Public safety & law

The Minister for Home Affairs, K Shanmugam, addressed Singapore’s evolving drug control policies, emphasizing their necessity and effectiveness amidst global drug challenges. He outlined the severe impacts of drug trafficking in various regions, including rising violence and societal decay in countries that have softened their drug laws, contrasting that with Singapore's strict approach, including the death penalty for traffickers, which serves as a deterrent. Shanmugam highlighted strong public support for these policies, citing recent surveys that show increasing approval for the death penalty, while also introducing new initiatives aimed at youth drug prevention and education. He expressed a commitment to combat misinformation that undermines these policies and announced legislative measures to address abuses in the legal process surrounding capital cases.

• Dennis Tan Lip Fong questioned how the Singapore Land Authority tracks vehicles with lapsed road tax and prevents their use on the roads.
• The Land Transport Authority conducts regular patrols and operations to impound unlicensed vehicles with lapsed road tax.
• Violators face penalties under the Road Traffic Act, including fines of up to $2,000 or three times the tax owed if evasion is proven.

• Christopher de Souza asked about the investigation process for domestic worker employment disputes to ensure employers have a fair chance to explain their side.
• The Ministry of Manpower stated it investigates all cases thoroughly, impartially, and fairly by speaking to both the worker and employer and reviewing evidence like CCTV or witness accounts.
• Follow-up actions depend on the evidence, such as referring abuse cases to the police or prosecuting and blacklisting workers who provide false information.

• The Ministry has been collaborating with telcos since 2019 to block calls that spoof local numbers, but scammers have shifted tactics by using illicitly obtained local SIM cards that display local numbers without the "+65" prefix, which are not spoofed calls.
• New legislation passed in April 2024 makes it an offense for individuals to allow irresponsible registration or misuse of local SIM cards for scams, with penalties including fines up to $10,000 or imprisonment up to three years, or both.
• IMDA has tightened SIM card registration and imposed limits, allowing a maximum of 10 postpaid SIM cards per subscriber to curb bulk purchases for fraudulent use while accommodating legitimate needs.
• These measures form part of a multi-pronged strategy to combat scams, with continued monitoring and readiness to further tighten safeguards as needed.

• The Ministry of Education (MOE) was notified by Mobile Guardian on 17 April about unauthorized access to its management portal, which exposed names, email addresses, school names, and user roles of about 67,000 parents and 22,000 school staff, but the portal could not change device configurations and was not connected to MOE or government systems.
• MOE, with support from the Cyber Security Agency and GovTech, investigated the incident, found no compromise of its own systems, and proactively communicated with affected users on 19 April to warn of potential phishing or scams while lodging a police report.
• MOE has expressed dissatisfaction with Mobile Guardian, required it to appoint a forensic investigator to review its systems and processes, and will take appropriate actions if contractual obligations are breached.
• MOE ensures IT vendors are certified (e.g., Mobile Guardian holds ISO27001) and conducts independent audits and regular cybersecurity testing, while emphasizing user education and vigilance to maintain system security.
• Policy reviews are underway to strengthen governance of third-party service providers, enhance incident response strategies, and improve transparency and communication with parents and the public regarding data security measures.

• Ms He Ting Ru asked for the number of enforcement actions taken against drivers who fail to slow down at pedestrian crossings over the last five years and whether the Ministry is studying measures to reduce related accidents.
• The Minister for Home Affairs provided the requested data in a table and noted that the Traffic Police collaborate with the Land Transport Authority on road safety improvements, including infrastructure, public education, and enforcement.
• The Minister referenced prior parliamentary replies on 7 May 2024 for details on measures to improve road safety and increase penalties following recent fatal accidents.

• Saktiandi Supaat asked about the expenses incurred to preserve assets seized in a major anti-money laundering operation in August 2023 and how these costs would be covered.
• K Shanmugam responded that expenses include storage, maintenance, safeguarding of properties, vehicles, and luxury items, with about $646,282 incurred by Police as of March 2024.
• He explained these expenses are borne by the state and covered by forfeited cash and proceeds from the sale of forfeited non-cash assets, which are channeled to the state.

• Miss Cheryl Chan inquired about developing a culture of responsible road use across age groups and creating platforms or incentives to promote road safety.
• Minister K Shanmugam stated that her questions were addressed in a previous parliamentary reply from May 7, 2024, regarding road safety measures and increased penalties.
• The debate highlighted the government's prior focus on improving road safety through legislative and penalty enhancements.
• The response emphasized referencing existing official reports rather than introducing new initiatives in this session.
• The exchange underscored the ongoing parliamentary attention to road safety but did not yield new policy directions in this debate.

• The Prime Minister emphasized that SMEs must adopt proactive cybersecurity measures such as using the SG Cyber Safe Programme, anti-virus software, and the ScamShield app to protect against internet crimes and scams.
• Insurance is currently not an effective solution for covering losses from internet crimes and scams due to the difficulty in quantifying risks and the exclusion of losses from contributory negligence.
• Public vigilance and education are critical, with SMEs encouraged to subscribe to the Singapore Police Force's scams bulletin to stay updated on the latest scam typologies.
• The government will continue to strengthen public education and collaborate with stakeholders to enhance protection against internet crimes and scams.
• The pipeline of Singaporean actuaries managing such risks was not directly addressed in the response.

• The Ministry of Home Affairs has introduced the Transaction Safety Ratings (TSR) to evaluate e-commerce platforms on their anti-scam measures and worked with industry stakeholders to update national standards for better merchant authenticity and transaction security.
• The Ministry is actively engaging Meta on the Online Criminal Harms Act and upcoming Codes of Practice, warning that it will take action against providers that fail to comply with requirements to protect users from scams.
• The co-location of Carousell and Shopee staff at the Anti-Scam Command has improved real-time scam account screening, faster takedowns, and collaboration, with plans to engage more platforms and possibly mandate similar arrangements.

• Murali Pillai proposed expanding a digital sharing platform similar to MAS’s COSMIC to gatekeepers like law firms and accountants to better detect financial crimes and protect Singapore’s reputation.
• Lawrence Wong explained that COSMIC is currently designed for banks to share information and disrupt financial crime, with strong safeguards for confidentiality and a phased rollout starting with six major banks.
• The government will focus on implementing COSMIC within the banking sector first, learn from its operation, and then consider extending the model to other sectors like law and accounting firms if feasible.

• Mr Lim Biow Chuan asked the Minister for Home Affairs about the number of fire incidents caused by over-charging of PMD batteries in the last 12 months.
• Minister K Shanmugam responded that 18 fires involving PMDs occurred between April 2023 and March 2024.
• The Singapore Civil Defence Force does not track how many of these fires were specifically due to over-charging of PMD batteries.

• Mr Gan Thiam Poh proposed that the Anti-Scam Centre (ASC) be empowered as a one-stop centre for scam victims to inform all banks to freeze their accounts to prevent further losses.
• The Minister for Home Affairs, K Shanmugam, explained that the ASC focuses on tracing and freezing scammers' accounts, contacting other potential victims, and working with telecoms and social media platforms to disrupt scam operations.
• The Minister noted that the ASC also flags victims' accounts to banks for follow-up, which may include freezing, but stressed that victims should not rely solely on the Police and should contact their banks directly or use the banks' emergency "kill switch" immediately.

• The government clarified that recent briefings to international banks were part of routine, decades-long engagements to explain policies, address concerns, and gather feedback on topics like geopolitics, domestic issues, and money laundering cases.
• The Financial Times article claiming "unusual" briefings was dismissed as poorly sourced, with the government noting that such engagements are publicised and conducted with various groups, not just banks.
• The Inter-Ministerial Committee plans to provide an update in the coming months on findings regarding potential tightening of anti-money laundering regulations and sentencing guidelines.

• Ms He Ting Ru asked if the Government would require social media platforms to collect real names from individuals or businesses publishing ads to help scam investigations.
• The Ministry of Home Affairs will introduce binding Codes of Practice under the Online Criminal Harms Act this year.
• These codes will require designated online services, including social media platforms, to verify the identities of users who publish advertisements.
• The measure aims to deter scammers from exploiting social media platforms and assist police in scam investigations.

• Joan Pereira proposed setting up a permanent facility with simulated exercises to educate Singaporean travellers on safety steps and emergency responses for overseas situations like natural disasters or terror attacks.
• K Shanmugam highlighted existing initiatives like the Emergency Preparedness Centre, which uses interactive exhibits to teach the public about natural disasters and terror threats, and the Responders Plus Programme that offers online and in-person life-saving skills training.
• The Singapore Civil Defence Force also provides resources such as the Civil Defence Emergency Handbook and the SGSecure website, which offer guidelines on handling various emergencies, including protocols like "Run, Hide, Tell" for terror threats.

• The Ministry of Manpower conducts targeted inspections of high-risk workplaces and has found three employers breaching the mandatory 10-minute rest break rule, issuing fines and requiring compliance.
• Employers are required to implement on-site measures such as rescheduling work, providing shade, ensuring hydration, and training workers to recognize heat stress symptoms.
• MOM and the Workplace Safety and Health Council recommend using technologies like WBGT meters, real-time monitors, and wearables to improve compliance and protect workers from heat stress.

• Mark Lee inquired about a rise in harassment of employers by moneylenders linked to migrant domestic workers' love scams and debts, and what measures protect employers from such harassment.
• K Shanmugam confirmed increased reports of harassment by unlicensed moneylenders involving migrant domestic workers as borrowers, but noted the police do not track whether employers are harassed parties.
• The Ministry of Home Affairs enforces strict penalties under the Moneylenders Act, with fines up to $50,000 and imprisonment up to five years for harassers, and conducted 12 major operations in 2023 leading to over 850 arrests.
• The Ministry of Manpower educates migrant domestic workers on the risks of borrowing from unlicensed moneylenders, including work pass revocation, through programs like the Settling-in Programme to promote financial management and seeking help from employers or agencies.

• Dr Tan Wu Meng inquired whether LTA uses data analytics, including AI, to identify roads and junctions with higher risks of vehicle collisions and pedestrian accidents, and if it considers traffic police data, near-miss reports, and public feedback.
• LTA confirmed it uses various data sources like traffic police reports and public feedback for road safety assessments, leading to tailored enhancements such as Red-Amber-Green arrows, traffic calming measures, and additional crossings.
• LTA introduces about 1,000 road safety measures yearly, including Silver Zones and Friendly Streets with lower speed limits, to specifically reduce pedestrian accident risks and fatalities.

• Police and SCDF collaborate with religious organizations in the Safety and Security Watch Group to conduct security surveys, share best practices, and run training and exercises like the 2019 counter-terrorism drill at Sultan Mosque.
• Through SGSecure, the police and MCCY organize seminars for religious groups to share best practices on security, resilience, and emergency planning, including a seminar in October 2023 with over 120 participants.
• MCCY’s Crisis Preparedness programme provides advisory booklets and self-assessment checklists to help religious organizations identify threats and improve crisis response, with regular training conducted with police and partners.
• Police increase patrols and security measures around places of worship when specific threats or elevated security concerns are identified.