K Shanmugam
Singapore
“Bank accounts are frozen when there is reason to suspect that the bank accounts are involved in illicit activities, including money laundering activities.”
“The Singapore Police Force does not track the requested data. Distinguishing artificial intelligence (AI)-generated content typically requires more detailed forensic examination which may not be necessary in every investigation and may also not be conclusive as to whether AI-generative tools were used.”
“The Building and Construction Authority’s Code on Accessibility provides baseline requirements for accessible and inclusive buildings. It stipulates a minimum width of 1.5 metres or 1.8 metres for primary accessible routes, depending on the building type.”
“The Road Traffic (Motor Vehicles, Driving Licence) Rules under the Road Traffic Act set out the scope of the medical assessment required for motorists aged 65 and above who wish to retain their driving licences.”
“When a Police report has been made, the Police will investigate to determine if a criminal offence has been committed. If there is reasonable suspicion that a case is scam-related, the Police can direct online service providers to restrict Singapore users' access to the relevant online activity under the Online Criminal Harms Act.”
“Through intelligence sharing and coordinated enforcement actions, the cross-border operation disrupted a transnational drug trafficking syndicate and downstream drug trafficking activities, with the UK arresting seven persons so far and further investigations underway.”
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“The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) is working with community partners and residents' networks to install AEDs in landed estates. Today, AEDs have been installed in 13 landed estates, and we intend to extend this to more estates over time. Community organisations that wish to install AEDs in their estates can approach SCDF, and SCDF will work with the relevant agencies to facilitate as far as possible.”
“In this case, the lapse arose because two officers, who were under pressure, did not follow the operating procedure. It was a serious breach, and it resulted in a tragic outcome. The Police will learn from this and reinforce procedures and training for its officers.”
“Specialised training is provided to FVT officers to equip them with the knowledge and skillsets to handle these cases, such as how to engage the victims sensitively, as well as on working with other agencies. In particular, when the Police come across a case of suspected child abuse, or when MSF receives an urgent report on high-risk cases through their National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment Hotline, the Police will work with MSF Protective Service for safety planning and social intervention for the family and child. This may include the activation of MSF's Domestic Violence Emergency Response Team (DVERT), a round-the-clock service launched in 2023 to provide immediate help to high-risk domestic violence cases with immediate safety concerns. DVERT officers would respond on-site to conduct a professional assessment and make urgent arrangements for the victims to be relocated or placed in alternative care for their safety, if necessary. DVERT officers are also empowered under the Women's Charter to issue Emergency Orders at the scene, and to provide immediate safety for the victim. To strengthen IOs' efficiency and supervisory capabilities, the Police has also harnessed technology for the review of cases. They have implemented technological solutions to trigger automatic notifications to IOs and their supervisors to complete time-sensitive tasks promptly. Our frontline Police officers bear a heavy responsibility to protect lives. They take this responsibility seriously and perform their duties with commitment and professionalism. The demands on our Police officers continue to increase. They often have to make difficult judgement calls every day in the course of their duties. When under pressure, mistakes can happen.”
“For missing person reports, the Police have established procedures to guide the follow-up. Specifically, the Police accord priority to missing vulnerable persons as they may be at higher risk, regardless of the duration they have been missing. This includes young children. Cases of missing vulnerable persons are escalated to the regular case review sessions with supervisors for monitoring and guidance. It is standard procedure for the Police to work with other Government agencies to locate missing persons, including sharing the data of the missing persons. Where necessary, the Police may also issue appeals for information to seek the public's assistance. The Police do not track the duration taken to close a case. There are many factors that can affect the length of an investigation. This includes the wide range of offences with varying complexities, as well as the need to work with different partners as part of the investigation process. There are internal controls in place to ensure that cases are followed up promptly. These include a daily case review process for supervisors to provide guidance on the cases, and multiple levels of supervision and regular checks throughout the investigation. But the Police continue to strengthen these processes and systems. In particular, the Police have made several enhancements. In 2022, they introduced the Family Violence Training Package for all frontline and investigation officers to adopt a sensitive approach to family violence cases, including child abuse cases, and to recognise and escalate high-risk cases to the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF). In 2023, the Police formed Family Violence Teams (FVTs) at all Land Divisions to give focus to family violence cases, including child abuse cases.”
“I will answer together, Parliamentary Questions No 26 and 27 filed by Mr Jackson Lam and Mr Gabriel Lam on today's Order Paper. My reply will also cover questions for written answer filed by Ms Valerie Lee and Ms Diana Pang for today's Sitting. Megan Khung's case was a tragedy. Minister Desmond Lee has earlier set out the Government's views on it. In 2020, after Megan's death was uncovered, the Police reviewed their handling of the case. There were two rounds of Police reports filed. The first report was made in January 2020 by Megan's grandmother. Further Police reports were made in July 2020, by Megan's grandmother and father. The Investigation Officer (IO) who dealt with the first Police report, and her supervisor, failed to follow Police's procedures to escalate the case to the regular case review sessions for monitoring and guidance. The IO had assessed this as a case of child discipline with low safety concerns, based on the information that she was presented with at that time. Following the report, the IO attempted to contact Megan's mother over the next two weeks but could not reach her. She did not follow up beyond that because she was then deployed for COVID-19 related duties. Despite this, the case would normally have been followed up if the IO and her supervisor had escalated the case to the regular case review sessions in the first place. The subsequent Police reports concerning Megan were referred to the regular case review sessions. This eventually led to the discovery of Megan's death and arrest of the perpetrators. Police commenced internal investigations once the case came to light in 2020 and disciplined both the IO and her supervisor. The IO resigned subsequently. The review panel corroborated these findings.”
“The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) clears about 650,000 travellers daily across all the checkpoints. ICA's primary role is to check that visitors have valid travel documents and are not otherwise debarred from entering Singapore. ICA also conducts further checks, based on risk assessments, to identify travellers who may pose risks related to, for example, terrorism, trafficking in contraband, the commission of criminal offences, and so on. If ICA knows or has reason to believe that any travellers intend to work in Singapore illegally, they will be refused entry. Actual cases of illegal freelancing work in Singapore are dealt with by the Ministry of Manpower. Persons who engage in such work will be repatriated and debarred from returning to Singapore.”
“Thus, it is always a constant effort to maintain security.”
“The Ministry of Home Affairs coordinates and advises various agencies on how they should address threats posed by unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) across the island. Responsible agencies are required to detect, identify and neutralise unauthorised UAS activities which pose a threat to aviation or public safety and security, including at Changi and Seletar Airports. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and the Changi Airport Group (CAG) have direct responsibility for the safety and security of Changi and Seletar Airport operations. The airports take a multi-layered approach. First, there are upstream measures, such as a 5-kilometre No-Fly Zone around Singapore's aerodromes. Second, in-situ counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS) have been deployed at Changi and Seletar Airports by CAAS and CAG. These systems are capable of detecting, tracking and neutralising unauthorised UAS. Third, there are established inter-agency protocols for incident response to C-UAS threats near the airports, including those launched from offshore waters, involving CAAS, the Singapore Police Force, the Singapore Armed Forces and the Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore. These protocols are exercised regularly. Police frontline officers are trained and equipped with handheld jammers, to neutralise unauthorised UAS. This includes officers who are part of the Strategic Location Response deployment, which was announced earlier in June. They are able to respond more swiftly to public security incidents, including UAS incidents near the airports. Members will appreciate that while these measures have been put in place, there are always risks arising from human agency; and technology is constantly evolving. Those with bad intentions also access the latest technology.”
“To enable the Government to deal more effectively with criminal online activities, including the circulation of obscene materials involving minors on private messaging platforms, the Online Criminal Harms Act (OCHA) was introduced in 2023. Under OCHA, the Government can issue directions to online service providers, including private messaging platforms, to prevent such materials from being accessed by Singapore users. The Government can also require information from the online service providers to facilitate investigations and criminal proceedings. The Ministry of Digital Development and Information and the Ministry of Law have tabled the Online Safety (Relief and Accountability) Bill, which will further enhance online safety for Singapore users. Under the Bill, a new Online Safety Commission (OSC) will be established to support victims of specified online harms, including minors, to seek timely relief from perpetrators and platforms. These harms include intimate image abuse and image-based child abuse. If a report is made by the victim, OSC can issue directions to stop the circulation of such materials.”
“Trafficking in Persons (TIP) is generally categorised into sex trafficking and labour trafficking. In 2024, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) investigated 40 alleged TIP cases for potential sex trafficking offences and five for labour trafficking offences, involving a total of 53 victims. None of the victims involved in these cases were linked to recruitment for overseas scam-related activities. The authorities are looking into a Singapore-registered company in relation to recruitment for scam-related activities overseas. We are unable to provide further details at this juncture as investigations are ongoing.”
“It is already an offence under the Public Order Act 2009 for a person to organise or participate in a public assembly within a prohibited area. The Istana and the immediate area around it are gazetted as a prohibited area. Prohibited areas are published in the Schedule of the Public Order (Prohibited Areas) Order 2009. This law applies regardless of the number of persons involved.”
“The Traffic Police has been reviewing this and will announce the details shortly.”
“The Member may refer to the response to Question No 97, which was delivered on 15 October 2025. [Please refer to "Recruitment of Money Mules by Criminal Syndicates", Official Report, 15 October 2025, Vol 96, Issue 8, Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer not Answered by End of Question Time section.]”
“In the past 24 months, there was one case of misuse of firearms by a Police Officer, and three cases by Auxiliary Police Officers (APOs). The Police Officer involved was a Full-Time National Serviceman. Investigations are ongoing for this case. The three APOs have been charged. The Ministry of Home Affairs has put in place several measures to manage the risks. All Police officers and APOs need to undergo security vetting before employment. Officers need to be trained and certified to be competent on a yearly basis before they can draw firearms for duty. They may be barred from carrying firearms if they are assessed to be unfit to carry firearms, for whatever reasons. Firearms for the Police and the Auxiliary Police Forces are kept in secure armouries, and subject to rigorous processes for their issuance and return. For example, there are systems to verify the identity of the officers drawing the firearms, confirm that they are authorised to carry firearms for that particular deployment and track the timely return of the firearms after the deployment. Periodic checks and audits are also carried out.”
“On 1 October 2025, a Sri Lankan student was sentenced to three months and two weeks' imprisonment and fined $1,100, for relinquishing control of her bank account to scammers. Her bank account was found to have received almost $18,000 in scam proceeds, most of which were from fake bulk order scams. The accused claimed that she faced financial difficulties, and online "friends" had given her an unknown person's details to whom she could sell her bank account. The accused had made the acquaintance of these "friends" online but had never met them in person. The Police were unable to identify these individuals from the information provided by the accused. The Police will take tough enforcement action against anyone who facilitates scams, including middlemen who help scammers recruit money mules. Depending on the facts of the case, such middlemen may face imprisonment terms of up to 10 years, a fine of up to $500,000, or both.”
“Trafficking in Persons (TIP) is generally categorised into sex trafficking and labour trafficking. Over the past five years, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) has investigated 59 alleged sex trafficking cases involving children under the age of 18 under the Prevention of Human Trafficking Act (PHTA), the Penal Code 1871, the Women's Charter 1961 or the Children and Young Persons Act 1993. Of these cases, 34 cases proceeded to prosecution, of which: (a) 27 concluded with convictions, while (b) the remaining seven are under or pending Court proceedings. The other 25 cases are either: (a) still under investigation; (b) concluded and the perpetrators received stern warnings or composition fines; or (c) concluded and no further actions were taken against the initial suspects. There were no reported cases of labour trafficking involving a child during this period. There were also no reported cases of trafficked children under the Adoption of Children Act 2022 during this period.”
“Overt and covert cameras serve different purposes. Overt cameras achieve specific deterrence against speeding in areas where there are higher risks of accidents. Covert cameras achieve general deterrence and reinforce safe driving behaviour. As these cameras are not substitutes one for the other, the research that the Member suggested may not be useful.”
“The Member may refer to the response to Question No 97, which was delivered on 15 October 2025. [Please refer to "Recruitment of Money Mules by Criminal Syndicates", Official Report, 15 October 2025, Vol 96, Issue 8, Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer not Answered by End of Question Time section.]”
“The capital sentence of death imposed on Datchinamurthy a/l Kataiah (Datchinamurthy) was scheduled to be carried out on 25 September 2025. Datchinamurthy's family was notified of the execution date in advance and was allowed to visit him daily, and for an extended period at each visit. In the late evening of 24 September 2025, the Singapore Prison Service (SPS) was informed that clemency petitions were submitted to the President on behalf of Datchinamurthy. SPS informed Datchinamurthy and his family accordingly. On 25 September 2025, SPS was informed by the President’s Office that the petitions were duly considered and rejected by the President. SPS conveyed the outcome to Datchinamurthy and his family. The sentence was subsequently carried out in the afternoon of 25 September 2025, in accordance with the law and as directed by the Court.”
“The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) ambulances require a minimum clearance height of 3.0 metres. Many private residential basement carparks are built up to only 2.2 metres. In such cases, the ambulance crew will request the condominium management or security officers to provide access through alternative routes. In most of the cases, the ambulance crew had been able to get to the patients in a timely manner. In March 2024, SCDF and the Building and Construction Authority issued a joint advisory on ambulance access to buildings to the building industry. This included raising the clearance height for ambulance access to a minimum of 3.0 metres.”
“Scam victims who request for psychological support or are assessed to suffer from acute psychological distress will be referred by the Investigation Officer to the Victim Care Cadre Programme. Under the programme, trained Victim Care Officers (VCOs) provide psychological first aid to the victims. The VCOs may also refer the victims to community and professional resources for longer-term psychological support.”
“Since 2022, the Government has offered consular assistance to nine Singaporeans upon receiving information that they might have been exploited in overseas scam centres. Only three of them accepted the Government's offer, including facilitating their return to Singapore and issuing the necessary travel documents to do so. In all of these cases, there was insufficient evidence to conclude the Singaporeans had been held captive and exploited by overseas scam syndicates.”
“These include in-house psychological services, peer support programmes where they can speak to fellow officers trained as para-counsellors, a 24/7 helpline managed in-house by our psychologists and para-counsellors, as well as external agency-administered psychological services. Officers who require psychological assistance are given prompt attention. In October every year, a month-long campaign is organised to raise awareness of the importance of mental health and self-care. This is to sensitise the officers to common mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and suicide, and the helplines that are available. There are regular staff engagement channels and pulse surveys where officers can give feedback and raise issues faced in the workplace. The SPF takes staff feedback and concerns very seriously. Within the APFs, APOs are provided with various avenues of support for their mental health as well. These include mental wellness briefings and training sessions, employee assistance programmes, supervisor and peer support networks, self-help resources and access to professional counselling services.”
“During recruitment and enlistment, Police Officers, which include Full-time Police National Servicemen and Auxiliary Police Officers (APOs) undergo security screening and medical evaluation. Psychological assessment is also conducted for Police Officers and most APOs, including those from Certis Cisco, AETOS and SATS. Those who need to carry firearms have to undergo firearms proficiency training and pass an annual shooting test. After recruitment and enlistment, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the Auxiliary Police Forces (APFs) continually observe and evaluate the officers' continued suitability to carry firearms. For example, supervisors monitor the well-being of their officers. Those who are suspected to be suffering from psychological distress will not be allowed to draw firearms. They will be redeployed to duties that do not require them to carry firearms. The SPF places strong emphasis on the mental well-being of its officers. It has a Psychological Fitness Training Framework which maps out specific psychological fitness competencies for officers in their respective roles and guides their psychological fitness training. For example, resilience and stress management training are provided to all new officers and include detection of personal distress and suicide prevention. Officers also attend workshops and courses on how to cope and adapt when dealing with operational and work stresses. Supervisors are trained to identify and support officers who need help. All Police Officers have access to a wide range of psychological support.”
“Caning is applicable for the trafficking of controlled drugs listed under the Misuse of Drugs Act, regardless of how the drug is trafficked. Importation or sale of e-vaporisers does not attract caning if there is no controlled drug involved. Under section 325 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC), men who are more than 50 years of age and women are exempted from caning. Juveniles who are sentenced to imprisonment are liable for caning, subject to specific provisions in the CPC. Criminal syndicates will indeed exploit anyone willing to further their criminal enterprise. For offenders who are exempt from caning, the CPC empowers the Courts to impose an additional imprisonment term of up to 12 months to ensure that the overall sentence is still sufficiently punitive and deterrent.”
“The Ministry of Home Affairs does not track data on which incidents of knife crime involved offenders with mental health issues. We take all knife crimes very seriously. We have put in place upstream legal levers to regulate and limit the sale of certain types of knives that have limited legitimate use, such as flick knives and switchblades, under the Guns, Explosives and Weapons Control Act 2021. In addition, carrying offensive weapons, such as knives, in public places without lawful authority or purpose is a serious offence and offenders face imprisonment and caning upon conviction. When there is an incident of a knife crime with the threat of violence, the Police are trained and equipped to effectively neutralise the threat and arrest the offender. For such offenders with mental health issues, depending on the circumstances, the Police may subsequently bring them to a medical practitioner to receive treatment. This is to help address the underlying mental health issues that may have caused such offenders to commit the knife crime. Alternatively, the Police may refer the person to Community Outreach Teams, also known as CREST, which are set up by the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC), or to AIC itself. CREST or AIC will refer the case to appropriate mental health service providers.”
“Singapore's fire safety regulations are benchmarked to international standards and best practices, and we also take into account their cost-effectiveness. We thank the Member for his suggestion and will consider it.”
“Carousell and Facebook Marketplace have consistently received poor ratings since the Transaction Safety Ratings (TSR) was introduced in 2022. Both platforms are designated under the E-Commerce Code of the Online Criminal Harms Act (OCHA), which legally requires them to comply with prescribed measures to better protect their users against scams. For example, both platforms implemented enhanced user verification measures in 2024. Thereafter, e-commerce scams on Carousell decreased by 11% between June and December 2024, while those on Facebook Marketplace decreased by 55% between May and November 2024. The Ministry of Home Affairs continues to work Meta and Carousell on additional anti-scam safeguards and will use legal levers where necessary. While regulatory measures can reduce the risk of scams to some extent, consumers are urged to always exercise care and vigilance when transacting on e-commerce platforms, particularly those with poor TSR ratings.”
“We have explained previously in Parliament that we do not provide data on the number of new Citizens and Permanent Residents by specific countries of origin because this can create bilateral sensitivities and is not in our national interest. Our position has not changed.”
“The offence of driving under the influence of drugs carries the same penalties as drink-driving. Offenders will face additional penalties for drug consumption. We review our penalties periodically and will consider the Member's suggestion in due course.”
“From 2020 to 2024, about 7% of Long-Term Visit Pass (LTVP)/ Long-Term Visit Pass Plus (LTVP+) applications were rejected. Grant of LTVP/ LTVP+ (these are granted to foreigners) are evaluated on a range of criteria. The Ministry has in the past said that it is not in the public interest to reveal the detailed criteria to prevent attempts to game the system.”
“The number of speeding violations broken down by vehicle types for 2024 are as follows: The Traffic Police does not track the lane in which the vehicles were speeding, or the reasons for speeding. However, offenders often cite the lack of awareness of the speed limit or of the speed at which they were travelling and urgency to reach appointments. Foreign-registered vehicles with outstanding vehicular-related fines may be denied entry into Singapore by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority until their composition sums or Court fines are paid.”
“The Ministry does not have estimates of under-reporting. Our national anti-scam campaign, "I can ACT (Add, Check, Tell) against scams", advises members of the public to lodge a Police report if they have been scammed. We have also included this advice in the anti-scam resource guide that the Police have been disseminating to all households since July 2025.”
“When the Police receive reports involving attempted suicide, they will dispatch the nearest available resource, with the aim of responding within 15 minutes. They do not track the number of such activations. All frontline Police Officers are trained to handle a wide range of incidents, including attempted suicide. Officers also undergo a Mental Health Awareness Course, developed by the Agency of Integrated Care, to help them understand the signs and symptoms of various mental health conditions and how to engage persons with such conditions. Where necessary, the officers will activate additional resources, such as the Singapore Civil Defence Force's Disaster Assistance and Rescue Teams (DART) and the Police's Crisis Negotiation Unit (CNU). DART is specially trained for complex rescue operations, including cases of attempted suicide at height. CNU has Police Officers and psychologists who are specially trained to engage individuals in crisis situations. The Police also have established protocols for referring attempted suicide cases to mental health professionals. For example, the Institute of Mental Health's (IMH's) Crisis Response Team is a joint initiative by IMH, the Police and the Ministry of Health, to support Police Officers with immediate assessments to determine the appropriate interventions. In cases where psychiatric support is needed, the individuals may be conveyed to IMH.”
“The Police do not keep data on cases involving individuals who were tricked into helping scammers. Starting this month, the Government is implementing a new facility restriction framework, which restricts scam mules’ access to facilities including financial, telecommunications, and Singpass services, which can be exploited to facilitate more scams. This will apply to mules who have been warned, issued with composition sums, prosecuted, or convicted of mule-related offences, as well as individuals under investigation for mule-related offences who are assessed to be at risk of further facilitating scams. The Police will lift these restrictions when they are no longer required or if these individuals are acquitted in court. Individuals subject to banking restrictions will still have access to basic banking facilities and can continue to receive incoming payments, including salaries and government benefits. They may also visit a bank branch to withdraw or transfer money. Individuals who believe they have been wrongfully subject to such restrictions may appeal to the Police.”
“My reply will also address the Parliamentary Questions on the facility restriction framework for scam mules, filed by Mr Dennis Tan and Mr Cai Yinzhou for a Sitting on or after 16 October. [Please refer to "Data on Scam Mule Investigations from January to June 2025 and Interim Support Measures for Unknowing Victims", Official Report, 4 November 2025, Vol 96, Issue 9, Written Answers to Questions section; and "Follow-up Actions to Rectify Restrictions for Persons Acquitted as Scam Mules", Official Report, 4 November 2025, Vol 96, Issue 9, Written Answers to Questions section.] Scammers pay mules to provide facilities such as bank accounts, phone lines and Singpass accounts, which they use to commit scams and launder the proceeds. Recruitment is typically done through online messaging and social media platforms. The Police work closely with online platforms to detect and take down accounts and advertisements which are being used for such purposes. The Ministry of Home Affairs has been taking a tough stance against mules. We have introduced offences targeted at mules who relinquish their bank accounts, SIM cards and Singpass credentials, to scammers. In the first half of 2025, the Police investigated over 3,500 money mules and scammers, of whom more than 500 have already been charged. The Police have no intention of charging individuals who were genuinely tricked into providing facilities to scammers. The Police investigate scam cases comprehensively and will consider if the suspects were tricked into helping the scammers. The Attorney-General's Chambers will also carefully assess the cases, to determine whether the evidential threshold of the offence is met, and whether it would be in the public interest to prosecute the individual.”
“For instance, the Racial and Religious Harmony Circles strengthen intercultural and inter-religious understanding in our communities through community celebrations, dialogues and learning journeys. Following the Al-Istiqamah Mosque incident, leaders of various faith communities made statements condemning the incident and expressing solidarity with the Muslim community. Members of the Serangoon Harmony Circle gathered to show support for their Muslim neighbours. In a statement, they reminded us that "an attack on one religion is an attack on us all". It should not be taken for granted, and we must continue to work at it; that our various communities come together, and stand shoulder to shoulder, whenever one of us faces problems, gives us a measure of confidence in the resilience of our society to threats to our racial and religious harmony.”
“My reply will address Mr Zhulkarnain's question on measures to deter incidents that may provoke racial or religious disharmony. I believe the Member has asked his question with the Al-Istiqamah Mosque incident in mind. This is the case where a 61-year-old Chinese man was charged in Court on 27 September 2025 for allegedly having sent pieces of pork by mail to several mosques. The Ministry of Home Affairs takes a very serious view of incidents that threaten Singapore's racial or religious harmony. We have a robust legal framework that sets clear boundaries of unacceptable conduct. This includes the Penal Code, the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act and the Maintenance of Racial Harmony Act. If we receive specific information on threats linked to places of worship, the Police will take appropriate action, including investigations and stepping up security measures such as the frequency of patrols in the vicinity of the place of worship. In the last two years, the Police had investigated into about 25 cases of race- and religion-related offences annually. Upstream, as part of the SGSecure movement, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth works with the Police and other partners to strengthen religious organisations' crisis response capabilities. At the community level, the Police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force also work with the Safety and Security Watch Group, which includes religious organisations, to conduct security surveys, share best practices and deliver training on building safety and security awareness. That said, the social harmony we enjoy today is a result of not just our strict laws and enforcement, but also our policies and programmes to expand the common space.”
“For example, the National Steering Committee on Racial and Religious Harmony brings together apex religious leaders. Similarly, the Racial and Religious Harmony Circles supports inter-faith and inter-ethnic initiatives, such as cross-cultural dialogues, across different constituencies.”
“Different segments of our society may feel differently about, and identify with different sides in external developments and conflicts. Nevertheless, we assess that racial and religious relations in Singapore remain generally healthy, but we do not take this for granted. The Israel-Hamas conflict, in particular, is an issue that many Singaporeans across racial and religious groups feel strongly about. While all of us share a deep concern about the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza, there are differing and strong opinions on blame and how to move things forward for Israel and Palestine. This is why the Government has taken a careful approach in managing public discussions, to avoid polarisation of our society on the issue and damage to our cohesion and harmony. While developments, including political violence in the United States (US), have not divided Singaporeans, it is still of concern, because all of us consume a large amount of news from overseas, including the US. If we are not careful, over time, what we see happening elsewhere can become normalised here, and seep into our DNA and political discourse. We could then see similar sharp and uncompromising divides among Singaporeans over politics. That is why the Government takes every threat to our social cohesion seriously, whether from abroad or local. There are provisions in the Penal Code, Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act, Maintenance of Racial Harmony Act, Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act, Online Criminal Harms Act and Broadcasting Act to help us manage such threats. The Government also works actively to strengthen our social harmony by building trust and understanding across our racial and religious communities.”
“Facebook is the top platform used by scammers to approach victims in cases involving the impersonation of Government office holders. The Singapore Police Force (SPF) has issued an Implementation Directive to Meta, requiring it to enhance its measures to stop and prevent the publication of photos and videos of key Government office holders used in scam advertisements, remove accounts, profiles and business pages that impersonate these office holders, and prioritise the review of end user reports from Singapore on such advertisements, accounts, profiles and pages. The Ministry of Home Affairs and SPF will also work with Meta to leverage its global impersonation protection measures to support other influential public figures in Singapore who may be at risk of being impersonated by scammers. We will also consider imposing similar requirements on other online platforms depending on the scam situation.”
“Under section 10A of the Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA), it is an offence to manufacture, supply, possess, import or export any equipment to be used to manufacture a controlled drug. Offenders can face imprisonment for up to 20 years or a fine of up to $200,000 or both. This is regardless of how the equipment is designed or how the controlled drugs are mixed. Under section 24 of the MDA, Central Narcotics Bureau officers are empowered to seize any item, including equipment and tools, that are used to commit an MDA offence, or if they contain or constitute evidence of such an offence. We assess that there is no need to review the penalties or powers of seizure, for now.”
“We have focused on providing early warning of a fire to the occupants of individual flats via the installation of individual home fire alarm devices (HFADs). We do not see a need for block-wide central fire alarm systems for two reasons: First, a block-wide evacuation is seldom required. When responding to a high-rise residential fire, the Singapore Civil Defence Force typically only evacuates occupants on the floor affected by the fire, as well as those residing in the two floors above. This is because HDB blocks are designed such that each HDB flat is a fire compartment, to reduce the spread of fire. Second, common activities such as cooking or fogging could trigger a central fire alarm system. Over time, this may drive unintended but dangerous behaviours among the residents, such as disconnecting the HFAD from the central fire alarm system, or having them removed altogether, or even disregarding the alarms.”
“The Police follow up when vulnerable persons, which include young children, are reported missing or at risk of self-harm, and aim to arrive at the incident location within 15 minutes of the report. Other agencies, such as the Singapore Civil Defence Force, could also be activated to provide medical and operational assistance. On the Member's question on the use of technology, when Police receive reports on missing persons, for example, they will review relevant closed-circuit television footages where they are available. Where the Police are able to identify a likely location, they may also deploy other resources for the search, including drones. In cases where the family provides consent to release the details of the missing person, the Police may issue appeals for information online to seek the public's assistance. Our frontline Police Officers are trained to handle incidents involving attempted suicide and persons experiencing trauma. Among others, the training covers trauma-informed interaction to build trust and safety, which is crucial when dealing with vulnerable persons.”
“A prisoner awaiting capital punishment (PACP) will be scheduled for execution when he has exhausted all legal channels in relation to his conviction and sentence. Previously, if a petition for clemency is submitted, the PACP and his family would receive both the notification of the outcome of the petition from the President's Office, and the notification of the execution date from the Singapore Prison Service, at the same time. Since the completion of the review, the Ministry of Home Affairs has ensured that as long as the clemency petition is received in a timely manner following the conclusion of all legal proceedings in relation to his conviction and sentence, the PACP will receive notification of the outcome of the consideration for clemency some time prior to the notification of the execution date if the petition is unsuccessful.”
“The current driving licence visual requirements do not include a test for night blindness. However, applicants must declare whether they suffer from any disease or physical disability such that their driving may endanger the public. This includes night blindness if it significantly impairs the applicant's driving ability. False declaration is an offence. Where such declarations are made, the applicant will not be granted a licence, unless they undergo a medical test to demonstrate his or her fitness or ability to drive. We assess that the current regime for new licence applications is adequate.”
“[Please refer to "Public Education Campaign to Address Fire Incidents in HDB Flats", Official Report, 23 September 2025, Vol 96, Issue 3, Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer not Answered by End of Question Time section; and "Evacuation Procedures for High-rise Fires in Older HDB Blocks", Official Report, 24 September 2025, Vol 96, Issue 4, Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer not Answered by End of Question Time section.]”
“When responding to a high-rise fire, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) prioritises the evacuation of occupants on the floor affected by the fire and generally those residing in the two floors above. As every residential unit is designed as a fire compartment to prevent the spread of fire to adjacent units, residents on the other floors should remain in their units, and will only be evacuated if SCDF assesses that it is necessary. Super high-rise residential buildings that are over 40 storeys are designed with refuge floors at intervals of not more than 20 storeys. These serve as a safe holding area so that residents do not have to travel many floors down to leave the building in case of a fire. Seniors and residents with mobility impairments who cannot evacuate independently should stay within their units in a safe room, close the door, inform the authorities about their location, and await assistance for evacuation. This approach is aligned with international best practices and seeks to minimise injuries or mishaps that may result from the self-evacuation of less mobile residents. Community support for these residents, particularly prior to the arrival of the authorities, can also make a difference. In this regard, the SCDF worked with the Jalan Besar Group Representation Constituency grassroots organisations to launch "Fire Safety Kakis", on 1 March 2025. This is a community volunteer initiative to help evacuate the elderly and vulnerable in the event of a fire in their home or block. The Member may refer to similar Parliamentary Questions filed for the Sittings on 23 and 24 September 2025 for his queries on community fire drills and evacuation chairs respectively.”
“There are several channels that the public can use to report suspected drug activity to the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB). For emergencies, the public may call 999 or the CNB's 24-hour hotline at 1800-325-6666. Non-urgent matters can be reported through the CNB website at https://eservices.cnb.gov.sg/feedback. CNB will consider the Member's suggestion.”
“The Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA) criminalises the manufacture, supply, possession, import and export of equipment, materials or substances used for manufacturing controlled drugs. We do not criminalise the manufacturing of drug delivery systems, since paraphernalia that are misused for drug abuse could have legitimate uses. For example, syringes are used in medical settings. We assess that the current provisions are adequate and it is not necessary to align the penalties between the MDA and the Guns, Explosives and Weapons Control Act 2021.”