Teo Chee Hean
Singapore
“The second point first, Mr Speaker. Certainly, it could have been a factor. But to the Panel which reviewed the thing, it was not an acceptable excuse or reason. The agencies still have to be responsible for what they are doing, whatever season of the year it is.”
“On the balance in ACRA, I would not say it is a conflict, but you have to strike the right balance between the functions that ACRA is meant to provide, which is to have a registry which promotes corporate transparency, and you have to balance that against how you protect personal data.”
“That means, if you do find a bug or you do find a way in which you can penetrate a Government system, you let us know, and there is a bounty for it. And this is evergreen. But we also do, from time to time, have a hunting season. So, for certain of our systems, we invite white hatters to attack those systems.”
“Then, he asked when the political office holders got involved in the public communications on the Bizfile portal issue. They got involved, I think, almost as soon as it became apparent that there was public anxiety. Next question about paragraph 40 and the email to senior officers, yes, the July 2024 CM was emailed to officers.”
“In fact, we monitor the dark web for a variety of things, including this, and we have not seen any sale of NRIC numbers as such. On the question of collection and use of NRIC numbers, actually, in the communication with the Government agencies, I think it is important to know who you are communicating with.”
“So, you actually make your email address available to others. But for authentication purposes, it is quite different. You do not tell your password to others. That is something which you keep for yourself and your email service provider knows. So, there is a difference between an identifier and an authentication.”
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“As far as I know, Madam, the MFA officers are neutral unless Mrs Chiam has some other person in mind.”
“We also need Singaporeans themselves to take a step forward to exercise their right to vote by coming to the polling stations either in Singapore if they are close by, or to the ones which are closest to them. We have made registration for them much easier already. Overall Population Management”
“Mdm Chair, the issue of improving access to overseas voting has been raised before at previous parliamentary sessions. The selection of overseas polling stations takes into account several factors. First, there should be a significant number of Singaporeans living in that city and country. Second, the city must have Singapore Government managed facilities which enable the officials to exercise control to ensure that the voting process is carried out in a proper and orderly manner and the integrity of the process is safeguarded. Third, in order to ensure that we are able to optimise our limited resources, the city or country should not be so nearby that Singaporeans can travel back to Singapore to vote on polling day with relative ease. Based on these considerations, the cities where we can site overseas polling stations are those where we have consulates or missions with sufficient mission staff to manage the overseas polls. At the last General and Presidential Elections in 2011, we had nine overseas polling stations where overseas Singaporeans could vote. The list of overseas polling stations is reviewed regularly and the Elections Department has recently announced a new overseas polling station in Dubai to serve overseas Singaporeans in the Middle East region. Eligible overseas Singaporeans can register as an overseas elector or change their assigned overseas polling station online via the Elections Department website with SingPass authentication. 2.00 pm We need a balance here. We extend overseas voting by this system to many Singaporeans who are overseas and who want to vote.”
“Mdm Chairperson, perhaps there were too many numbers. I will read them again for the benefit of Ms Lim. Over the last 10 years, manpower in the Home Team has grown from about 19,300 to 24,700. That is more than 5,000 officers over the last 10 years, and we will continue to grow these numbers. Over the next five years, we will add another 2,000 officers to the Home Team across all the Home Team agencies. These include uniformed officers as well as non-uniformed officers. On the checkpoints review, yes, they have completed the review and submitted the report to me. The report is an internal report because it covers many security-related issues, which are not appropriate to put out in public.”
“Page: 25 Mr Arthur Fong, Dr Janil Puthucheary and Ms Tin Pei Ling have asked for an update on how we have progressed with policing within the community. Madam, may I have your permission to show some slides on the LED screens?”
“The Second Minister for Home Affairs (Mr S Iswaran): Mdm Chair, I thank Members for their questions and suggestions pertaining to the work of the Home Team. Deputy Prime Minister Teo has laid out the overall strategy of MHA and I will now elaborate on some of our specific efforts to fight crime and ensure the safety of our neighbourhoods. The crime rate in Singapore remains low, but as we have noted, overall crime in 2014 increased by 7.4%. This increase was largely due to cybercrimes, such as cheating involving e-commerce. The threat is not unique to us. Cybercrime is rising fast around the world in tandem with the widening reach of the Internet, more interactions and transactions taking place online, and the growing sophistication of criminal organisations. It is a timely reminder that we cannot take the safety and security that we have for granted. As our environment changes, new threats and needs will emerge and we must be prepared to invest resources and efforts to build capacity and respond effectively. As Deputy Prime Minister has explained, there is a limit to how much we can grow the manpower of the Home Team. So, it is essential that our Police and other Home Team officers are trained for and deployed in roles that optimise their impact on the ground. It is equally important that we use technology as a force multiplier and strengthen our community partnerships to complement the work of our officers. Enhancing our capabilities, harnessing technology and working with the community – these are the key elements for our strategy to tackle current and emerging threats to our law and order. It also underpins our community policing strategy.”
“Senior Minister of State Masagos will say more about the major initiatives we are introducing for community partners to help save lives in a medical emergency, using both technology available today, as well as using people who want to be our partners. As we prepare ourselves for the future, we must also recognise and honour our Pioneers who built a strong foundation for the Home Team. Over the past 50 years, our Home Team Pioneers have tackled serious security challenges, including terrorist acts, subversion, secret societies, major crimes, riots, drugs and major civil disasters and fires. They showed courage and determination and risked their lives to maintain Singapore's peace Page: 24 and security, and to strengthen our national unity and social harmony. We want to pass on the values and ethos of our Pioneers to inspire new generations of Home Team officers. For this, we will be honouring our Home Team Pioneers, who embodied the spirit of pride, service, sacrifice and duty in their service to Singapore, with a special "Tribute to Home Team Pioneers" consisting of an exhibition and reception for our Pioneers in May this year. This highlight is part of a series of Home Team SG50 events, culminating in the Home Team Festival in November. Mdm Chairperson, safety and security have been the foundation of our social stability and economic progress. The Home Team will continue to build on the strong foundation laid by our Pioneers. We will make timely investments to build a capable and future-ready Home Team, with committed and well-trained officers, who effectively use systems and technology, and take our partnership with the community to the next level. Through this inclusive and comprehensive approach, we can build a safe and secure home together.”
“We will better organise, facilitate and support these community efforts, through programmes and platforms that, for example, encourage crowdsourcing. Technology can help us to do so in a sustainable and scalable manner. Beyond the PolCams that we have in all 10,000 HDB blocks and multistorey carparks, there are already some five million smartphone cameras in our own pockets and almost a million vehicles on the road, with an increasing number of them with cameras installed. The Police will take a major step to improve its existing platforms for members of the public to send in videos on traffic violations and crime-related information. This will also be a critical source of information should there be a major incident, such as after the 2013 Boston Marathon bomb attacks when Boston police made good use of videos from the public. Second Minister Iswaran will elaborate on this later. We will also invest resources to make it easier for community responders to help. If someone has a cardiac arrest, there is no one who can provide help faster than the person who is right next to him. Swift and effective CPR from bystanders can significantly increase the victim's chances of survival. Since May 2012, SCDF's 995 emergency line has medical dispatchers and nurses to coach emergency callers over the phone to administer CPR for cardiac arrest victims in what are often the crucial minutes before medical assistance arrives. With telephone assistance, the proportion of cardiac arrest victims who received CPR from bystanders has more than doubled from 22% in 2011 to 47% in 2014.”
“This will make it easier, facilitate departure for visitors and Singaporeans and also help us save on manpower. To handle the higher traveller volume at Woodlands Checkpoint, ICA will also operate 10 more car counters at the Old Woodlands Checkpoint by 2016. This is on top of the 40 car counters already at Woodlands Checkpoint and up to 20 additional car counters at Old Woodlands Checkpoint that currently operate during peak periods, Sundays and public holidays. We are also studying the medium- to long-term infrastructure needs at Woodlands Checkpoint and the new transit links across the Johor Straits. MHA will also invest in our marine capabilities to safeguard our shores. More sea- and land-based barriers will be deployed to harden Singapore's coastline. We will equip Police Coast Guard with better surveillance and interception capabilities to deny intrusion and disable vessels carrying out illegal activities. MHA will also integrate the Police Coast Guard, ICA and SCDF marine command bases for better coordinated response to marine safety and security threats. Page: 23 12.15 pm Madam, the community plays a major role in keeping Singapore safe and secure. This includes building resilience to counter radicalisation and withstand any terrorist incident, fighting crime, helping youths in befriender programmes, keeping our roads safe, supporting the reintegration of ex-offenders, reducing the risks of fires, and responding to fire and medical emergencies. Many people have volunteered their time, contributed ideas, initiated programmes, responded to emergencies and reported crimes. And we thank every one of them for their help. We intend to build on this strong foundation of community involvement and take our community partnerships to the next level.”
“More than 1,000 additional CCTV cameras will be installed at both checkpoints by June 2017 for greater coverage. These cameras will be connected to a video analytics system to enhance the identification of vehicles and security threats, such as intrusions and unattended baggage. Other measures, such as double drop-arm barriers at the vehicle counters, crash-rated vehicle security barriers, anti-climb fences and anti-crash walls, will be implemented in phases over the next three years to minimise disruptions to the continuing checkpoint operations. Madam, these initiatives form part of our overall strategy to use technology to keep our checkpoints secure, while facilitating timely clearance in the face of growing traveller and cargo volumes and, indeed, the growing security challenge. All 164 motorcycle counters at Woodlands and Tuas Checkpoints will be automated by end-2016 compared to the 43 automated ones currently. These automated counters speed up motorcycle immigration clearance by up to 30% and help reduce congestion for all users of the checkpoints. Automation will also allow ICA to re-deploy officers to other critical tasks, such as screening travellers who may have a high-risk profile. To further improve immigration clearance and border security, from April 2015, ICA will conduct a trial at Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal to capture the fingerprints of all arriving persons. The fingerprints are used to verify the traveller's identity before he is allowed entry to Singapore and will facilitate automated self-clearance during his departure from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal. If the trial is successful, ICA will implement this system progressively at other checkpoints.”
“The new Police command and control system, together with the new Police Operations Command Centre, commenced operations in November 2014. We will continue to improve and integrate our command-and-control systems so that we can build a consolidated situation picture and help our ground officers and our frontline officers when they are sent to the scene, to respond more quickly, precisely and effectively. Footages from Police Cameras installed at the void decks of HDB blocks and multi-storey carparks have already led to the arrests of unlicensed moneylending harassers in 224 cases since 2012. Police Cameras have already been installed in over 4,000 HDB blocks, and installation in the remaining 5,000-plus blocks will be completed by end-2016. I am happy to say that residents have welcomed it and Members of the House, too, have told me that their residents welcomed it and, in fact, have asked me whether we can speed it up. But we are going about it as fast as we can. We will also build a new Police Divisional Headquarters and two fire stations in the next five years to meet increased demand from new towns and commercial centres. Mr Edwin Tong and Ms Sylvia Lim asked about our checkpoints. We have completed several key measures recommended by the 2014 Ministry-level review committee. These will enhance security at our land checkpoints. We have introduced an integrated command and control structure to strengthen coordination among the officers from the various Home Team agencies operating at these checkpoints. In addition, 119 CCTV cameras have been installed to enhance coverage and monitoring at the checkpoints. Mobile crash barriers have Page: 22 been deployed as an additional line of defence to stop vehicles from dashing through.”
“These measures will ensure that we continue to be an employer of choice and help us retain officers, particularly the good officers that we have. We will also provide more comprehensive training and meaningful deployments for our National Service (NS) personnel. Our NSFs and NSmen already carry out frontline duties on Page: 21 a daily basis. At least two out of the four firefighters that you see in every SCDF fire vehicle responding to fires daily are full-time NSmen. From this year, we will deploy more SCDF NSmen who are back for their in-camp training to complement regular officers as frontline responders. So, when you see them responding to an emergency or fire, about half of them are full-time National Servicemen, our NSmen, responding to the call of duty every day. Our Police NSFs and NSmen also patrol our neighbourhoods, coastal waters, airports and public transport network. The Police will assign more Police NSFs to frontline duties and better align full-time National Service with their corresponding NSmen roles. Second, we will significantly step up our investments to leverage systems and technology as force multipliers. We expect to increase our development expenditure gradually from about 8% of the Ministry's total expenditure in the past five years to about 20% over the next five years. Together with comprehensive operating models and strategies, this will help our officers to do their work more effectively. We will allow technology to do the things that technology does better and have our officers do things where the officers themselves, through their personal interaction and judgement, can do better. For example, the SCDF had brought its new command and control system into service at the end of 2013.”
“Over the next five years, we will add another 2,000 officers to the Home Team to cope with increasing traveller volumes, boost frontline policing and emergency medical services, and improve response to public order incidents and fires. We have also made progress in expanding the Special Operations Command or SOC, something that Mr Hri Kumar asked about. The Police started recruiting additional officers last year and aim to recruit about 150 officers to the SOC by end-2015. And we expect that all 300 officers will be added to the SOC by 2017. This involves selecting very good people and making sure that they are well-trained and properly equipped. So, it takes a little bit of time. Even though all of us would like to have more manpower, there are natural limits to how much we can grow the number of officers we have in the Home Team, given the smaller cohorts of young Singaporeans entering the workforce each year. We will partially address this issue by re-employing more of our officers. The retirement age for Home Team uniformed junior officers was extended in October 2013 to 55. We want our officers to continue working with us as long as they are fit and able to carry out their duties. We will continue to provide opportunities for our Home Team officers to upgrade their capabilities, including sponsoring them for diploma and degree programmes and deepening their specialist skills. As we rely more on better qualified and trained officers, we will restructure our Home Team officers' careers to provide more opportunities to advance into the senior ranks. For example, the Police are studying ways to provide more seamless advancement opportunities for their officers.”
“With Changi Airport Terminal 4 and the Rapid Transit System coming into operation, we expect the numbers to grow further in the coming years. So, Madam, how do we deal with these challenges? Over the past two and a half years, the Home Team has been reviewing our strategic long-term plans, together with our partner agencies and also with MOF. The aim was to map out the strategies to address challenges facing the Home Team over the next five to 10 years and match them with the resources. We will ensure that the Home Team is adequately resourced to implement these strategies and plans. Within the coming five-year period, we will add 2,000 more officers across the Home Team, and MHA's expenditure will increase from the current 1.1% of nominal GDP in FY2014 to around 1.3% of GDP. For FY2015, it will increase by 11.7% and reach 1.2% of GDP. With greater certainty and a higher level of funding, we can make long-term plans, develop our forces more systematically, build stronger operational capabilities, as well as Page: 20 strengthen community partnerships. I will elaborate on our plans in these three dimensions – making full use of the potential of our Home Team officers, significantly stepping up our investments to leverage on systems and technology and taking community partnerships to the next level. First, making full use of the potential of our Home Team officers. Several Members, such as Mr Hri Kumar, Mr Arthur Fong and Dr Janil Puthucheary, asked about the Home Team's manpower resources. Over the last 10 years, manpower in the Home Team had grown from about 19,300 to 24,700 officers – that is 5,000 officers over 10 years. We will continue to grow these numbers judiciously and moderately.”
“After studying the matter carefully, we have also set up the National Cyber Security Centre in April 2014 to provide early detection capabilities and worked with stakeholders responsible for our critical information infrastructure to strengthen our overall cyberdefence capabilities. To improve our national cyberdefence efforts, a new Cyber Security Agency under the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) will commence operating on 1 April 2015. My colleague, the Minister for Communications and Information, Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, has been appointed by the Prime Minister to be the Minister-in-charge of Cyber Security and will address these issues in greater detail in the debate on MCI's estimates, including Mr Tong's comments about the adequacy of experts. Third, besides the security challenges of terrorism, and transnational and cybercrime, our changing domestic operating environment also places greater demands on the Home Team. As the number of citizens aged 65 years and above grew from about 318,000 in 2009 to 415,000 in 2014, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) saw a corresponding 31% increase in ambulance calls over the same five-year period. We expect demand for emergency medical services to rise further as the number of elderly citizens doubles to about 900,000 by 2030. We will also need new Police and fire stations to serve new towns and new commercial developments. With more people travelling for work and leisure, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority or ICA saw more than 500,000 people passing through our checkpoints daily in 2014. That is 500,000 people every day crossing our checkpoints last year. This is an increase of about 33% from 2009.”
“Globalisation has made it easier for criminal groups to plan criminal activities outside Singapore, carry them out here, and enjoy the proceeds of their crime elsewhere. With the Internet and electronic transfer of funds, criminals also find it easier to operate across borders, and to enter new markets. The Police and the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) have recently dismantled several cross-border illegal moneylending and drug smuggling syndicates. Senior Minister of State Masagos will say more about our efforts to combat the drug menace later. Cybercrime, in particular, is a new frontier. Several Members – Mr Hri Kumar and Mr Edwin Tong – spoke about this. Last year, we saw a sharp increase in online crimes. Cheating through e-commerce, Internet love scams and cyber extortion cases grew by 200% to 2,113 cases in 2014. Police will increase their public education efforts against cybercrime. For cheating crimes on the Internet, the victims themselves can take action to avoid them by being more vigilant and careful. Hence, we have education programmes to inoculate them against this. Cybersecurity is also a concern as a growing number of critical systems, such as power generation and banking, are computer-controlled or connected to the Internet. Both Government and private entities around the world have been targets of cyberattacks by state and non-state actors. Sensitive information has been stolen or infiltrated systems damaged. "Hacktivists" have also been taking to cyberspace to disrupt services and spread fear and alarm to promote their causes. 12.00 pm We amended the Computer Misuse and Cybersecurity Act in 2013 to enable the Government to take more effective and timely measures to prevent, detect and counter Page: 19 cyberattacks on essential services.”
“Singapore will be hosting the East Asia Summit Symposium on Religious Rehabilitation and Social Reintegration on 16 to 17 April 2015 to share best practices and build capabilities among more than 20 participating countries to counter radical ideology. Individual Singaporeans too play an important part in maintaining vigilance. If you notice any signs that a friend or family member has possibly been radicalised, you should alert the authorities. Acting pre-emptively could help stop them from harming themselves and protect others from being harmed. Through such alerts, we have already been able to refer young people who were becoming radicalised for religious counselling and to bring Page: 18 them back onto the correct path. However, despite our best efforts, it is not possible to ensure that a terrorist attack will never succeed or happen in Singapore. I agree with Mr Hri Kumar and Mr Arthur Fong about the need to ensure that our society is ready to withstand a terrorist attack and maintain social cohesion and harmony in its aftermath. Madam, those who carry out such attacks seek to divide our society and strike fear in innocent people. If an incident were to occur, we must stand united as a community and condemn the violent acts of these particular individuals. Such extreme views do not reflect the beliefs of the wider community, and indeed are rejected by them. As Singaporeans, we must continue to build on what we have in common, rather than accentuate our differences. We must also carry on with our daily lives, reach out to each other, and not allow fear to paralyse our society. Second, transnational and cybercrime.”
“The Sydney siege in December 2014, the Paris attacks in January 2015 and the Copenhagen shooting in February 2015 took place even when those countries were already on high alert. The Home Team will continue to deter and deal with terrorism by securing our borders, hardening our infrastructure and maintaining our capability to respond swiftly and effectively to any threats that come to light. We will continue to conduct exercises to hone our response, as well as enhance our intelligence capabilities and work with international partners to identify and pre-empt terrorism threats. We take decisive action early to place persons who pose a threat to our security under detention or restriction orders. Since 2002, our security agencies have detained 66 such persons under the Internal Security Act and, of these 66 persons, 57 have since been released. Currently, nine persons remain under detention and 21 persons are on restriction orders, including some who had intended to take part in conflicts overseas. It is heartening that Singaporeans from all communities understand the fragility of our peace and harmony and support the work of our security agencies. Other jurisdictions, in Malaysia, Australia, the US and Europe are strengthening their laws to allow preventive measures against terrorism threats. Our community and religious groups also play a key role in preventing and deterring terrorism and in maintaining social cohesion and harmony in the aftermath of an attack. For example, Singapore's Religious Rehabilitation Group or RRG launched its Resource and Counselling Centre in July 2014. The RRG has produced pamphlets and online material to counter extremist ideology, in particular, the type that draws persons to fight in Syria and Iraq.”
“The number of violations detected went up sharply when these red light cameras were first installed in March 2014. This is significant, as it means that many drivers had previously been beating red lights and each of these occasions could have caused a serious accident. However, the number of violations detected per camera per month had decreased by over 80% by December. In fact, by December, fewer total violations were detected by these red light cameras compared to July 2014, even though there were twice as many cameras. The cameras have helped to improve driving behaviour and road safety. The Safe Cities Index 2015 by the Economist Intelligence Unit recently ranked Singapore top for personal safety, which measures crime, police engagement and perception of safety. Mr Hri Kumar asked about our future security challenges. Let me elaborate on three key developments – terrorism, transnational and cybercrime, and domestic challenges such as our changing demographics. First, terrorism. Terrorism is a global threat, which also impacts Singapore and our region. The conflict in Iraq and Syria has already drawn more than 20,000 foreign fighters, more in numbers and countries of origin than in the Afghanistan conflict in the late-1980s. Page: 17 This includes an estimated 350 from Southeast Asia. Upon their return home, these fighters may be more prone to violence. Almost on a daily or weekly basis, we see new revelations or videos of fighters from our region who have been involved in Syria or Iraq. Self-radicalised individuals may also be influenced by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria or ISIS to carry out attacks in their home countries. Such attacks are often opportunistic, and therefore difficult to detect and prevent.”
“I shall now explain our plans for resourcing a ready Home Team and taking community partnerships to the next level, to achieve a safe and secure Singapore. Page: 16 Robust laws, effective enforcement and strong community partnerships have helped us maintain a high level of safety and security. Singapore's overall crime rate of 589 cases per 100,000 population remains low compared to other cities such as London, Sydney, Tokyo and Hong Kong. This is in spite of a 7.4% increase in the number of crime cases in 2014 compared to 2013, and this was driven largely by an increase in online crimes. We will say more about that later. The number of unlicensed moneylending harassment cases fell below 6,000 cases in 2014, a substantial decline from the almost 18,000 cases in 2009. The recidivism rate for ex-offenders is low and has remained relatively stable. While the number of drug abusers arrested fell by 14% in 2014 compared to 2013, we remain concerned about younger persons getting involved in drugs. Senior Minister of State Masagos will say more about the work of the Task Force on Youths and Drugs later. The number of immigration offenders arrested continued its downward trend – there were 2,040 immigration offenders arrested in 2014, a 63% decrease from 2009, while maintaining the same level of enforcement. Our fire fatality rate has also remained low compared to cities such as New York, Tokyo and Hong Kong. Our road safety situation has improved. The number of fatal traffic accidents and fatalities have been on a downward trend for the past three years. The installation of new digital red light cameras at road junctions has also helped to improve safe driving behaviour.”
“Mdm Chairperson, let me first thank the Members for their views and questions relating to the Home Team, and also for their support and thanks to the officers in the Home Team for the job that they do. May I have your permission to display slides and ask the Clerk to distribute a handout with some Home Team statistics?”
“Mdm Speaker, I beg to report that the Committee of Supply has made progress on the Estimates of Expenditure for the financial year 2015/2016 and ask leave to sit again tomorrow.”
“Madam, may I seek your consent to move that progress be reported now and leave be asked to sit again tomorrow?”
“For patients suffering from a heart attack, the transmission of live ECG data enables the hospital emergency department to assemble its cardiac team for rapid critical intervention while the patient is en route to the hospital. This increases the patient's chances of survival.”
“SCDF has a strong innovation culture and continuously seeks to develop new capabilities and technology solutions that are suited for our local context, learning from the best practices of other leading jurisdictions. In the area of fire-fighting, SCDF uses advanced fire-fighting and rescue training simulators at the Civil Defence Academy to conduct realistic training and exercises for its officers. SCDF has also over the years introduced new equipment to improve its operational response. One such example is the Light Fire Attack Vehicle or commonly known as the Red Rhino. This vehicle was designed specifically for SCDF and provides greater access and mobility in an urban environment. The fourth-generation Red Rhino, launched in September 2014, has improved fire-fighting capabilities and uses compressed air foam instead of water mist technology for more effective fire suppression. SCDF's latest innovation in fire-fighting is the Unmanned Fire-fighting Machine. This machine can be deployed in extreme conditions as well as complex and hazardous environments. It has high capacity jets to fight fires and offers our fire-fighters better protection from danger because it is operated remotely. The machines have been successfully deployed in dealing with several industrial fires since their introduction in April 2014. In the area of emergency medical services, SCDF works closely with MOH to make use of advances in medical technology to improve patient outcomes. For example, SCDF has equipped its entire fleet of ambulances with automated external defibrillators (AED) that are able to transmit electrocardiogram (ECG) data en route to the hospital.”
“2014 saw a continued improvement in the unlicensed moneylending (UML) and UML-related harassment situation. Last year, there were 6,553 reported cases of UML and UML-related harassment. This was a decline of 50% compared to the 13,342 cases in 2011 and a decline of 21% compared to 2013. The improvement in the UML situation can be attributed to the tough laws enacted, strong enforcement efforts against loan-shark syndicates and the high level of community support in the fight against UML activities. From 2011 to 2014, Police arrested close to 1,900 persons for UML and UML-related harassment offences on average each year. In the same period, there were about 2,600 convictions in court for UML and UML-related harassment offences. Those arrested and convicted of UML and UML-related offences can expect to be dealt with seriously. Under section 28 of the Moneylenders Act, an individual may be sentenced up to nine years' imprisonment and given 18 strokes of the cane, as well as a fine Page: 68 of up to $60,000. Police will continue to clamp down on UML syndicates, as well as those who assist them in such activities. Police will also work with the National Crime Prevention Council to raise public awareness and mobilise the community to enhance their vigilance against such activities.”
“In 2014, Police received information on and investigated 49 cases of alleged sex trafficking. Twenty-five cases were found to be substantiated sex trafficking cases. Of these, Police prosecuted two cases involving 11 offenders, 18 other cases are pending Court proceedings or further investigations, and five cases were not prosecuted in Court. Of the 24 cases that were found not to involve sex trafficking, 12 are pending court proceedings or further investigations for offences under the Women's Charter or Penal Code, while no offences were found to have been committed for the remaining 12 cases. Separately, MOM received information on and investigated 43 cases of alleged labour trafficking in 2014. Two cases, involving two offenders, were prosecuted in Court. Of the 41 cases that were found not to involve labour trafficking, 12 are pending court proceedings or further investigations for violation of employment laws, while the remaining 29 cases involved employment-related disputes and were not prosecuted in Court.”
“Four out of the nine cases, or over 44%, of Rioting and Serious Hurt at East Coast Park (ECP), West Coast Park (WCP) and Changi Beach, over the past two years were linked to the consumption of alcohol. The breakdown is as follows: With the passage of the Liquor Control (Supply and Consumption) Bill, public consumption of alcohol will be restricted islandwide from 10.30 pm to 7.00 am. Exempting coastal parks, such as ECP, WCP and Changi Beach, from the restriction could result in persons congregating in public areas in these parks for alcohol consumption leading to higher disamenities to other park users. There is already a range of licensed outlets in and around some of these parks where the consumption of alcohol will continue to be permitted on their premises within their licensed hours.”
“We are aware that some inmates and ex-offenders may have difficulties in opening bank accounts as they are unable to meet the minimum deposit requirements set by banks in opening a bank account immediately upon release. Some may be turned away by banks as they are deemed to be a credit risk. In such cases, the Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises (SCORE) would work with employers to make alternative arrangements, such as to issue their salaries in cash or cash cheque, in the first month of employment. This would allow the ex-offenders to build up their cash savings to reach the minimum deposit amount required and improve their credit rating. This would help to overcome any impediment that not having a bank account for such reasons would present in securing a job. Nonetheless, I agree with Ms Irene Ng that having a bank account would make it more convenient for both employers and ex-offenders and would like to thank her for the suggestion. The Singapore Prison Service (SPS) and SCORE will work with the banks on the possibility of temporarily waiving the minimum deposit requirements for such ex-offenders and other facilitative measures during the transitional period after their release.”
“The number of foreign spouses of Singapore Citizens (SCs) who enter Singapore as social visitors is not available as ICA does not track this statistic. As at 31 December 2014, there were 14,694 foreign spouses of SCs on Long-Term Visit Pass (LTVP) and Long-Term Visit Pass-Plus (LTVP+). Foreign spouses who are Permanent Residents or on LTVP, LTVP+ or on a work pass are eligible to work in Singapore.”
“Mdm Speaker, the PSD has communicated directly with all these pensioners, explaining to them that they will continue to receive the same medical benefits as they had before, and the Government will pay for their MediShield Life premiums. In fact, they will be better off, as I have explained, because their spouses would be covered by MediShield Life even after they pass on. I hope that the Member will help us to explain this to all the pensioners rather than causing alarm.”
“Madam, the answer is yes. In fact, they would get more because if the pensioners pass away, their wives will continue to be covered under MediShield Life, something which the wives would not have had previously. So, the answer is yes, unequivocally yes. Pensioners who are on the old medical schemes will continue to enjoy all the benefits that they currently have under their old medical schemes. I think that was already very clearly stated previously. I hope that the Member, instead of raising red herrings, will help to reassure pensioners of this.”
“I am very much reassured, Madam, because in my response to him previously on pensioners, the Government had very clearly said those who are on the old medical schemes will continue to receive all the benefits that they currently have under the old medical schemes and that Government will pay for the MediShield Life premiums of these pensioners. And so, they will continue to have all the benefits that they currently have. In fact, pensioners will have one important benefit with MediShield Life that they did not have previously. Previously, the spouse of a pensioner would cease to have medical benefits when the pensioner passes away. With the new MediShield Life, pensioners' wives will be covered by MediShield Life. I hope that the Member will help to reassure pensioners rather than causing them anxiety by raising issues which are not true.”
“I just want to be sure, Madam, that the Member did not say that the Government said that pensioners would be worse off.”
“Madam, can I ask the Member to please continue because I thought I heard after that, he said that the Government had said that pensioners would be worse off?”
“Madam, if I heard correctly, the Member said that the Government had said that these pensioners would be worse off. Can I seek a clarification from the Member, please?”
“Mdm Speaker, can I seek a clarification, please?”
“Mdm Speaker, I am not able to provide Mr Gerald Giam with that information.”
“We have advisories, of course, against people going to Syria and Iraq, particularly at this point in time. For Singaporeans everywhere, wherever they go to, as I have said, the general threat level around the world has risen and they should always take precautions and follow the guidance of security authorities in the countries which they are visiting or doing business in. That is the advice that I can give.”
“We should stand together resolutely as one people to condemn it and its ideology and perpetrators. We should also carry on with life and not be cowed – take the train, go to school, carry on working, continue with your usual activities. Of course, take sensible and necessary precautions, such as looking out for and reporting suspicious persons or objects. By all of us responding calmly together as one united people, we can prevail over the terrorists and prevent them from paralysing and dividing our society.”
“From time to time, if there is specific, credible information of a threat, or if we assess the general threat level to have risen, we may need to temporarily raise our security precautions further. While we will strive to minimise inconvenience to Singaporeans, some disruption will be inevitable such as more stringent checks at our checkpoints and the public transport system, or at places or events where many people congregate. We hope Singaporeans will understand this as necessary trade-offs for greater security to protect our loved ones, while allowing life to carry on as normally as possible. Page: 23 But, if in spite of our best efforts, an attack does occur, the Government will respond robustly and decisively to apprehend the perpetrators, and neutralise all possible threats uncovered, to prevent further attacks. At the same time, how Singaporeans respond to an attack is key. If people who are caught in an incident know what to do and react appropriately, they can help to save their own lives and the lives of others. Emergency preparedness training is therefore important. It is equally important that we do not allow the terrorists to achieve their objectives – to sow mistrust, division and enmity between the different communities in our society, or to create fear to stop us from going about our daily lives. Instead of becoming divided, Singaporeans should reach out even more to each other, to friends and neighbours, schoolmates, colleagues and across communities to strengthen our unity and social resilience. The violence committed by these radicalised individuals with extreme beliefs does not represent any particular group or religion and has no place in Singapore society.”
“We have had instances of Singaporeans becoming self-radicalised even before the Syrian conflict. ISIS has, however, worsened the threat through its widespread and effective use of social media to radicalise and recruit foreign fighters and supporters. Our community and religious organisations have put in considerable effort to counter the radical ideology of ISIS and the jihadist terrorists. They recognise the importance of tackling the problem ideologically, to complement security action by the authorities. There is growing international recognition of the need to deal upstream with the ideology that fuels jihadist terrorism. To contribute to this effort, we will be hosting the East Asia Summit Symposium on Religious Rehabilitation and Social Reintegration in April this year. The Symposium will share best practices among participating countries and build capability to counter the terrorists' radical ideology. Apart from what the Government and community organisations can do, I would also like to emphasise the important role that members of the public play to help protect Singapore against terrorism, in particular self-radicalisation. Family and friends are best placed to notice changes in the people close to them. They should alert the authorities if they suspect that their relative or friend may be at risk of becoming radicalised. And they could be saving their relative or friend from harming themselves and from endangering others. Our security agencies will continue to take the necessary measures to prevent a terrorist attack from happening here. However, as I explained earlier, there is no guarantee that these measures will always succeed.”
“Even if a traveller's name does not appear on a watch-list, Singapore, like other countries, reserves the right to deny him entry if he has no bona fide reason for entering Singapore. Singapore also subscribes to INTERPOL's Stolen and Lost Travel Documents database, which allows us to identify anyone who uses a lost or stolen passport to mask his real identity. Mr Alex Yam asked if there has been any heightened threat to Singapore following our deployment of troops to support the coalition against ISIS. There is no indication of a heightened threat to Singapore specific to our support to the coalition against ISIS. However, the violence in Syria and Iraq continues, and raises the overall threat level in every country. ISIS still attracts extremists and encourages its overseas supporters to carry out attacks on home soil using all means available. In the past six months alone, we have seen "lone-wolf" attacks in North America, Europe and Australia. The fact that "lone-wolves" are not part of a structured organisation makes it harder for the security agencies to detect and neutralise them. A case in point is Man Haron Monis, an Iranian refugee who became an Australian national. Monis perpetrated the Lindt Café siege in Sydney in mid-December 2014, where two hostages were killed. This attack occurred even after Australia had raised its security Page: 22 posture and arrested several persons who posed a terrorism threat in Australia. France was also on heightened alert in January 2015 when the Paris attacks happened. Thus, there is no guarantee that similar attacks can always be prevented here. Mr Alex Yam has rightly pointed out that self-radicalisation is a problem as it can lead to "lone-wolf" attacks.”
“Mdm Speaker, our security agencies have good cooperation with their foreign counterparts. They regularly exchange information on the terrorism threat. This includes the reciprocal sharing of information on terrorists and terrorist suspects. Such exchanges take place within the framework of each country's laws and agreements or understandings with counterpart countries. Page: 21 We take stringent measures to protect ourselves from any individual, local or foreign, who poses a terrorism threat to Singapore; or who intends to use Singapore to carry out terrorism-related activities. This includes denying a foreign individual entry into Singapore. While watch-listing and sharing watch-lists are important components of counter-terrorism measures, they cannot be fool-proof in preventing foreign terrorists from entering Singapore. All countries face the challenge of stopping so-called "clean skins" – that is, persons who have not previously attracted security attention and are therefore unknown to the authorities. This is compounded by the large number of individuals from many different countries – more than 15,000 in total – who have taken part in the armed conflict in Syria and Iraq, plus others who have been indoctrinated in extremist ideology or trained in violent methods elsewhere. The case of Mehdi Nemmouche illustrates this problem. Nemmouche was a French national who had fought in Syria. He had travelled through Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore after leaving Syria enroute to Europe, where he went on to carry out an attack in Brussels, Belgium in May 2014, killing four people. He was hitherto not known to the security agencies and therefore had not attracted the attention of countries he travelled through. So, he was not on our watchlist.”
“Mdm Speaker, with your permission, may I take Question Nos 7 and 8 together?”
“It also provides for increased penalties to reflect the seriousness of harassment against public officers and Public Service workers when they are performing their duties. Our Public Service officers and workers endeavour to serve Singapore and Singaporeans well. We will continue to protect them from abusive behaviour that prevents them from performing their duties.”
“Good service delivery to citizens is important to the Public Service. It works best where there is mutual courtesy and respect. I am happy to note that while there are reported cases of abuse, the vast majority of service interactions between members of the public and public officers are conducted in a courteous and professional manner. The frontline agencies with significant public interactions include the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority, Central Provident Fund Board, Housing and Development Board, Inland Revenue Authority, Ministry of Manpower, Ministry of Social and Family Development and National Environment Agency. Among these seven agencies, there were 45 cases of harassment or abuse reported to the Police in 20141. This was an increase from the 25 cases reported in 2013. Among the restructured hospitals, there were 31 reported cases in 2013 and 34 cases in 2014. The Public Service receives more than five million service requests through physical channels each year. The incidence of abuse should thus be seen in this overall context. The majority of these cases are incidents of verbal or physical abuse which amounted to intimidation and obstruction of public officers in performing their duties. In some instances, members of the public turned abusive when their requests or appeals were turned Page: 96 down. We take a serious view of abuse of public officers, and the more severe cases of abuse will face criminal prosecution under the Protection from Harassment Act which was passed by this House on 13 March 2014. The Act extended protection from harassment for public officers to include Public Service workers who deliver public services that are essential to Singaporeans’ daily lives, such as nurses working in our restructured hospitals.”
“Home Team officers put their lives at risk every day to protect Singapore and Singaporeans. We value and appreciate them for the important contribution that they make to keep Singapore safe and secure. We remember and honour our officers who passed away in the course of duty in several ways, such as the award of medals, posthumous promotions and ceremonial funerals. We also provide assistance and financial support to their families. We know that this will never be enough for the huge sacrifice they have made and hope that the recognition and support will be a source of comfort for their families. The Singapore Police Force also remembers and pays tribute to its officers who have lost their lives in the service of the nation during the annual Police Day, with the observance of a minute of silence. In our SG50 celebrations this year, we will commemorate the contributions of our officers who have lost their lives in the course of duty. The Home Team will also have a series of events to honour, thank and remember our pioneers. Our Home Team pioneers were instrumental in fighting many serious threats during our critical nation-building years – communist terrorists and assassins, violent crime, secret societies, industrial and student unrest, Konfrontasi, racial riots, drugs and major fires. They laid the foundations for the safe and secure home that we enjoy today. Through these events, we hope that the younger and future generations of officers will be inspired by their courage, dedication to duty and sacrifice.”
“All goods and public service vehicles with maximum laden weight exceeding 12 tonnes and 10 tonnes respectively are required by law to be installed with speed limiters, which restrict their maximum speed to 60 kilometres per hour. Vehicle owners are responsible for installing and maintaining the speed limiters in working condition in their vehicles. Over the past five years, the Traffic Police has caught 20 owners for not maintaining the required speed limiters and 37 drivers for using a vehicle with a faulty or tampered speed limiter.”
“As at 31 December 20132, there were about 139,400 public officers in service, of whom 1,400 were aged 65 years and above. Based on our latest available annual data, from 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2013, about 94% of public officers who retired at age 62 and wished to continue working were re-employed. Six percent (or 64 in total) were not re-employed. Amongst these officers not re-employed, about nine in 10 did not meet the qualifying criteria of having satisfactory work performance, good conduct and being medically fit to continue working. As we recently introduced our re-employment guidelines for age 65, which took effect from January 2015, the re-employment rate at age 65 would only be available later. Nevertheless, the Public Service has been re-employing officers even before this policy took effect. Of the 1,400 public officers above the age of 65, the oldest civil servant is 80 years old. The Public Service does not set any target on the re-employment rate of public officers. If a job is available and the officer is not a poor performer or does not have medical problems, the Public Service agency will offer re-employment to the officer.”