforts to their children, saying: “Look, they are volunteers, they are doing this without being paid. You can do it one day too.”

Also read: S’pore student rallies peers to volunteer after starting a lemonade stand for migrant workers at age 5

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Featured image adapted from Volunteer Community Patrol on Facebook and courtesy of Zhivko Girginov.