Debated in Parliament on 16 May 2014.
We have built up a strong record for safety and security in Singapore over the decades. To continue having a safe and secure home in the face of new security challenges, the Home Team will adapt its strategies, invest in new capabilities, further develop the potential of Home Team officers and foster even stronger community partnerships.
Terrorism remains a concern, both globally and regionally. The withdrawal of coalition forces from Afghanistan by end-2014, and the instability in Syria, the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Gulf, are potential breeding grounds for Al Qaeda and its affiliates as well as new terrorist groups. Jihadi elements remain active in our region. Self-radicalisation is a concern, given the widespread availability of radical material on the Internet.
Another challenge is cybersecurity. Countries around the world are still trying to keep pace with the threat of cyber-attacks, which can include the disruption of web services, stealing of information and crippling of critical systems. Criminals are also exploiting the anonymity of the Internet and its growing use to prey on the vulnerable.
Crime has become increasingly cross-boundary, taking advantage of easier transportation and Internet connectivity. We have to respond resolutely to these new developments with greater international cooperation and monitoring and control of cross-border movements and transactions. This is especially so for organised crimes, such as money laundering, illegal moneylending or match-fixing, which have taken on a cross-boundary dimension.
Drug abuse continues to be of concern, particularly among youths and repeat drug abusers, with an increasing trend of abuse of methamphetamine or ice. This is exacerbated by the worsening regional drug situation. We remain committed to our zero-tolerance approach towards drug abuse.
The Home Team will adopt a proactive and comprehensive approach to meet the emerging challenges and keep Singapore safe and secure for the future.
The Singapore Police Force (SPF's) Community Policing System (COPS) seeks to increase community engagement and enhance Police presence to prevent and deter crime. COPS will be introduced to all Neighbourhood Police Centres by 2015. Apart from being ready to fight fires and enforcing current fire regulations, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) will review, update and formulate fire safety requirements for new building materials, MRT
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stations and high-rise buildings and the licensing and inspection regime for the storage of petroleum and flammable materials.
To tackle the drug problem holistically, SPF and the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) will build on their public education and community engagement initiatives to reach out to young people on the dangers of drugs and to stay away from crime, and work with the Singapore Prison Service (SPS) on rehabilitation programmes.
To deter re-offending, SPS will strengthen its throughcare system, starting from when offenders are incarcerated, and extending to aftercare, through the Conditional Remission System and the Mandatory Aftercare Scheme. The more structured aftercare with closer supervision will facilitate the reintegration of ex-inmates into society. We will deploy tagging devices with real-time island-wide automatic reporting capabilities to monitor suitable persons under supervision. This will ensure public safety while providing more options for offender rehabilitation and reintegration in the community setting.
To ensure that our legislative and policy levers remain effective to deal with emerging challenges, such as transnational and organised crime, we will introduce an Organised Crime Act to deal decisively with crime syndicates. We will also introduce legislation to regulate remote gambling, and provide inputs and support for the Private Member's Bill on the prevention of human trafficking.
The Home Team will also leverage on our international networks to help deal with the increasingly transnational nature of criminal activities. The INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation (IGCI), which will be operational in Singapore in 2014, will greatly increase opportunities for collaboration with police forces internationally and support operations and investigations against trans-border crime. The INTERPOL Digital Crime Centre in the IGCI will also facilitate the development of capabilities to address cybercrime.
We will invest in new capabilities to support our new strategies and expand our ability to respond to the wide spectrum of threats the Home Team has to deal with.
We will provide better coverage and response. SPF will establish a new Divisional Headquarters in Woodlands and two Neighbourhood Police Centres at Geylang and Bartley. SPF will also revamp Neighbourhood Police Posts to provide round-the-clock electronic services to the community. SCDF will have new fire stations at Sentosa, Kallang and Jurong and a new marine fire station at Tanah Merah.
We will sharpen our sense-making capabilities to better anticipate and handle incidents. MHA and the Economic Development Board (EDB) have partnered several industry consortia
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and Government agencies to prototype solutions that integrate information and derive analytical insights. This helps to improve situational awareness, interagency coordination and anticipation of security threats while optimising the use of manpower.
We will make use of new communications, imaging and mobile computing technology to enhance our Command, Control and Communications (C3) capability to facilitate the daily work of Home Team officers. This will also enable ground commanders to strengthen incident management, optimise resource deployment and facilitate operational decision-making. SPF's upcoming CUBICON 2 system will interface with SCDF's newly commissioned Advanced C3 Emergency System (ACES).
The use of Police Cameras in HDB estates has proven to be useful in deterring and solving crimes, including bringing unlicensed moneylending under control. Police Cameras will be installed in all HDB blocks by 2016. SPF will pilot the use of body-worn cameras, as police forces in other jurisdictions have found them useful in deterring crime, calming rowdy members of the public and providing valuable investigative leads. SPF will also use footage from cameras in fast response cars to provide better situational awareness to its operations rooms and help in post-incident investigation. The Traffic Police will progressively deploy digital speed cameras and red light cameras to help keep our roads safe.
We will invest in new equipment to help our officers do their work better. The Police Coast Guard will acquire new patrol and interdiction boats to augment its capabilities to secure our maritime borders. SCDF is acquiring unmanned fire-fighting machines for use in complex and dangerous situations, and enhanced personnel decontamination vehicles to strengthen its capability to deal with incidents involving hazardous materials.
The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) will introduce the next generation of biometric passports in the next few years. These next generation passports will have additional security features to improve the security, convenience and ease of cross-border travel for Singaporeans. ICA will also expand the use of biometrics and automation to clear travellers through our checkpoints more quickly, without compromising security.
We will invest in the continual training of our officers, including Full-time National Servicemen (NSFs) and Operationally-Ready National Servicemen (NSmen). We will raise the professionalism and deepen specialisation within the Home Team, especially in core areas, such as operations, investigations and intelligence. This will provide officers at all levels with meaningful and satisfying careers to attract and retain good officers. We have raised the retirement age for Home Team officers to retain valuable experience and expertise in our officer corps.
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The Home Team Academy is updating the curriculum for the Home Team milestone development courses to prepare our officers to work together to tackle the evolving and complex environment facing the Home Team. We will also train and equip our officers to respond to a wide spectrum of operational situations. For example, SCDF provides safe and realistic simulator training to challenge frontline commanders and hone their command and control skills. The development of the Home Team Tactical Centre will facilitate the training and integration of our tactical and emergency response forces.
Our community partners and volunteers complement the work of the Home Team in areas, such as emergency preparedness, community policing and reintegration of ex-offenders, including programmes like the Yellow Ribbon Project. They thus play an integral role in keeping Singapore and Singaporeans safe and secure. We will put in place a training and development framework to provide volunteers with the necessary skills and support.
Building on this strong community support, we will strengthen our outreach to the community. For example, SCDF will engage and develop children and youth as lifelong advocates of Emergency Preparedness by expanding its Lionhearters Programme. SCDF will also broaden the coverage of its Civil Defence (CD) Ready programmes from schools and homes to workplaces.
We will also leverage on resources already available in the community to serve Singaporeans better. For example, we will work with community partners to install Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), train volunteers and develop mobile applications to locate community first responders. This will help to improve emergency medical response. SPF has made improvements to its electronic Police centre and will develop new mobile platforms to facilitate crime reporting.
The Home Team will adapt and evolve to meet the challenges of a very dynamic operating environment. We will continue to develop our officers, strengthen integration within the Home Team and build even stronger community partnerships. By working together with the community, we will keep Singapore safe and secure for all Singaporeans.
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