Public safety & law

• Hazel Poa asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs if it had received any representations from the United States concerning an American citizen imprisoned for nine weeks in October 2024 for National Service defaulting offences.
• The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Vivian Balakrishnan, responded with a single word: "No," indicating no such representations had been received.
• The debate concluded without further discussion, as the answer provided was direct and did not elaborate on potential future actions or considerations.

• Ms Carrie Tan sought clarity on when police arrest youths below 14 for physical assault and bullying, the guidelines for police intervention in schools based on harm severity, and how cases are assigned between police and schools to inform parents on recourse.
• Minister K Shanmugam explained that police collaborate with the Ministry of Education, balancing punishment and rehabilitation for young offenders, with police investigating egregious cases after consulting the Attorney-General’s Chambers based on facts like harm extent and deterrence needs.
• Non-egregious cases are handled by schools through investigations, disciplinary actions, and counselling, with teachers using education and restorative efforts to guide offending students.
• Parents are advised to report incidents to schools, which treat all reports seriously and will involve police for egregious cases, ensuring appropriate action and awareness of recourse channels.

• The 995 and 999 hotlines are served by multiple Singtel exchanges but lack hot-swappable backup to other telcos, as confirmed by the Minister for Home Affairs.
• During the Singtel disruption, emergency hotlines remained partially operational, and the public was directed to use SMS and the SGSecure app as alternatives.
• Authorities are conducting a comprehensive review with IMDA to assess enhanced resiliency measures, including possible multi-telco diversity for emergency hotlines.

• The legislative changes passed in 2019 to include youths aged 16 and 17 in the juvenile justice system have not yet been implemented due to necessary infrastructure and program enhancements.
• The implementation requires upgrading facilities to safely accommodate a 40% increase in youths while preserving the rehabilitation environment for younger detainees.
• New and adapted rehabilitation, educational, and vocational programs are being developed to meet the distinct needs of older youths, involving collaboration across multiple ministries and agencies.
• The government expects these preparations to be completed and the legislative changes to take effect in early 2025.

• Assoc Prof Razwana Begum Abdul Rahim asked the Minister for Home Affairs for the number of individual assistance requests received by redesigned, unmanned Neighbourhood Police Posts over the last 12 months.
• The Minister for Home Affairs, K Shanmugam, responded that the Police do not track this specific data.
• The debate centered on the lack of quantitative reporting for community police post interactions.

• Sylvia Lim asked the Minister for Home Affairs for the average annual number of foreigners who remain in Singapore illegally after their visit passes expire over the past two years, and the total number of overstayers not yet arrested.
• The Minister responded that an average of 450 overstayers were arrested each year in the past two years, with about 270 being holders of Short-Term or Long-Term Visit Passes.
• An estimated 500 to 600 overstayers have not been arrested, representing less than 0.001% of annual visitor arrivals; some stay inadvertently while others do so intentionally, such as to seek employment.
• Arresting overstayers immediately is challenging if they change their contact details or addresses, but the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority continues rigorous enforcement checks and collaborates with agencies like the Singapore Police Force.
• The overall situation is kept under control through ongoing efforts to detect and arrest overstayers.

• The Prime Minister’s office confirmed that the prosecution has filed Notices of Appeal regarding the court’s judgment in PP v Pek Lian Guan and Pay Teow Heng.
• The government cannot provide further details on disciplinary action against the two CPIB officers because the matter remains sub judice.
• The government did not commit to a review of the statement-taking process in the response.

• The Land Transport Authority will use existing road-facing cameras on buses to detect vehicles encroaching on bus lanes, illegal parking, and road defects for operational efficiency and safety, not for general surveillance.
• The LTA has no plans to use video footage to identify faces and link them to the NRIC database, and any government agency access to data must follow prevailing laws and security guidelines.
• Existing cameras on public buses are intended to support passenger safety and incident investigations, with data usage subject to safeguards to protect individual privacy.

• The Ministry of National Development, through NParks, is reviewing the Animals and Birds Act to strengthen penalties for animal cruelty, including examining higher fines and jail terms.
• The review will involve public and stakeholder consultations and studying penalties in other developed countries for comparison.
• Specific timelines for implementing changes will be shared once the review is finalized.

• The Inter-Ministry Committee (IMC) on Drug Prevention for Youths has appointed over 1,000 DrugFreeSG Champions and equipped them to spread anti-drug messages in their communities.
• It launched a Drug Victims Remembrance Day in May 2024, followed by roving exhibitions across eight locations, attracting over 35,000 attendees.
• The IMC ensures that all students, institute of higher learning attendees, and full-time National Servicemen receive preventive drug education at least once a year.
• The Ministry of Home Affairs plans to provide another update on the IMC’s work at the 2025 Committee of Supply debate.

• Joan Pereira asked if holistic measures—psychological, financial, and social support—are provided to families and friends of self-radicalised youths even after the youths’ release from detention.
• The Minister stated that an Internal Security Department aftercare officer is assigned to families to provide social support and work with community partners for financial aid when needed.
• Families also receive religious counselling, psychological support, and rehabilitation initiatives, with examples including cyber-wellness programmes for youths and their parents.
• Friends of such youths can seek psychological or social support through their schools.
• The measures extend beyond detention, aiming to support both families and friends of self-radicalised youths.

• The Bill amends the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act to expand Singapore’s international criminal cooperation, including allowing evidence to be taken for foreign investigations before proceedings commence and broadening the scope of property that can be frozen or seized.
• It updates the Trustees Act to strengthen anti-money laundering measures by requiring trustees to collect more information, increasing fines for non-compliance, and granting the Commissioner of Trust Enforcement investigative powers.
• Ministers emphasized robust safeguards in the law to balance international cooperation with privacy and property rights, including refusal grounds, judicial oversight, and requirements for foreign undertakings on data use.
• Members raised concerns about privacy, data protection, and safeguards against unjust foreign confiscation orders, with the Minister assuring that existing mechanisms and amendments provide sufficient protections.
• The Bill aligns with international standards, supports Singapore’s role as a trusted financial hub, and was passed with broad support after addressing clarifications from Members.

• The bill aims to protect individuals from remote scams by empowering specified officers to issue temporary restriction orders to banks, prohibiting certain transactions and credit facilities.
• The Minister of State for Home Affairs, Ms Sun Xueling, presented the bill on behalf of the Minister for Home Affairs, marking its first reading in Parliament.
• The bill is scheduled for a second reading at the next available parliamentary sitting and will be printed for further consideration.

• The Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill aims to amend the Road Traffic Act 1961 and the Motor Vehicles (Third-Party Risks and Compensation) Act 1960, while repealing the School Crossing Patrols Act 1955.
• The bill was presented by the Minister of State for Home Affairs (Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim) on behalf of the Minister for Home Affairs.
• The bill underwent its First Reading and was scheduled for a Second Reading at the next available Parliament sitting, with proceedings to be printed.

• The Minister of State for Transport outlined that three recent oil spill incidents in Singapore waters were unrelated and varied in scale and cause, with agencies responding in a coordinated and swift manner through measures such as dispersant spraying, boom deployment, and the use of drones and satellite imagery for monitoring.
• No immediate environmental impacts on marine ecosystems, fisheries, or seawater quality were observed from the October incidents, and no oil reached recreational beaches; investigations are ongoing, with enforcement actions to be taken if lapses are found, as seen in the June incident where crew members were charged.
• The government maintains a robust oil spill response system involving multiple agencies and industry partners, conducts regular exercises to refine contingency plans, and enhances safety measures for bunkering and industrial facilities, while acknowledging that complete elimination of spill risks is not possible in a major hub port like Singapore.

Dr. Wan Rizal asked about measures to combat cyberbullying among youths and the Ministry's collaboration with digital platforms for online safety. Mrs. Josephine Teo emphasized the government's commitment to addressing online harms, including cyberbullying, through regulations such as the Online Safety Code, which mandates designated social media services to enhance safety measures for children. The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) monitors compliance of these platforms and requires them to report on their efforts to combat harmful content. Victims of cyberbullying can seek protection orders under the Protection from Harassment Act, and the government plans to introduce new legislation for stronger support for victims.

Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Minister for Home Affairs about the tracking of road traffic accident locations in Singapore and the possibility of publishing a database for research and advocacy. K Shanmugam confirmed that the Traffic Police records locations of accidents that involve injuries and fatalities, which are used for enforcement and infrastructure assessments. The Land Transport Authority already publishes a list of high accident locations under the Black Spot Programme, where safety measures are implemented.

Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Minister for Home Affairs about the number of people punished for specific breaches of the Road Traffic (Pedestrian Crossings) Rules over the last five years and the range of punishments received. K Shanmugam provided data indicating that motorists caught violating these rules may receive a warning or a composition sum between $100 and $250, depending on the offence. Additionally, Rule 6 offenders can incur four to six demerit points based on their vehicle type.

Nadia Ahmad Samdin raised concerns about rising illegal moneylending cases affecting foreign domestic workers and inquired about actions against illegal moneylenders and support for affected Singaporeans. K Shanmugam referenced a prior response from May 2024 detailing efforts to address unlicensed moneylending targeting foreign domestic workers. He advised that individuals experiencing harassment from unlicensed moneylenders should report to the Police or call 999 for immediate assistance, assuring that the Police will take strong enforcement action against offenders.

Hazel Poa requested data from the Minister for Home Affairs on the annual number of arrests and police reports regarding violent offences, broken down by minors and non-minors, over the last five years. K Shanmugam explained the definitions of violent offences and provided tables with statistics for arrests and police reports concerning these offences from 2019 to 2023. He noted that both the number of arrests for violent offences and the related police reports have been consistently decreasing since 2019.