From enhancing airport immigration lanes to stepping up police recruitment - the Ministry of Home Affairs will roll out new measures for Home Team to deal with increasing security challenges.
SINGAPORE: With the threat of a terror attack on Singapore at its highest in recent times, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) outlined three key areas in which Singapore's counter-terrorism strategy will be enhanced:
Speaking at the Committee of Supply debate on Wednesday (April 6), Mr Shanmugam highlighted that demands on Singapore’s Home Team - comprising the Singapore Police Force (SPF), Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and others - have grown significantly over recent years, due to factors like an aging population; rising traveller and cargo volumes at checkpoints; new manifestations of crime such as in cyberspace and increased public expectations.
- Improving protective security measures for buildings and premises, including expanding the video camera network
- Enhancing security response capabilities in event of an armed attack
- Strengthening community response through a new national movement called SG Secure
"So we are certainly not in an ideal situation... But we will do our best to ensure safety and security outcomes remain good. We need a new operating model, to enhance our operational effectiveness and manage our workload," said Mr Shanmugam.
BETTER USE OF TECHNOLOGY
To this end, Home Team will transform its operating model to adopt a data-driven, tiered and differentiated frontline approach, the Home Affairs Minister said. This entails using data analytics to anticipate where safety and security emergencies might take place, and “intelligently” deploying resources to these hotspots.
Technology will play an essential role here, with police implementing a new PolCam 2.0 programme to install video cameras at public areas in HDB estates, such as town centres, neighbourhood centres, and pedestrian walkways.
Additionally, all motorcycle counters at land checkpoints will be equipped with automated clearance facilities by year-end, and the upcoming Changi Airport Terminal 4 will have enhanced automated immigration lanes with biometric checks and centralised arrival and departure immigration halls.
The Home Team will also use all intelligence and investigation tools available, said Mr Shanmugam.
“We will have to make better use of available data, for example public transport video cameras and Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) systems, these contain important data that can be vital to our safety and security,” he said.
“We had initially taken the position that some of these data would not be used. But in this changed security environment, the Home Team must be able to collect and analyse suspicious travel patterns and respond swiftly and decisively for our collective security. If we don't rely on existing data, then we have to spend taxpayers' money to redo the entire infrastucture."
IMPORTANCE OF MANPOWER
Noting that such technology and systems must be paired with competent personnel, Mr Shanmugam announced that SPF will step up recruitment this year to build the new ERTs and bolster the existing Special Operations Command (SOC). This is crucial even as the nation faces a manpower crunch with fewer youths entering the workforce each year, he said, adding that "if we don't, we take unacceptable risks".
The police will also revamp its scheme of service to both attract the young as well as retain its best. This will see SPF replacing its current system of separate structures for junior and senior officers - where only graduates can hold ranks starting from Inspector - with a unified scheme to provide seamless advancement opportunities up the ranks for good diploma holders, said Mr Shanmugam.
SPF will also introduce new career developmental pathways for officers with specialised skills in investigation, intelligence and special operations. These changes will be progressively extended to the rest of the Home Team departments, with more details to be announced at the Police Workplan Seminar later this month.
Home Team will also increasingly draw on its ranks of National Servicemen (NSmen), deploying more of them along with Full-Time National Servicemen (NSFs) to frontline positions, leadership roles, and specialist positions, according to Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs Amrin Amin.
SPF will call on both NSFs and NSmen to set up a new Protective Security Command (ProCom), which will protect critical infrastructure in national emergency situations, and oversee protective security functions during peacetime. SCDF, meanwhile, has already established new positions at its Marine Command to enable deployment of NSmen in daily operations as part of In-Camp Training.
“Our fight is against extremism and violence, not against any particular religion,” said Mr Shanmugam. “We must take a collective stand against those who threaten our harmony and way of life, and do all we can to protect the multi-racial and multi-religious soul of Singapore.”
- CNA/jo
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